Ugly
Aur
Pagli
is
a
bizarre
and
uncanny
title.
But
catchy
and
attracts
instant
attention
at
the
same
time.
It's
for
this
reason
that
you
expect
Ugly
Aur
Pagli
to
be
one
wacky
ride,
what
with
the
film
promising
99
slaps
and
1
kiss.
Besides,
post
Pyaar
Ke
Side
Effects,
unconventional
stories
with
unconventional
casting
only
got
an
impetus.
Since
Ugly
Aur
Pagli
comes
from
the
same
production
house
that
delivered
P.K.S.E.,
you
only
expect
the
film
to
go
a
notch
higher,
or
be
at
par,
than
the
earlier
experience.
And
that's
where
the
film
falls
short
of
expectations.
Viewed
as
an
individualistic
experience,
Ugly
Aur
Pagli
has
a
few
interesting
moments.
Don't
look
for
a
story
here,
for
it's
the
moments
and
incidents
that
bind
this
2-hour
film
together.
So
what
if
the
writers
and
director
seem
inspired
by
My
Sassy
Girl?
Mallika
Sherawat
and
Ranvir
Shorey
are
enough
to
make
you
forget
the
wafer-thin
plot
at
times.
Sure,
a
few
scenes
do
bring
a
smile
on
your
face,
they
are
genuinely
funny
and
bizarre
(Mallika
wearing
undergarments
above
her
clothes
in
the
college),
but
there're
times
when
the
humour
falls
flat.
You
just
don't
react
to
the
on-screen
antics,
you
sit
motionless
while
absorbing
them
(the
futuristic
stories
that
Mallika
pens
makes
you
break
into
a
yawn!).
All
said,
had
director
Sachin
Khot
opted
for
a
strong
story
and
backed
it
up
with
strong
emotions
(in
the
latter
part),
Ugly
Aur
Pagli
would've
made
you
exclaim
'Lovely'.
As
things
stand
now,
Ugly
Aur
Pagli
is
below
par!
Ugly
Aur
Pagli
tells
the
story
of
Kabir
(Ranvir
Shorey),
a
carefree
guy
who
has
been
studying
engineering
for
the
last
five
years
and
whose
life
goes
for
a
sixer
when
he
meets
the
quirky
and
kinky
Kuhu
(Mallika
Sherawat).
Kabir
always
wanted
a
girlfriend,
but
never
in
his
wildest
dreams
did
he
ever
think
he
would
encounter
a
girl
who
could
make
him
dance
around
circles,
ride
cycles
without
seats,
wear
high
heeled
ladies
sandals...
10
minutes
into
the
film
and
you
realize
that
Ugly
Aur
Pagli
is
not
the
usual
prem
kahani.
Yet,
you
take
to
the
over-dominating,
brash
woman
and
the
timid,
docile
and
submissive
guy.
In
fact,
you
break
into
a
smile
as
you
are
introduced
to
these
characters.
But
the
smile
surfaces
only
intermittently.
Nothing
wrong
with
the
first
hour,
but
the
second
hour
is
problematic.
Problem
is,
the
absence
of
a
story
makes
every
moment
look
repetitive.
What
you've
watched
in
the
first
hour
is
remodelled
and
represented
in
the
second
hour,
with
slight
modifications
of
course.
Besides,
the
story
is
stretched
in
the
second
hour.
Why
does
Mallika
disappear
suddenly
(we're
told
she
goes
to
Kolkata
for
two
years).
Also,
how
does
Gaurav
Kapoor,
the
prospective
groom,
know
Ranvir
Shorey?
Gaurav
blurts
out
10
ways
to
win
Mallika
in
his
first
meeting
itself.
But
the
question
is,
why
would
Ranvir
guide
Gaurav
when
he's
himself
hopelessly
in
love
with
Mallika
and
has
been
searching
for
her
whereabouts
desperately?
Clearly,
the
writers
just
didn't
know
how
to
conclude
this
saga!
Debutante
Sachin
Khot
is
let
down,
to
a
major
extent,
by
a
slipshod
and
sloppy
script.
Music
(Anu
Malik)
is
another
sore
point.
Besides
"Talli
(well
rendered
by
Mika,
Anmol
Malik
and
Hard
Kaur)
and
to
an
extent,"'Karle
Gunaah",
the
remaining
songs
should
be
given
a
skip.
Ugly
Aur
Pagli
belongs
to
both
Mallika
and
Ranvir.
The
best
thing
about
Mallika
is,
she's
a
complete
natural.
She's
spunky
and
spirited
and
that's
one
of
the
reasons
why
this
role
works.
And
it
works
only
because
Mallika
is
portraying
it.
Doubt
if
any
other
actress
would've
carried
off
the
devilish
streak
so
well.
Her
emotional
side
is
also
well
captured
in
the
concluding
moments.
Ranvir
Shorey
-
an
incredible
actor
indeed!
To
play
a
submissive
part
convincingly
requires
complete
understanding
of
the
craft
and
Ranvir
proves,
yet
again,
that
he's
one
of
the
most
dependable
actors
around.
Again,
the
best
thing
about
him
is
that
he's
not
pretending
to
act.
Tinnu
Anand
and
Sushmita
Mukherjee
are
hilarious
in
their
first
scene.
Bharti
Achrekar
is
alright.
Zeenat
Aman
is
hardly
there
for
one
scene.
On
the
whole,
Ugly
Aur
Pagli
is,
at
best,
an
ordinary
fare,
but
in
the
absence
of
a
tight
script,
the
film
will
face
an
uphill
task
in
days
to
come.