Two films reviewed : The road less travelled and the road best not travelled
Over the weekend, I had the chance of seeing two films - Aiyya and English Vinglish. Both films feature a woman as the central character and are helmed by debutante directors. Both, incidentally, have Marathi households as their cinematic background. And the music for both has been scored by Amit Trivedi (of Dev D fame). That’s where the similarities end, though. Directors Gauri Shinde and Sachin Kundalkar (both Marathi) have made diametrically opposite films, both in terms of story and quality. Before I proceed to postulate why Aiyyaa leads nominations for the Worst Film of the Year, I’ll concede that it’s not entirely bad. Rani, for instance, plays the part of the filmi, scent-obsessed Marathi girl with perfection. The music is competent, with songs like ‘Aga Bai’ and ‘Sava Dollar’ superbly choreographed. There are flashes of brilliance in the cinematography too – especially in the climax when Meenaxi discovers the secret of Surya’s scent. None of this saves the film from bei