Movie Review: Main Madhuri Dixit Banna Chahti Hoon

Main Madhuri Dixit Banna Chahti Hoon (2003) was a delightful movie to watch. It is directed by Chandan Arora, who is the editor for many of the movies from the Ram Gopal Verma banner (as is this one). The movie is a very realistic movie, which has a slightly different take on the struggles of rural people in Bombay. Antara Mali is Chutki who is the biggest fan of Madhuri Dixit in her village and learns to dance like her (kinda like Prabhu Deva and Michael Jackson). Everbody in her village, except her parents, act like she is like the real thing. Especially her childhood friend Raja, Rajpal Yadav, who is madly in love with her. She has the unheard dream of going to Bombay and becoming an actress like her idol. The only way she can manage to do this is a marriage to Raja (fake to her). Then it is the struggle like the many people who come to Bombay and think the film industry will be waiting at the platform for them, their hopes (live & dead) of becoming a filmstar and in one swoop changing their entire existences. It manages to maintain an upbeat feel inspite of everything and she does get her break in the movies. It is entertaining to watch her big break movie and what she does after that. Nothing as filmy & cliched as success getting to ones head.

Antara Mali is pretty good in her role, does not get too annoying (my expectations are very low). Rajpal Yadav does a great role as this not so bright guy from the village, and he is plainly suited for the role of Raja the dude who loves the most pretty girl in the village and there is no way she can manage to fall in love with him (unless of course they move to Bombay and he is the only one who believes in her). They look very believeable in their naiveness as the village bums among the so called smart and busy city folk. Between the two of them Rajpal Yadav is more naturally suited for the role, but compared to the crap passed out for acting they do a really great job.
Antara Mali looks very well worked out ( a bit too well worked out), the only time I see abs like that are in the gym (if I manage to get there). The movie uses songs well for the most part. Does not have too many of them., only two major songs, apart from a medley of old Madhuri songs. The movie interestingly also has Raman Trikha as the chikna dude, who was in this annoying serial Tara (I think) on ZeeTV in the early 90s.