What’s Your Raashee?

Ashutosh Gowariker seems to take his work seriously. That can be either a boon or a curse for the viewer. While Lagaan generated maniacal fervour, I was far more impressed by Swades. In What’s Your Raashee? he tries his hand at romantic comedy. Harman Baweja is given a task by his family that none can envy: he has to pick a girl and marry by the end of the month. Given the limited time he decides to meet one girl from each of the 12 Zodiacal signs. This leads to an interesting journey of meeting females of different backgrounds, aspirations and mannerisms. He is impressed by many of them, but who is the one for him?

This movie completely revolves around Priyanka Chopra. Given the impossible task of depicting 12 different characters, she pulls it off with aplomb and looks ravishing in many of those roles. I came away totally impressed with PC! While some of the 12 prospects are forgettable, some are quite funny. I am pretty sure PC had a blast playing the role of the first candidate (the Aries girl). Much like Gowariker’s earlier movies, the cinematography work here is lovely. The soundtrack is saddled with the weight of 12+ songs, one for each sign, but there are some lovely gems amongst them. My favorites include the jazzy title song, Jao Na, the sad Bikhri Bikhri, the cheesy Sau Janam, Pyaari Pyaari and Salone Kya. The biggest mistake Gowariker continues to make is in believing that his audience has the patience to sit through his creations. Raashee is 3+ hours long and I really pity the folks who had to endure it at the theatres. With a finger firmly held on the fast-forward button What’s Your Raashee? is a colorful movie to catch at home.