''Aisha'' is a 2010 Indian
Hindi
Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been de ...
-language
romantic comedy-drama
Comedy drama, also known by the portmanteau ''dramedy'', is a genre of dramatic works that combines elements of comedy and drama. The modern, scripted-television examples tend to have more humorous bits than simple comic relief seen in a typical ...
directed by
Rajshree Ojha. A
comedy of manners
In English literature, the term comedy of manners (also anti-sentimental comedy) describes a genre of realistic, satirical comedy of the Restoration period (1660–1710) that questions and comments upon the manners and social conventions of a gre ...
, it features an
ensemble cast
In a dramatic production, an ensemble cast is one that is composed of multiple principal actors and performers who are typically assigned roughly equal amounts of screen time.Random House: ensemble acting Linked 2013-07-17
Structure
In contrast to ...
of
Sonam Kapoor
Sonam Kapoor Ahuja (; born 9 June 1985) is an Indian actress who works in Hindi films. She has won a National Film Award and a Filmfare Award, and from 2012 to 2016, she appeared in ''Forbes India'' Celebrity 100 list based on her income and ...
,
Abhay Deol,
Ira Dubey
Ira Dubey is an Indian actress who has appeared on TV, in theatre and in Bollywood films.
__TOC__
Biography
Dubey was born in Delhi, India, to former senior vice-president of corporate communications in the Tata Group, Ravi Dubey and Lillete ...
,
Cyrus Sahukar
Cyrus Sahukar (born 6 August 1980) is an Indian VJ (media personality), VJ and Bollywood actor. He is known for his comic wit in shows like ''Semi Girebaal'' and other such satirical comedy shows, hosting, and spoofs.
Early life and educati ...
,
Amrita Puri
Amrita Puri (born 20 August 1983) is an Indian actress. She made her film debut with the ensemble romantic comedy-drama ''Aisha'' (2010), which earned her Filmfare nominations for Best Female Debut and Best Supporting Actress. Puri had her ...
,
Anand Tiwari
Anand Tiwari (born 29 May 1983) is an Indian actor, producer, writer and director known for his work in Hindi films. He has appeared in films like ''Kites'' (2010), '' Udaan'' (2010), ''Aisha'' (2010), and ''Go Goa Gone'' (2013). As a stage act ...
,
Arunoday Singh and
Lisa Haydon
Elisabeth Marie Haydon is an Indian actress, TV presenter and model, who mainly appears in Hindi films. Haydon made her acting debut with the ensemble romantic comedy-drama '' Aisha'' (2010) and received critical praise for her performance in the ...
.
It is set in the
upper-class
Upper class in modern societies is the social class composed of people who hold the highest social status, usually are the wealthiest members of class society, and wield the greatest political power. According to this view, the upper class is gen ...
society of
Delhi
Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders w ...
, India and is an adaptation of
Jane Austen
Jane Austen (; 16 December 1775 – 18 July 1817) was an English novelist known primarily for her six major novels, which interpret, critique, and comment upon the British landed gentry at the end of the 18th century. Austen's plots of ...
's 1815 novel ''
Emma'' with the same tone as the cult Hollywood coming-of-age film ''
Clueless
''Clueless'' is a 1995 American coming-of-age teen comedy film written and directed by Amy Heckerling. It stars Alicia Silverstone with supporting roles by Stacey Dash, Brittany Murphy and Paul Rudd. It was produced by Scott Rudin and Robert ...
'' (1995) which is also an adaptation of Austen's novel. The soundtrack of the film, which was composed by
Amit Trivedi
Amit Trivedi (born 8 April 1979) is an Indian music director, singer and a lyricist who works primarily in Hindi films. After working as a theatre and jingle composer and composing for non-film albums, he debuted as a film composer in the 2008 ...
with lyrics penned by
Javed Akhtar
Javed Akhtar (born 17 January 1945) is an Indian poet, lyricist, screenwriter and political activist. Known for his work in Hindi cinema, he has won five National Film Awards, and received the Padma Shri in 1999 and the Padma Bhushan in 200 ...
, received widespread critical acclaim and also proved to be a major commercial success.
''Aisha'' released on 6 August 2010 and proved to be a moderate commercial success at the box office.
It received mixed-to-positive reviews from critics, with praise towards its novel concept, soundtrack, cinematography and performances of the cast, but criticism for its screenplay and pacing.
At the
56th Filmfare Awards, ''Aisha'' received 2 nominations –
Best Supporting Actress and
Best Female Debut (both for Puri).
Plot
Aisha Kapoor is a young, rich, upper-class girl who believes that she is perfectly suited for match-making – amongst her friends in particular. Her superficial lifestyle and match-making schemes are constantly criticized by her friend/neighbor Arjun Burman, who advises her to stop meddling with the lives of other people. Soon, she has a new project - trying to make a match between her middle-class, small-town friend Shefali Thakur and a sweetmeat business tycoon and friend, Randhir Gambhir, much to the chagrin of her best friend Pinky Bose. Aisha creates various circumstances to make Shefali and Randhir fall in love. During one such occasion, she meets her aunt's step-son Dhruv Singh, whom she becomes attracted to. In the meantime, Arjun introduces Aisha to one of his colleagues, Aarti Menon, who is from New York City. Aisha feels threatened by Aarti's presence and is very antagonistic towards her.
Randhir organizes a river-rafting camp for everyone, and Aisha uses this as a chance to get Randhir and Shefali to spend more time together. Meanwhile, Shefali gets proposed to by her childhood friend, Saurabh Lamba and she asks Aisha for advice, but Aisha passive-aggressively tells her to reject Saurabh and get with Randhir instead. However, one night during the camp, Randhir takes Aisha for a walk and then confesses his love for her. Confused and taken aback by Randhir's feelings for her, Aisha starts to doubt her match-making skills. Arjun learns of this and Aisha's dismissal of Saurabh of Shefali's behest, and gets angry at Aisha, criticizing her for once again meddling with the lives of others, and playing with Shefali's feelings. Aisha tries to console a heartbroken Shefali. As time passes, Pinky starts to develop feelings for Randhir and eventually they are engaged. This causes a disagreement between Pinky and Aisha, and they stop speaking to each other.
Disheartened with her previous failed match-making attempt, Aisha tries to match up Shefali with Dhruv. Shefali discovers Aisha's plan and confronts her, telling Aisha that she never viewed her as a friend, rather as a project, someone who she tried to mold and fix. Shefali then declares that she has feelings for Arjun. This greatly confuses and hurts Aisha, since she realises that she has been in love with Arjun all this time. Aisha realises that she has been selfish and arrogant all along, playing with the emotions and feelings of her friends. She goes back to her best friend, Pinky, and apologizes for her actions. Dhruv and Aarti get engaged, but Aisha chooses not to attend since she thinks that Arjun will be there with Shefali. After a late-night conversation with her father, Aisha decides spontaneously to go to the engagement and declare her feelings to Arjun. She meets Shefali, who tells her that love cannot be forced or planned, and also reveals that she has found her love in Saurabh, whose proposal she had previously turned down.
Later that night, Arjun and Aisha meet and reminisce about their childhood and friendship, and ultimately declare their love for each other and kiss. The movie ends one year later, at Dhruv and Aarti's wedding, where Aisha states that love is spontaneous and never goes according to plan.
Cast
*
Sonam Kapoor
Sonam Kapoor Ahuja (; born 9 June 1985) is an Indian actress who works in Hindi films. She has won a National Film Award and a Filmfare Award, and from 2012 to 2016, she appeared in ''Forbes India'' Celebrity 100 list based on her income and ...
as Aisha Kapoor
*
Abhay Deol as Arjun Burman
*
Ira Dubey
Ira Dubey is an Indian actress who has appeared on TV, in theatre and in Bollywood films.
__TOC__
Biography
Dubey was born in Delhi, India, to former senior vice-president of corporate communications in the Tata Group, Ravi Dubey and Lillete ...
as Pinky Bose
*
Cyrus Sahukar
Cyrus Sahukar (born 6 August 1980) is an Indian VJ (media personality), VJ and Bollywood actor. He is known for his comic wit in shows like ''Semi Girebaal'' and other such satirical comedy shows, hosting, and spoofs.
Early life and educati ...
as Randhir Gambhir
*
Amrita Puri
Amrita Puri (born 20 August 1983) is an Indian actress. She made her film debut with the ensemble romantic comedy-drama ''Aisha'' (2010), which earned her Filmfare nominations for Best Female Debut and Best Supporting Actress. Puri had her ...
as Shefali Thakur
*
Anand Tiwari
Anand Tiwari (born 29 May 1983) is an Indian actor, producer, writer and director known for his work in Hindi films. He has appeared in films like ''Kites'' (2010), '' Udaan'' (2010), ''Aisha'' (2010), and ''Go Goa Gone'' (2013). As a stage act ...
as Saurabh Lamba
*
Arunoday Singh as Dhruv Singh
*
Lisa Haydon
Elisabeth Marie Haydon is an Indian actress, TV presenter and model, who mainly appears in Hindi films. Haydon made her acting debut with the ensemble romantic comedy-drama '' Aisha'' (2010) and received critical praise for her performance in the ...
as Aarti Menon
*
M. K. Raina
Maharaj Krishen Raina (born 10 February 1948), popularly known as M. K. Raina, is an Indian theatre actor and Theatre director, director. Raina graduated from National School of Drama in 1970 with the Best Actor award.
Early life
Maharaj Krishn ...
as Mr. Kapoor, Aisha and Aalia's father
*
Anuradha Patel
Anuradha Patel (born 30 August 1961) is an Indian actress of the famous Ganguly family.
Early life
Anuradha was born in Mumbai. Her maternal grandfather is the Hindi veteran actor Ashok Kumar and her grand-uncle is Kishore Kumar.
Personal li ...
as Chitra Kanwar Singh
*
Yuri Suri Yuri may refer to:
People and fictional characters
Given name
*Yuri (Slavic name), the Slavic masculine form of the given name George, including a list of people with the given name Yuri, Yury, etc.
* Yuri (Japanese name), also Yūri, feminine Ja ...
as Col. Raghuvendra Singh
* Sameer Malhotra as Karan Burman, Aalia's husband
* Vidhushi Mehra as Aalia Burman (née Kapoor), Aisha's sister
* Masood Akhtar as Sant Ram
Soundtrack
The music of ''Aisha'' was composed by
Amit Trivedi
Amit Trivedi (born 8 April 1979) is an Indian music director, singer and a lyricist who works primarily in Hindi films. After working as a theatre and jingle composer and composing for non-film albums, he debuted as a film composer in the 2008 ...
, with lyrics penned by
Javed Akhtar
Javed Akhtar (born 17 January 1945) is an Indian poet, lyricist, screenwriter and political activist. Known for his work in Hindi cinema, he has won five National Film Awards, and received the Padma Shri in 1999 and the Padma Bhushan in 200 ...
.
Track list
Music Review
''Aisha''
's soundtrack by
Amit Trivedi
Amit Trivedi (born 8 April 1979) is an Indian music director, singer and a lyricist who works primarily in Hindi films. After working as a theatre and jingle composer and composing for non-film albums, he debuted as a film composer in the 2008 ...
received widespread critical acclaim upon release.
''IBNLive'' said, "With the stupendous music of ''
Dev.D
''Dev.D'' is a 2009 Indian Hindi-language romantic black comedy film released on 6 February 2009. Written and directed by Anurag Kashyap, it is a modern-day take on Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay's classic Bengali novel ''Devdas'', previously ada ...
'' (2009),
Amit Trivedi
Amit Trivedi (born 8 April 1979) is an Indian music director, singer and a lyricist who works primarily in Hindi films. After working as a theatre and jingle composer and composing for non-film albums, he debuted as a film composer in the 2008 ...
proved his prowess and now with the soundtrack of forthcoming film ''
Aisha
Aisha ( ar, , translit=ʿĀʾisha bint Abī Bakr; , also , ; ) was Muhammad's third and youngest wife. In Islamic writings, her name is thus often prefixed by the title "Mother of the Believers" ( ar, links=no, , ʾumm al-mu'min, muʾminīn), ...
'', he has reaffirmed that he is a young composer to look out for. Trivedi deserves to be applauded for the soundtrack of ''Aisha'', which is contemporary yet different. The composer has tried to fuse new sounds in the music of the film, which has worked very well. "
Atta Khan of ''
Planet Bollywood
Rajesh "Raj" Ramayan Koothrappali, Ph.D. is a fictional character on the CBS television series ''The Big Bang Theory'', portrayed by British actor Kunal Nayyar. He is one of four characters in the show, alongside Howard Wolowitz, Sheldon Coope ...
'' said, "Put simply, the music of ''Aisha'' is super cool, vibrant and fun, has tons of variety and is an extremely colourful and inventive soundtrack that defines the new-age music we have come to associate with Amit Trivedi."
According to ''Glamsham'', "''AISHA'' is a sassy, stylish, cool album and has that desired "feel-good" musical feel to strike chords with pop-genre listeners. Amit Trivedi proves his mettle again and is high on his creative genius with strong inputs and influences of classical rock and youthful peppy-feel tracks. Chartbusting success and oodles of entertainment are there in soundtracks like "Suno Aisha", "Sham", "Lehrein" and "By The Way" and makes it sure that it will be positive add-ons to the narration of the flick."
Raja Sen of ''
Rediff
Rediff.com (stylized as ''rediff.com'') is an Indian news, information, entertainment and shopping web portal. It was founded in 1996. It is headquartered in Mumbai, with offices in Bangalore, New Delhi and New York City.
, it had more than 300 e ...
'' said, "What really does stand out in Amit Trivedi's work is a defiant lack of attention to lyric. The best composers in the industry have either Oscar-winning poets writing their words or quirky ad-men crafting makeshift metaphors or even young bespectacled directors knowing what their songs should say: Trivedi seems to have none of this in ''Aisha'', and yet gives us a very enjoyable, very young soundtrack with a distinct voice. His music – in fact, the feel of his music – does its own talking, and I recommend you listen to it a while."
Usha Lakra of ''Apun Ka Choice'' said, "Seeing Amit Trivedi's history of producing unconventional Bollywood tracks, the ''Aisha'' compositions have us completely floored. The composer has got fire in the belly and he has proved his mettle yet again. Oh boy! Where were you?".
Harshita Kohli of ''Planet Radio City'' said this about the music, "Overall, ''Aisha'' is a young album. The music is catchy, peppy and makes you feel good by the time you hit stop. It is far removed from Amit Trivedi’s previous work and that shows the talent this young man has. Definitely an album worth having!"
Joginder Tuteja of ''
Bollywood Hungama
Bollywood Hungama (lit. "Bollywood Madness" in Hindi), previously known as IndiaFM (or IndiaFM.com), is a Bollywood entertainment website, owned by Hungama Digital Media Entertainment, which acquired the website in 2000.
The website provides ...
'' said, "''Aisha'' springs a pleasant surprise. Of course one did expect a good score here but what one gets to hear is complete album that is new-age, different and yet so appealing to youth. There is not a single song which doesn't work and each one tries to better the other. Ever since the release of music of ''Dev.D'', one wondered if composer Amit Trivedi would ever manage to come up with a wholesome album like that. He did compose for a few films in between and some of his work did impress. However, ''Aisha'' will clearly stand out as his best score since ''Dev.D''. Go for it and play it on with friends!"
Vipin of ''Music Aloud'' said, "Just a week since the soundtrack of
''Udaan'' hit the shelves, Amit Trivedi continues to amaze with his consistency as he churns out another unputdownable soundtrack for ''Aisha''. Respect!"
Mukund Laddha of ''Music Perk'' said, "Amit Trivedi adds another feather in his hat with this album. The music album of ''Aisha'' has a jazzy song in its title track which is surely one of best songs of 2010 along with "Gal Mitthi Mitthi". None of the other songs create any interest though. The background music of this film is praiseworthy. It is surely one album that you can to check out."
Reception
Critical Reception
''Aisha'' received mixed-to-positive reviews from critics upon release, with praise towards its novel concept, soundtrack, cinematography and performances of the cast, but criticism for its screenplay and pacing..
Nikhat Kazmi
Nikhat Kazmi ( hi, निखत काजमी; 1958/59 – 20 January 2012) was a senior correspondent and well-known film critic from, born Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh, who had been writing for ''The Times of India'' since 1987. She died of breast ...
of ''
The Times of India
''The Times of India'', also known by its abbreviation ''TOI'', is an Indian English-language daily newspaper and digital news media owned and managed by The Times Group. It is the third-largest newspaper in India by circulation and largest ...
'' awarded the film 4/5, saying that "Sweet love, substantial performances, super fun, slick 'n stylish, ''Aisha'' is a-ha stuff."
''Indo-Asian News'' ''Service'' of ''
NDTV
New Delhi Television Ltd is an Indian news media company focusing on broadcast and digital news publication. The company is considered to be a legacy brand that pioneered independent news broadcasting in India, and is credited for launching t ...
'' gave the film a positive review, stating that "Engaging and endearing – ''Aisha'' makes you wonder if there's anything more important in the world than finding the right match."
Sonia Chopra of ''
Sify
Sify Technologies Limited (formerly Satyam Infoway) is an Indian information and communications technology company providing end-to-end ICT solutions including telecom services, data center services, cloud & managed services, transformation in ...
'' awarded the film 3.5/5, commenting that "It’s so rare for a film to get it all together: from the story, to the performances, to the atmospherics, to the music and more. This one goes perfectly with the popcorn; don’t miss it."
Taran Adarsh
Taran Adarsh (born 13 June 1965) is an Indian film critic and trade analyst. He is best known for giving trade figures and box office updates on social media.
Career
Taran Adarsh started his journalism career at the age of 15 with ''Trade Gui ...
of
''One India'' awarded the film 3.5/5, concluding that "''Aisha'' holds appeal for the youth mainly and there's a strong likelihood that this segment of movie-going audience will fall for its charms."
Kaveree Bamzai of ''
India Today
''India Today'' is a weekly Indian English-language news magazine published by Living Media India Limited. It is the most widely circulated magazine in India, with a readership of close to 8 million. In 2014, ''India Today'' launched a new onl ...
'' awarded the film 3/5, commenting that "It's trashy, but it's beautifully trashy. Almost like the food and conversation at a long
Delhi
Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders w ...
brunch."
Sukanya Verma of ''
Rediff
Rediff.com (stylized as ''rediff.com'') is an Indian news, information, entertainment and shopping web portal. It was founded in 1996. It is headquartered in Mumbai, with offices in Bangalore, New Delhi and New York City.
, it had more than 300 e ...
'' awarded the film 3/5, saying that "Beautifully shot and packaged with a fabulous soundtrack and superlative ensemble cast, ''Aisha'', quite often, gets caught up in a self-created tangle of brand-led vanity to ever let one get acquainted to its leading lady."
Aniruddha Guha of
''DNA India'' awarded the film 2.5/5, stating that "''Aisha'' leaves you with mixed feelings. It, however, might be the ideal date-flick."
Shubhra Gupta of ''
The Indian Express
''The Indian Express'' is an English-language Indian daily newspaper founded in 1932. It is published in Mumbai by the Indian Express Group. In 1999, eight years after the group's founder Ramnath Goenka's death in 1991, the group was split betw ...
'' awarded the film 2/5, concluding that "This is a good-looking movie, with not a hair out of place, but we wish it was a little more rumpled, a little more lived in. ''Aisha'' is strictly in-between shallow."
Rajeev Masand
Rajeev Masand is an Indian film critic and journalist. He has worked for Noida based English language news channel CNN-Indian Broadcasting Network (CNN-IBN). He usually reviews Bollywood films and major Hollywood films released in India in hi ...
of ''
CNN-IBN
CNN-News18 (originally CNN-IBN) is an Indian English-language news television channel founded by Raghav Bahl based in Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India. It is currently co-owned by Network18 Group and Warner Bros. Discovery. CNN provides internationa ...
'' awarded the film 2/5, saying that "Aisha is like a pretty flute of champagne, but it loses its fizz far too quickly."
Komal Nahta
Komal Nahta (born 30 April 1964) is an Indian film trade analyst. Nahta is the publisher of "Film Information" and also a television show host. He is an anchor of the trade show ETC Bollywood Business on the Bollywood TV channels ETC and Zee Cinem ...
of
''DNA India'' awarded the film 2/5, stating that "''Aisha'' was never meant for the single-screen and small-town audiences, but it doesn't cut ice with the multiplex and city audience either."
Box-Office
India
''Aisha'' had an average opening at the box office, with collections of around 30–35%. and collected net in its first day. It collected in its first weekend. It went on to collect net in its first week and in its second week. It grossed in its lifetime run. ''Aisha'' was declared a semi-hit, collecting nett in its entire run.
Overseas
''Aisha'' collected $350,000 in its first weekend at the overseas box office and was declared a semi-hit, collecting around $1,000,000 in its entire run.
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Aisha
2010 films
2010s Hindi-language films
2010 romantic comedy-drama films
Indian romantic comedy-drama films
Films set in Delhi
Films shot in Delhi
Films scored by Amit Trivedi
Films based on Emma (novel)
2010 comedy films
2010 drama films