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Vaah Life Ho To Aisi

Sometimes a pot-pourri, no matter how unoriginal in its recipe, can turn out to be something delectable. Mahesh Manjrekar’s movie Vaah! Life Ho To Aisi is just that.

A fantasy film, Vaah! Life… works primarily because of the entertaining performances by Sanjay Dutt and Arshad Warsi. Another strong point of the movie is its special effects that gel quite well with the happenings on the screen.

The movie tells the tale of Aditya (Shahid Kapur). He lives in a big house with his grandmother, sister, brother and many children who are his nephews and nieces. He is in love with Piya (Amrita Rao), the children’s tutor.

Aditya has many responsibilities on his shoulders. He takes care of his ailing grandma, has to get his sister married and has to arrange for the big sum of dowry.

He has his plans to pull it all through. But before he could fulfill his responsibilities, he meets with an accident and dies in hospital.

From the haze of clouds emerges the modern, tech-savvy, suited booted Yamaraj (Sanjay Dutt), the God of death. As Lord Yama himself declares while riding with the deceased in his vintage car to the gates of heaven, ‘times have changed’ even in the other world.

Aditya pleads with Yamaraj to let him return to earth to fulfill the unfinished tasks. The lord of death becomes emotional and decides to give the young man a chance. The only hitch is that back on earth, none would be able to see or hear Aditya, nor would he be able to touch anything. Added to that is the deadline of just a few days granted to Aditya for his return from the earthly sojourn.

When Aditya returns to earth, along with a young kid named Shakti, he finds that his family and the people he cared for are in trouble. Unable to help them, he seeks divine intervention from Fakira BPCM (Arshad Warsi), a self-styled guru who can see and hear spirits.

Fakira invokes lord Hanuman and grants Aditya and Shakti superpowers. The two then set out to teach the baddies a lesson. In the meantime, Yamaraj enjoys earthly pleasures.

There is no doubt that Vaah! Life Ho To Aisi borrows from more than one Hollywood movie, but the way Manjrekar has put everything together in a single story and presented it in the Indian milieu is what makes the movie work.

The film starts on a casual note, but then takes an unexpected leap with the entry of Yamaraj. Sanjay Dutt truly keeps the audience glued to their seats. The actor has a natural flair for such roles.

The movie touches a new high with the coming of Arshad Warsi, who is a delight to watch. His Mumbaiyya lingo and the way his utters his dialogues make even simple lines very humourous. Arshad’ act leaves you asking for more of him in the second half.

But in this half the movie becomes quite predictable. The story begins to drag and, on top of it, come two unwanted songs. The finale rekindles the interest again.

Shahid Kapur delivers a competent performance. The actor has begun to show shades of his original acting style rather than imitating a senior superstar, as he did in the past.

Amrita Rao plays her part with ease. She shares a very comfortable chemistry with Shahid.

Prem Chopra acts well but looks a bit old for villainous roles.

In a nutshell, Vaah! Life Ho To Aisi will appeal mostly to kids. Their parents will not be bored either. (Source: www.apunkachoice.com)