A chick flick -- Aisha looks like a catalogue for the season's trendiest wear than an entertaining adaption of the Jane Austen novel

Aisha - Movie review

Aisha
u; romance
Dir: Rajshree Ojha
Cast: Sonam Kapoor, Abhay Deol, Amrita Puri, Ira Dubey, Arunoday Singh
Rating: **

What's it about: There's a moment in the film where Aisha (Sonam Kapoor) looks into the camera and says, "I love my life". Why wouldn't she? After all shopping at Dior and dressing her manicured nails in the newest shade of paint shouldn't give anyone a reason to complain. Our desi Emma doesn't believe in the 'rab ne bana di jodi' concept; instead her life revolves around matching people and making them into her projects. Arjun Burman (Abhay Deol) thinks otherwise. Her biggest critic and future love interest doesn't leave a single chance to remind Aisha how shallow her life is. But, her cheerleading squadu00a0-- Pinky (Ira Dubey) and Shefali (Amrita Puri)u00a0-- keep providing her with the much needed distraction to look away from the bitter truth. It's only after exhausting every possible brand name and running out of options for product placements that the film comes to a much delayed conclusion.

What's hot: The film's highlight is Amrita Puri who plays the obnoxiously loud Shefali with the correct dose of humour and wit. Her performance is superbly OTT enough to make us fall in love with the middle class girl who can't tell her Karol Bagh chappals from the Louboutins. Amit Trivedi delivers once again with one of the best soundtracks of the year. Cyrus Sahukar is easy on the eyes and brings a natural charm to his character. Rajshree Ojha succeeds in giving the film a Delhi ka tadka. Special nod to Sonam's stylists for making her look impeccable.

What's not: It's not the material, but the way it's treated that takes away all the fun from the film. The first half has a lazy pace that drags its feet into an even more lethargic second. Aisha's opening monologue falls flat because it sounds like a dummies' guide to getting to know the characters. Despite the attempt to look like a Gossip Girl episode, the ensembles, make up and accessories add zero flavour to the proceedings. In fact more than once they serve as distraction to hide the inherent flaws in the plot. We get the fact that Aisha drives her Beetle and is part of the cr me de la cr me in Delhi, but how does she manage to not have a single bad hair day, or look messy when she gets out of bed? Perfection is good when it has a purpose; too much of it just looks arrogant. Abhay has more chemistry with his polo horse than with Sonam. Forget sparks, there isn't even a sizzle when they fill up au00a0 frame. When Aisha's best friend Pinky walks out on her, she doesn't care. We aren't even told why they fought, and when the explanation comes up, it's too filmy for our taste. Also her change of heart towards the end, and sudden realization about her feelings for Arjun seem rather forced than natural.

What to do: A chick flicku00a0-- Aisha looks like a catalogue for the season's trendiest wear than an entertaining adaption of the Jane Austen novel.