Andaz apna apna (1994)

अन्दाज़ अपना अपना

Comedy, I think, is the genre of Bollywood film that is most inaccessible to westerners. It is difficult to translate humor across languages and cultures under the best of circumstances, and there seems to be something particularly baffling about Bollywood comedy.  The genre tends toward broad farce, slapstick, and lots and lots of yelling.  Andaz apna apna ("to each his own style") is exemplary of the broad humor and loud slapstick that characterizes Bollywood comedy. Yet thanks to some unique aspects, it stands out in the genre - to some viewers, at least - as one of the most entertaining Bollywood comedies there is.

Amar (Aamir Khan) is a schemer and a dreamer. After his get-rich-quick plans fail; he encounters what appears to be the opportunity of a lifetime: Raveena (Raveena Tandon), the daughter of a tycoon living abroad, is back in India looking for a husband. Determined to make himself the lucky guy, he sets off to meet her.  On the way he meets Prem (Salman Khan), and the two quickly fall into a fierce rivalry to win the heiress's heart.  Prem is distracted by the attentions of Raveena's friend Karisma (Karisma  Kapoor), who takes quite a liking to him.  In the meantime, Raveena's father's estranged twin brother hatches a scheme to co-opt the family riches, and sets his inept henchmen to kidnap Raveena.  All kinds of silly fun ensues, as the boys carry on their escalating games of one-upmanship while thwarting the bad guys, and - against their better judgment - falling in love, Aamir with Raveena and Prem with Karisma.  The result is a movie that is cute and fun, with a manic tone and a generous helping over-the-top silliness. 

Part of what sets Andaz apna apna apart from other loud, raucous slapstick films is its keen  sense of self-awareness. The film is loaded with inside jokes and self-referential humor.  Scenes poke fun at Bollywood cliches, at classic films, and at aspects of the stars' real lives.  Unfortunately, most of the jokes of this ilk would be incomprehensible to viewers without a thorough store of Bollywood history to draw on - the numerous Sholay references, the hysterical fantasy sequences with Juhi Chawla, the silly "dishoom dishoom" of the fight scenes - all are very funny but would be utterly baffling to the newcomer. 

The other factor that really makes Andaz apna apna worth watching is its adorable stars.  Both Aamir and Salman were young, fresh-faced, and cute, and in this film they both bring exuberant silliness, terrific physical comedy skills, and great timing to the table.  Both their characters are dumb goofballs who think they are clever, and both step into those personae with a delightfully earnest innocence. Their hilarious buddy chemistry and cuteness makes up for the host of irritating supporting characters running around in the film.

Finally, Andaz apna apna features some fun songs, though they share the film's manic, over. the-top sensibility. My favorite is "Yeh raat aur yeh doori," but the others are lots of fun too.  Unfortunately I can't find just the songs on YouTube - the entire film is up there, in about 25 segments, without subtitles.

Comments

[Beth]

Oh c'mon, how can you not love Shakti Kapoor? THANK YOU for your lovely comment on my blog. I am linking to you post haste.

[Pratik Pandey]

'अन्दाज़ अपना अपना' वाक़ई काफ़ी मज़ाकिया फ़िल्म है। आप 'जाने भी दो यारों' भी देखें, इसमें राजनीति और व्यवस्था पर काफ़ी तीख़ा व्यंग्य किया गया है। शायद आपको पसंद आए।

[carla]

प्रतीक जी, शुक्रिया सुझाव के लिये । मैं फ़िल्में चुनके मन में रखूँगी । (Pratik recommended the film "Jaane bhi do yaaro" (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0085743/ ))

[babasko]

i have this one in my needs-to-be-viewed for quite some time, but always shied away from it so far. but i guess now is a good time to give it a chance

[Sanni]

Well, you know my love for AAA. Makes me roll on the floor laughing, the only film where I've laughed so much my stomach muscles have cramped, etc etc. I second the Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro recommendation, it is a film with some interesting social awareness and some incredibly funny scenes. I love it but it does have its boring bits, as well - I think the director isn't good enough for the story which creates a slow pace for the film.

A film I saw last night, Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi, was a delightfully goofball comedy (that gets a tiny bit serious at the end) with your beloved Madhubala. I naturally recommend it to you especially - I adored Madhubala in this.

[Langda Tyagi]

Carla great post.....I love this movie and after watching it almost 40 times, I still do.....

I agree with you, its difficult to translate humor, because it is such a cultural thing, there are certain nuances which you can only appreciate if you have lived or interacted with people of a different country speaking different languages....

Aamir is probably the only actor in Bollywood who has delivered so many cult movies.....

[Langda Tyagi]

oh and also thanks for linking to us....I think we share a common passion for movies....I'll add your blog to our links....

keep it up....

[carla]

It's my pleasure, Movie Walah is a great site. Thanks for stopping by!

[free wallpaper online]

this movie so interesting and songs are to good .salman i am your fan.

[rafian]

really funny and enjoyable movie.

[maxqnz]

"the hysterical fantasy sequences with Juhi Chawla" - sadly the only thing that I laughed at in this shrill, manically-paced *comedy*. Like Sholay, this is another one of those "must-see" Hindi films that left me underwhelmed. The difference between this one and Sholay is that I can easily see myself watching Sholay again, voluntarily. There are many Hindi comedies I love to bits, including Amar Akbar Anthony, Chashme Buddoor and Angoor, but for me this was like watching chimps on speed for 3 hours and was much less successful at provoking laughter than Kaagaz ke Phool.