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Aiyyaa

12 October 2012Hindi2h 26m
ComedyRomance
out of 10
Mixedlukewarm or divided
Monk Score · 10 critic reviews

Rani shines in a quirky but overstretched film that loses its way.

Verdict tier Mixed, lukewarm or divided, on a scale of Unfavorable, Mixed, Recommended, Exceptional.

  • Praised: Rani Mukerji's central performance
  • Criticised: Stretched, thin screenplay and runtime

Audience

User score 3.0 out of 10 from 2 ratings, not enough ratings for a verdict yet
Read 1 audience review ↓

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What 10 critics are saying

Critical reception for Aiyyaa is mixed to negative, with most reviewers acknowledging its unusual and quirky premise while faulting its execution. Rani Mukerji's committed, energetic performance and Amit Trivedi's music are the most consistently praised elements across reviews. The most common criticism centers on the screenplay, which critics found stretched, indulgent, and ultimately too thin to sustain its runtime, with the second half drawing particular complaints. Several reviewers felt director Sachin Kundalkar's distinctive vision failed to translate into a satisfying or coherent whole for general audiences.

How the 10 scores spread

Positive / mixed / negative reviews

Positive = 6.5/10 and up · negative = below 5/10

AI-generated summary of 10 critic reviews · may contain errors

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From the papers

Critic reviews (10)

Top critics first, then by score · not-rated last · updated

  1. Top critic

    NDTV

    Film review ·

    The Deshpandes are no ordinary brood. And Aiyyaa is no ordinary film. Wildly wakda (read twisted) in more ways than one, it is a film that defies definition.It careens from the dreamy to the delirious, the realistic to the raucous, and the perfectly logical to the utterly nonsensical as it turns many a time-honoured convention of Hindi commercial cinema on its head.Many might find its loud, outré storytelling style somewhat difficult to comprehend and digest, especially in the context of the film's slice-of-life love story predicated on a willing suspension of disbelief. Aiyyaa takes time to warm up, slips into dull patches at times and occasionally teeters on the edge of a certain dissonance. But the subversive spirit that drives the absurdist core of Aiyyaa is well worth embracing.

  2. Top critic

    IBNLive

    Film review ·

    Aiyyaa, with its bright visual palette, its strong female perspective, and its intentionally peculiar humor, is evocative of Almodovar's quirky cinema, but the plot here is wafer thin, and while some elements work, it never all comes together as a satisfying whole.It certainly doesn't help that the film unfolds over two hours and thirty minutes…an excruciatingly long running time for what's essentially a slim story of a one-sided crush. In the end — the impressive camerawork and Amit Trivedi's winning tunes aside — Aiyyaa is at best an original and promising experiment let down by its many indulgences. I'm going with two-and-a-half out of five for director Sachin Kundalkar's Aiyyaa; an unusual film that could've been so much more.

  3. Top critic

    Hindustan Times

    Film review ·

    Aiyyaa is a bewilderingly odd film. Rani is delightful as a woman in heat.She expertly manages to be both a simpleton and a seductress. She looks stunning and dances like a dervish. But the film can't match her performance. Kundalkar's story soon runs out of charm and wit. His lovely idea and original voice is stretched to the point where even Rani's mannerisms start to feel repetitive.

  4. Top critic

    Indian Express

    Film review ·

    More than anything else, 'Aiyyaa' is a film that could have been a truly subversive, exhilarating ride with a sexually aware, sensually charged woman at its centre. What we get is a flat, heavy-footed clomp through screechy lines and overstated, dragged-out situations. this is not a film which generates the sort of mad hysteria that makes you laugh. After a while, it becomes just another film we can't wait to get out of, despite the trying-to-get-back-in-the-reckoning, still-watchable Rani and the sizzling Prithvi. Taking a cue from one of its songs, I have to say that, post watching, I barely saved myself from being in critical conditionuum.

  5. Bollywood Hungama

    Film review ·

    AIYYAA takes on a novel premise and transports you to an altogether new world. AIYAA is a desi film at heart. Also, quirky and funny. What sets it apart is that this Maharashtrian girl - Tamil guy prem kahani [Rani, Prithviraj] is woven around the concept of smell/aroma. Also, a lot many middle class girls feel suffocated when they can't choose the guy they want to spend the rest of their life with. In AIYYAA, the girl chooses her own groom, defying her family's choice. But AIYYAA is not a serious take on the institution of marriage. It's an amusing journey, actually. On the flipside, it takes time to get the hang of things. Also, the first half seems stretched, with a few unnecessary sequences adding to the run time. But the second hour more than compensates for the deficiencies. .On the whole, there are reasons aplenty as to why AIYYAA becomes a deserving watch. It's arresting, amusing, entertaining and of course, thoroughly enjoyable, with Rani's splendid act, refreshingly different plot, winsome songs, pleasant humor and terrific moments as its aces. Don't miss it!

  6. KoiMoi

    Film review ·

    What's Good: The superb acting of the entire cast; the Aga bai song; the direction; the general madness in the film.What's Bad: The sniffing and chasing; the stretched screenplay.Loo Break: Not really.Watch or Not?: Watch Aiyyaa for a quirkily different film with very good performances but be warned that it drags. Aiyyaa is quirkily different and is worth watching for all the characters. But the sniffing and chasing gets a bit annoying.

  7. DNA India

    Film review ·

    Though filled with clichés and caught in stereotypes, there is something that works in favour of Aiyyaa as it slips into the category of mindless comedy without crossing the line into idiocy like rom-coms normally do. Meenakhi's dreams, when juxtaposed with her real life, add to a capturing first half. The second half however, tends to move slowly, with the last 20 minutes becoming intolerable due to a forced song and redundant twist in the plot, which fails to bring a chuckle. Though the film is limited by cheesy dialogues and prosaism, it proves to be an entertainer and a definite treat for every Rani Mukerji fan.

  8. Times Of India

    Film review ·

    From top to basumm Rani is truly Wonderum! As Meenaxi. Prithviraj is simply Eroticumm! He exudes chiselled, raw sexuality in every scene; gets wet, adds Southern masala with his moves, but says nothing reallySachin 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!

  9. Zee News

    Film review ·

    The movie is a (nonsensical) 'fairy tale 'of a middle-class Maharashtrian girl called Meenakshi (Rani Mukerji) who yearned to be an actress but eventually settled down with a job in an art college.Meenakshi is melodramatic and a dreamer who escapes into her fantasy land anytime and anywhere. While Meenakshi is a dreamer, the girl's family is no less and somewhat remind you of characters of 'The Addams Family'.In straight words, 'Aiyya' is not a script badly handled rather it is a script wrongly written. We can only hope that Sachin Kundalkar doesn't repeat his mistake and make his audience go 'Aiyyaa' in pain again.

  10. Rediff

    Film review ·

    Widely talked about as Rani Mukerji's comeback film, Aiyyaa, in one word is director Sachin Kundalkar's fantasy. The director is so self-absorbed and self-obsessed that it seems the film was not made for audiences but to satisfy his own creative urges. Aiyyaa is a make-believe world where characters are as contrived as they could be. There is no way to find fault with Rani but she is shockingly let down by the storyline.However, one can't help but say that after every ten minutes or so as the film progresses one expects an unexpected turn that never comes.

From our readers

Audience reviews (1)

2 ratings · user score 3.0

  1. Midhun Ben Thomas (Dilseben)Sept 2016
    3/10

    Over the years, the Tamil & Telugu film industry has been coming up by leaps & bounds to match the scripting excellence of Malayalam. But unfortunately the way Bollywood looked at the South hasn't changed much as its still the pelvic thrusts and buxom heaves that appeals to them. This is quite evident since "Dabaang" released as there has been flooding of films with South Indian masala considered as an integral ingredient for success. This week we have National Award winning director, Sachin Kundalkar's "Aiyaa" which treads a similar path albeit in a different manner. The promos were loud & over the top, but will the film finds its feet??? Meenakshi Deshpande (Rani Mukherjee) belongs to a middle class cranky Marathi household which could said to be a desi version of the Adam's family. Actually Meenakshi herself is a drama queen with her melodramatic screeches & frequent escapades into her fantasy filmi world. After having landed the job of a librarian, she falls for the handsome South Indian hunk, Surya (Prithviraj) as he smells good. Now was it the pheromones or AXE??? I seriously have no idea but she starts following him everywhere like Mary's lamb in the nursery rhyme. At the same time, her parents fixes her alliance with Madhav (Subodh Bhave) & she is now torn between the two choices. So will she follow her heart or brain??? Sachin Kundalkar's ingress into Bollywood has attracted quite a lot of attention considering that he is one of the most respected names in the Marathi film industry. However, it hasnt been all smooth sailing for Sachin as the film doesnt come across as a cohesive piece of art. There are definitely many sequences which evokes laughter but those are far & few with a wafer thin plot which drags along for much of the second half. The saving grace however is the cast who does an impressive job but then without a credible script there is a limit to how much the cast can augur the fate of the film. Amit Trivedi's music is already on top of the charts with "Dreamsum Wakepum" & "Aga Bhai" ruling the roost. However, I dont quite endorse the lyrics & Vaibhavi's choreography of the former though she has done an impressive job in the latter. Just as I had mentioned previously all the actors have done their parts well & it all starts with the protagonist, Rani Mukherjee. She has done total justice to her role which required her to be quirky & loud. It's really unfortunate that Prithviraj hardly had any dialogues until the climax but when he does he exudes confidence & gives a praise worthy performance, not to forget the hard work he has put into chiseling his torso. As for the rest, each of them deserves a pat especially Nirmiti Sawant (Meenakshi's mother). Verdict: 2012 has been the year of heroine centric films & "Aiyaa" is no different with the hero reduced to an object of lust & fantasy. However, Rani hasnt been hot property for quite some time & to add to that the wafer thin plot with some quirky characters wont quite appeal to the audience as it seems more like an extended version of AXE advertisement. So in all likelihood it is going to sink without much of a trace. In short, the producers & the audience will be saying "Iooooo..." for the same reason!!! Rating: 1.75/5 Regards...Ben

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