Pyaar Tune Kya Kiya (PTKK) was high on my list of movies to watch this year. Why? Firstly, debutante director Rajat Kumar is another protégé from the Ram Gopal Verma stable - Verma being India's answer to Martin Scorsese, and secondly I was conversant with the fact that Urmila was given a similar role to her convincing portrayal of the psychotic girl-home-alone in Verma's 1999 thriller - Kaun. In this latest release we see Urmila cast opposite the convalescing Fardeen Khan again after last year's successful Jungle. The young Khan is evidently improving and it seems as though he has managed to overcome his humiliation and failure after his debut film - Prem Aggan (1998) - which was ineptly directed by his father Feroz Khan. In PTKK, Verma casts Fardeen Khan as the young Jai - a striving fashion photographer who lives a happily married life with his loving wife Geeta (Sonali Kulkarni). Jai is constantly on the look out for subjects he finds 'interesting and beautiful' and on one picturesque evening he comes across Ria (Urmila) meditating on the edge of a cliff (do not ask why!). Through his persistence, he persuades Ria to participate in a photo-shoot for a magazine he works for. Ria is unaware of the fact that Jai is married and believes that he is interested in her. The more they start meeting on a regular basis, Ria's infatuation with Jai escalates. Ria is the sole child of a wealthy businessman (Suresh Oberoi) who starts to show his concern over Ria's split personality and daredevil antics.
As months pass by and the more sociable Jai and Ria become, Ria's love for Jai grows to unprecedented heights and she shows the first signs of her true volatile nature. However, on one occasion Ria is introduced to Geeta - Jai's wife. Suddenly, Ria becomes an embittered and distressed woman refusing to accept the fact that Jai has no feelings for her and begins to stalk him and his wife at home and at work. Rajat Mukherjee has directed a movie that leaves a lasting impression on the viewer but I feel as though the film is not as strong as it could have been. The editing was mundane and the story itself should have been defined more convincingly. More importantly, there were several holes in the script that will ultimately determine the outcome of the film at the box-office. The fact that throughout the entire movie Jai never gives the impression to Ria or mentions the fact that he is a married man is very hard to believe. The whole movie runs on that basis alone and it makes you think why on earth Jai did not tell Ria of his marriage... a notorious flirt? The strongest point about the film is how Verma has very well thought out the two most important characters in the film - Jai and Ria.
Acting by Urmila as Ria is truly remarkable. The 'Rangeela' girl has always been an underrated actress but by looking at her previous films, one cannot help but be impressed. We all saw her as the 10-year-old Pinky in Shekhar Kapoor's 1983 classic Masoom where she was billed as a star for the future. However, it wasn't until 1995 when Ram Gopal Verma gave her the role of a life time with the first of his big hits - Rangeela. Rangeela became an instant hit with the masses and Urmila had finally arrived on the Bollywood scene. What followed next was a spate of box-office hits with Verma including Satya, Mast, Kaun, and Jungle. Though she is yet to be nominated for a Film Fare Award - one has the feeling it is only a matter of time until she is honoured for her efforts. Maybe next year for PTKK! Fardeen Khan gives another plausible performance as Jai. The young Khan is creating a useful niche for himself by working with Ram Gopal Verma. The more I see him in Verma's movies, the more his acting impresses me. Fardeen is one of the few actors in the industry who has a communicative face. His face clearly expresses how he feels and he is suited to Verma's style of filmmaking where characterisation is the major factor.
Music by Sandeep Chowta is spot-on. The background musical score complements the movie flawlessly - reminiscent to the background score in Verma's starkly realistic Satya in 1998. Urmila's acting is one of many reasons to watch this film. Though it is not as good as I was expecting it to be, PTKK is worthy of praise due to the fact that a young director who had previously never sat behind a camera helms the project. Nevertheless, Verma's magic is clearly evident throughout and I am certain PTKK will be one of the better-quality movies to come out of Bollywood this year.
As months pass by and the more sociable Jai and Ria become, Ria's love for Jai grows to unprecedented heights and she shows the first signs of her true volatile nature. However, on one occasion Ria is introduced to Geeta - Jai's wife. Suddenly, Ria becomes an embittered and distressed woman refusing to accept the fact that Jai has no feelings for her and begins to stalk him and his wife at home and at work. Rajat Mukherjee has directed a movie that leaves a lasting impression on the viewer but I feel as though the film is not as strong as it could have been. The editing was mundane and the story itself should have been defined more convincingly. More importantly, there were several holes in the script that will ultimately determine the outcome of the film at the box-office. The fact that throughout the entire movie Jai never gives the impression to Ria or mentions the fact that he is a married man is very hard to believe. The whole movie runs on that basis alone and it makes you think why on earth Jai did not tell Ria of his marriage... a notorious flirt? The strongest point about the film is how Verma has very well thought out the two most important characters in the film - Jai and Ria.
Acting by Urmila as Ria is truly remarkable. The 'Rangeela' girl has always been an underrated actress but by looking at her previous films, one cannot help but be impressed. We all saw her as the 10-year-old Pinky in Shekhar Kapoor's 1983 classic Masoom where she was billed as a star for the future. However, it wasn't until 1995 when Ram Gopal Verma gave her the role of a life time with the first of his big hits - Rangeela. Rangeela became an instant hit with the masses and Urmila had finally arrived on the Bollywood scene. What followed next was a spate of box-office hits with Verma including Satya, Mast, Kaun, and Jungle. Though she is yet to be nominated for a Film Fare Award - one has the feeling it is only a matter of time until she is honoured for her efforts. Maybe next year for PTKK! Fardeen Khan gives another plausible performance as Jai. The young Khan is creating a useful niche for himself by working with Ram Gopal Verma. The more I see him in Verma's movies, the more his acting impresses me. Fardeen is one of the few actors in the industry who has a communicative face. His face clearly expresses how he feels and he is suited to Verma's style of filmmaking where characterisation is the major factor.
Music by Sandeep Chowta is spot-on. The background musical score complements the movie flawlessly - reminiscent to the background score in Verma's starkly realistic Satya in 1998. Urmila's acting is one of many reasons to watch this film. Though it is not as good as I was expecting it to be, PTKK is worthy of praise due to the fact that a young director who had previously never sat behind a camera helms the project. Nevertheless, Verma's magic is clearly evident throughout and I am certain PTKK will be one of the better-quality movies to come out of Bollywood this year.