Review :-
Arrey Deva, hey kai? Kinky Kanda-pohey topped with sexy sambar-chutney? Of course, this can’t beat the madness of the dramatic Deshpandes. A family of ‘weird-Ums’ – With aai, baba, bhau, aajji and dream-girl Meenaxi Deshpande ( Rani Mukerji), who’s truly the Queen of her filmi fantasies (she’s revisited every dream sequence as Sridevi, Juhi, Madhuri). So what if this D-family is busy arranging 6pm and 9pm shows of ‘Meet The Bride’, this one is no Balaji brand bahu, really. She needs more tadka in her life than what a plain diet of varan-bhaat can give. Meenaxi spends time chasing her unique olfactory senses (read: nose) and slipping into long dream-um sequences (where jumping, pumping, thumping, laavni, belly-dancing and more happen) AGB!!!(read: Aga Bai!). When a studly, mysterious Tamil boy Surya (Prithviraj) walks in ‘reeking’ of manhood, sexuality and ‘fragrance’, this mulgi just doesn’t want to wake up from her wet dreams (funnily, he’s the one getting wet in all her dreams); so she starts reading books on Tamil fiction, watching Midnight Masala (Isshh!!), and turning aiyyaas to aiyyos. In the meanwhile, she also meets a potential groom, Madhav ( Subodh Bhave), who believes in filmi romance too, albeit the Farooq Sheikh – Deepti Naval type.
From top to basumm Rani is truly Wonderum! As Meenaxi, she’s ‘nose-dived’ into the character, literally. She’s looking fabulous (especially in her bronzed dream sequences), and has dished out a brilliant performance, slipping from traditionally simple to shockingly sexy in a heart-beatumm. Her comic-timing is a revelation and so are her belly-dancing skills. And even with all that boldness, she steals the thunder (more with talent than her thighs-sighs).
Prithviraj is simply Eroticumm! He exudes chiselled, raw sexuality in every scene; gets wet, adds Southern masala with his moves, but says nothing really. Adding to all the drama is the supporting cast led by an over-the-top Aai ( Nirmiti Sawant), chain-smoker Baba ( Satish Alekar), eccentric Aajji who hilariously zips around in a wheel-chair with dentures made of gold (saved for Meenaxi’s wedding), Nana (Ameya Wagh as her bro) who prefers stray dogs to the human race, and her girl-friend, Maina ( Anita Date) – the Gaga-bai of the gang (modeled on Lady Gaga), – who lusts for John Abraham, thinks ‘sex’ and breaks away from the sweet Modak-mould of this typical Maharashtrian family.
Sachin Kundalkar starts out well, but while juggling between Marathi matrimonials and midnight-masala, his plot goes ‘wakda‘ (read: digresses). After a few giggles, erotic gasps, and gaanas (Amit Trivedi), the story stretches pointlessly and loses its scent.
Even with such a talented ensemble, this one turns into a cultural showpiece, and gets lost in translation. That’s the sad-partumm!
Story :-
A middle-class Marathi mulgi falls in love and romances a Tamil boy in her quirky fantasies, while her parents are looking for the perfect matrimonial match.