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Dealing
with the concept of assumption, Andaaz is a story of
two childhood friends, Raj (Akshay Kumar) and Kaajal (Lara Dutta).
Kaajal
has always had a fascination for aircrafts and so Raj decides to
woo his lady love by becoming a pilot.
So
he embarks on an 18-month training course, on the assumption
that he will propose to his childhood sweetheart when he graduates.
But
upon his return, Raj discovers that Karan (Aman Verma) an industrialist,
has entered Kajaal’s life. Worse
still, she is madly in love with him.
Unable
to control his emotions, Raj reveals his true feelings to Kajaal
on her wedding day. In return, he is advised by Kaajal to just get
on with life.
So
a heartbroken Raj does just that. He jets off to South Africa to
further his flying career.
It
is here that he comes across Jiya (Priyanka), a bubbly character
who falls head over heals in love with him.
But
to Jiya’s surprise, Raj does not reciprocate as he is secretly brooding
over Kaajal.
Few
months pass and Raj once again returns home only to find Jiya staying
in his house as a lodger.
She
wins the hearts of all around her and finally finds a place in Raj’s
heart.
But
he receives another blow at this point….. he discovers that Jiya
is actually Karan’s sister. Through
her, Raj also learns that Karan has left Kaajal.
The
story then takes a new direction which culminates into a well executed
climax.
The
first half consists of a routine love story with beautiful locales
to showcase the songs. It’s only in the post-interval that the story
picks up speed as the film sees the entry of Priyanka Chopra.
Add
to this a number of incidents together with the reappearance of
Lara Dutta and we end up with a Bollywood product full of surprises.
Of
all the characters in the film, it is Priyanka Chopra who surprises
the most.
Although
a newcomer to Bollywood, Priyanka goes through the various shades
of her character from a spoilt rich girl to a possessive lover with
great confidence.
Lara
Dutta as Kaajal impresses too during the emotional scenes whilst
Akshay Kumar gives a strong performance throughout, as the heartbroken
lover torn between his childhood love and his present wife.
Nadeem-Shravan's
music is another high point of the film. Rabba Ishq Na Hove
and Kisise Tum Pyaar Karo are the winning numbers which are
further enhanced by Ishwar Bidri's cinematography.
On
the whole Andaaz comes as a breath of fresh air due to the
presence of two ex-beauty queens in the form of Lara Datta and Priyanka
Chopra.
With
an intense second half, well executed climax and brilliant musical
score, it comes as no surprise to learn that this Bollywood flick
has entered the UK film top ten charts at number 10.
At
long last a draught stricken Bollywood can breathe a sign of relief
as Andaaz gets those box tills jingling once again this year!
Reviewed
by Manish Gajjar, Â鶹¹ÙÍøÊ×Ò³Èë¿Ú Shropshire’s Mr Bollywood.
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