U Me aur Hum

Some films just want your heart to take over your mind. U Me aur Hum crafted with heartfelt passion over cerebral challenges is an ideal example. The sheer sincerity and intensity of the attempt involves you so influentially as an audience that the cynic critic takes a backseat and the unstrained spectator comes forth.

Right from the imaginatively designed opening credits inscribed with love definitions from across the globe, the movie sets in a surreal ambience for an endearing experience. Love is in the air as Ajay Devgan takes over as the captain of the ship (director) literally initiating his love story on a cruise-liner. And director Devgan unveils his narrative through actor Ajay who literally takes over as a story-teller in the film to narrate a mesmerizing story in the flashback mode.

Its love at first sight as always for Ajay, who doesn’t take too long to propose to a cruise stewardess Piya (Kajol). To impress his ladylove Ajay manipulates all that Piya likes. Conveniently the girl is awed and the two are soon a couple. So far so fair! But one wonders if director Devgan forgot to add a story to love. But your inhibitions come to rest as the real story begins post-interval where Piya’s amnesiac bouts come into picture imparting a much-needed twist in the linear tale. Bollywood romance flicks love to put love to test. Fortunately this time the novel setting to the love-test gives an entirely fresh outlook to the film.

From the outset one notices how Ajay Devgan chooses a unique story-telling pattern that despite venturing into frequent flashbacks, connects with the audience every time it comes back. Soon one observes how the director allows each scene to mature at its own pace and doesn’t rush with the screenplay. Devgan’s opulent vision is brought to life by Aseem Bajaj’s superlative cinematography that adds soul to every frame. The extreme close-up shots appear a bit disturbing at the start but one soon acclimatizes with the confining camera frames and relishes the result, as the film progresses.

While one might complain of practically no plot in the first half, Devgan still manages to keep the proceedings lively through his charming chemistry with Kajol on the cruise and a delightful demeanour brought in by the friendly supporting cast. His distinctive directorial prowess surfaces in the second half when the story progresses diligently. The meticulously sketched out screenplay comes in as a pleasant surprise from writers Robin Bhatt, Akash Khurana and Sutanu Gupta who are usually associated with formulaic films or blatant rip-offs. Ashwini Dheer adds in a lot of consideration in his thoughtfully penned dialogues. Apart from the requisite wit, his lines impart a lot of insight and depth to the scenes. The team comes up with an impeccably engaging script which is complimented by Ajay Devgan’s confident and matured direction.

Scene after scene the second half simply bowls you over with the fascinating freshness that is brought in the treatment. I might go on mentioning more than a dozen sequences but the ones that boast of exceptional execution are the one where an infant is almost saved from drowning or when Kajol speaks of how freaky the Alzheimer's disease is, not remembering she herself is suffering from it. The romance never gets mushy nor do the emotions get melodramatic with a subtle stroke maintained throughout. The simmering pace and Kajol’s recurring amnesiac spells, rather than getting repetitive, add compelling credibility to the story.

Ajay Devgan also succeeds in extracting authentic performances from the entire cast. Sumeet Raghavan is exceptionally expressive as Ajay’s close buddy. Divya Dutta and Karan Khanna are pretty good. Needless to say, Kajol and Ajay Devgan play to perfection.

U Me aur Hum raises much above the candyfloss or campus romance regularly churned out in Bollywood. Watch this one for its matchless maturity!