Telugu flick with Tamil soul

Band Baaja Baraat’ received a lot of love and turned out to be a big hit. While we were still wondering why, Yash Raj Films decided to remake the film as a bilingual in Telugu and Tamil - and that is where we feel totally misled. To begin with, ‘Aaha Kalyanam’ seems less like a 'bilingual' and more like a dubbed film, barring a few scenes here and there.

The movie is a scene by scene copy of the original, but it's sad that in spite of being a total duplication, this venture doesn't manage to match the authenticity or the freshness of the BBB.

Here's a quick preview of the story before we get on with the rest. Shruthi (Vaani Kapoor) wants to be "the city's biggest" wedding planner, and she chance meets Shakthi (Nani) who hits on her. But a few days later, though the alliance doesn't work, the two team up and start a business - Getti melam - a wedding planner setup.

The duo become an instant success, and in no time the two are getting the biggies of the city married. What follows is a series of dance, glitter, and lot of marriages.

But then on one drunken night, the two end up sleeping together. Shruthi falls in love, but Shakthi is hesitant as he doesn't want to mix 'finance and romance'. And so, after a series of misunderstandings, the twain split up their business, and Shakthi starts up on his own and calls it 'Happy Wedding'. But after a series of flop weddings for the both of them, and when both of them are laden in a bucketful of debts, they realise that it was their team that was a success. And so, the rest of the film discusses whether and how the pair gets back together.

The Chopras choose Chennai as the backdrop for their story, and in the Telugu version, it's "supposed" to be Hyderabad, with our very own beach! When a big banner production house is involved in film making, we expect at least a sense of logic. But we will forgive that! However, what we can't forgive is that what we hoped would be a Telugu movie seems to have a Tamil soul.

But if we keep that aside, ‘Aaha Kalyanam’ does give us an edge over other rom-coms that enter the market these days. The story is avant-garde (at least to the Telugu audience who are too used to formulaic films), and is refreshing. The biggest asset to ‘Aaha Kalyanam’ are the sets. Though, again, a scene by scene copy of BBB, they look elaborate, grand and regal, and bring to life the story. Meanwhile mentioning Vaani Sharma's energetic performance which is the life force of the film, is of utmost importance. She's beautiful, sprightly and fiery.

She has a lot to offer, and ‘Aaha Kalyanam’ is an understatement to her talent. Nani, as usual, is spontaneous. However, he looks weary and tired in the first half of the film. The most surprising is Simran's cameo - she looks ravishing, and seems to have got back the charm that used to be hers when she ruled the roost. The rest of the supporting cast is a disappointment. It is full of unfamiliar faces, and adds no value to the lavishness of the backdrop.

However, the director's skills seem juvenile, and many scenes seem obscure. The first half, especially, lacks drama and is the low point in the film. It would have been a benefit, if he had attempted to bring some novelty to the film, as compared to the original.

The music is a let-down, and fails to match the tastes of the Telugu audience. To put it straight, it is boring, and wouldn't make you tap your feet.