I on U, Me aur Hum

Thank God I am not a film reviewer. I again thank the Mighty Lord that I am not a film critic. And I thank him yet again for making me a humble audience so that I can watch a film without having to judge it.

Saying this, I sit in my plush seat at a suburban multiplex in Mumbai, with my standard cheese popcorn and cola to keep me company. For a lark, my husband decided to accompany me. I wondered how long would he sit in the theatre, since we were watching Ajay Devgan’s romantic love story, U, Me aur Hum. He has walked out in the past of several such films and come interval, the look on his face was no different. Nothing special...

One look at my face, he again subsided on his seat, doing yet another “favour” for me... Some 15 minutes into the second half, there is a hush quality in the theatre. The rustling has stopped, the air is still and Kajol’s histrionics take over the 70mm screen under the guidance of her husband, Ajay Devgan, a first time director.

Slowly and steadily, Kajol becomes you.. and you are sitting there engulfed in the emotions that are buffeting inside you. Questions that need to be answered, feelings that you don’t want to feel, emotions that rise to the fore and you are surrounded by it all... The dolby system reverberating inside the packed theatre has caught everybody in its spell as the visuals unfold. And the tears start falling... then pouring... and then the glorious feeling of letting it all go...

Welcome to the world of Ajay Devgan and Kajol Devgan. It was a world that was created by an uptown girl of a filmi khandaan when she married a suburban guy from the working class of the film industry. It was the story of a princess of Bollywood with the biggest hits under her belt marrying a man who had not yet established his credentials in the industry. The wedding was doomed and so was the pair, predicted all.

But a resilient Kajol created her fantasy world into a reality. She carved a niche for herself in downtown Juhu, gave up the tag of the townie for a nicely settled married life, with her husband, in laws and daughter.. just like the romances she has been reading since a child.

The romantic Kajol continued following her dreams of romance via her films and so did her husband.. but with a slight difference. Ajay believed in reality and hard hitting films.. Gangajal or Apaharan. The twain could never meet.. at least that’s what we thought.

Through U, Me aur Hum, Ajay has answered all the unanswered questions. It’s a gift to a wife for all those years of nurturing his family. The film reveals the sensitive, emotional side of Ajay which only Kajol had seen and believed in, all those years. U, Me aur Hum celebrates the love of Ajay and Kajol Devgan. A romance that started 9 years ago... and yes, on a film set.