Rangeela, (1995)

Let me preface today's review by saying I've got a lot of respect for Urmila Matondkar, but I don't really like her. I mean, I know she's a great actress and all, but she's certainly not one of my favorites. I don't rent movies just because she's in them, like I do for Kajol or Rani. I don't particularly enjoy her dancing, like Aishwarya or Madhuri. And she doesn't have the same "cute factor" as, say, Preity or Amrita Rao, nor the va-va-voom of Sushmita. She's great in movies, but for soe reason I'm never quite wholly convinced of her character. To me, she's always an actress first, character later. The same way Julia Roberts is always Julia Roberts, Urmila is always Urmila to me.

Except while watching Rangeela, I saw her interact with Aamir Khan and thought, "Aww, they're so cute together." It's only when Mili (Urmila) and Munna (Aamir) are bickering or bothering one another that I was completely convinced. I wonder why that is. Her scenes with Jackie Shroff were also fun (I thought he was actually the best part of the movie, regardless of Speedo), but not as believable. Hell, even the Urmila+Aamir songs didn't get me, just the fighting parts. How very strange.

Still, this movie was a lot of fun, especially if you can catch the inside jokes and cracks about others in the Indian film industry. For example, there's an actress in the beginning whose mother is extremely demanding - this is supposedly a humorous but pretty accurate portrayal of Karisma Kapoor and her mother on sets. I think the director always comparing himself to Steven Speilberg is Rakesh Roshan, Hrithik's dad and director of Karan Arjun, Koyla, and most recently Koi... Mil Gaya and Krrish.

Anyway, the plot is pretty much your basic love triangle. Misguided youth Munna is in love with his best friend/rising star Mili, who also captures the heart of movie star Raj Kamal. The film, accentuated by several strange song picturizations, shows us how both the heroes feel about the heroine - Munna has loved her all along, but feels he's not good enough for her, and Raj Kamal opens his heart to her in spite of a tragic past. What keeps viewers guessing, though, A) who's going to pop the question first, and B) which hero does the heroine care for?

This film is highly recommended if you enjoy love triangles, like romantic comedies cum satires, or miss early nineties' fashion. For some reason I can't attach pics to this post, or surely you would be treated to the rainbow-tacular spectacle that is our heroes' wardrobe.

Also, a note of weirdness for weirdness' sake: there is also a part in a song where Urmila and Aamir are careening over a city skyline ON A SOFA- and I immediately recognized that they were flying over Brooklyn. I didn't know American airspace laws applied to furniture.