While
surfing
television
the
other
day,
I
chanced
upon
this
hugely
popular
show
that
has
a
nonconforming
storyline
of
two
women
vying
for
the
same
man's
attention.
One
happens
to
be
his
sweetheart
turned
wife,
the
other,
his
ex
wife,
who,
I
realized,
is
pregnant
with
the
man's
child.
Ironically,
both
women
live
in
the
same
house.
Since
I
had
heard
a
lot
about
this
show,
I
decided
to
watch
the
entire
episode
that
evening.
I
was
keen
to
assess
if
it
held
my
attention
for
the
next
20
odd
minutes.
It
did.
The
drama,
the
conflict
between
the
characters,
the
emotions,
the
situations
the
characters
had
landed
into,
all
kept
me
hooked.
Okay,
so
why
am
I
discussing
a
television
program?
Well,
I
have
come
to
realize
that
practically
every
paarivaarik
theme
is
tackled
by
television
these
days.
I
have
also
come
to
realize
that
television
does
far
more
justice
to
these
themes
than
films.
Which
is
what
I
strongly
felt
while
watching
Isi
Life
Mein.
Come
to
think
of
it,
Rajshri
Productions
is
synonymous
with
memorable
films
that
became
an
instant
hit
with
family
audiences.
The
turning
point
was
two
films,
Maine
Pyar
Kiya
and
Hum
Aapke
Hain
Koun.
Trendsetters
both.
These
two
films
brought
family
audiences
back
to
theatres,
infusing
life
in
the
veins
of
a
critically
ill
film
industry
then.
These
two
films,
besides
Dilwale
Dulhania
Le
Jayenge
and
Kuch
Kuch
Hota
Hai,
opened
new
vistas
and
horizons,
gave
birth
to
an
altogether
new
breed
of
film-makers
and
reinforced
confidence
in
Hindi
cinema
then.
Isi
Life
Mein
tries
so
hard
to
be
cool
as
well
as
a
perfect
family
film
in
the
same
breath,
but
what
comes
across
on
screen
is
a
lifeless
fare.
The
love
story
doesn't
work,
neither
does
the
paarivaarik
portions.
The
culprit,
you
guessed
it
right,
is
the
written
material
yet
again.
Final
word?
A
major
letdown!
Isi
Life
Mein
tells
the
story
of
two
teenagers
-
Akshay
Oberoi
and
Sandeepa
Dhar.
Akshay
is
from
Mumbai,
while
Sandeepa
hails
from
Ajmer.
Sandeepa
arrives
in
Mumbai
for
further
studies
and
meets
Akshay,
who
heads
the
dramatics
department
of
the
college.
They
are
drawn
towards
each
other,
but
don't
express
their
feelings
till
the
end.
Besides
highlighting
a
present-day
love
story,
director
Vidhi
Kasliwal
remains
faithful
to
the
Rajshri
tradition
of
showing
the
traditional
side
as
well.
The
story
re-introduces
you
to
a
world
many
of
us
may
have
consigned
to
oblivion
thanks
to
the
barrage
of
urban-centric
themes
that
are
churned
out
with
amazing
regularity.
The
film
talks
of
familial
bonding.
It
also
packs
in
desi
sentiments.
But
the
problem
is
that
the
noble
intentions
don't
come
across
convincingly
on
celluloid.
In
terms
of
screenplay,
Isi
Life
Mein
is
structured
on
the
lines
of
Hum
Aapke
Hain
Koun.
The
story
barely
moves
in
the
first
hour,
but
the
film
changes
gears
during
the
second
half.
Frankly,
you
expect
a
dramatic
twist
in
the
tale,
but
nothing
happens.
Ideally,
the
film
should've
concluded
when
the
father
[Mohnish
Bahl]
calls
off
his
daughter's
marriage,
but
the
'Taming
Of
The
Shrew'
episode
and
the
bizarre
culmination
only
makes
the
goings-on
tedious.
Like
most
Rajshri
films,
the
characters
here
are
saccharine
sweet.
In
fact,
they
are
too
good
to
be
true
and
that,
in
my
opinion,
looks
fake.
Technically,
it's
a
decent
attempt,
but
content-wise,
like
I
said,
there
is
no
plot
at
all.
Music
was
always
one
of
the
USPs
of
Rajshri,
but
the
music
of
Isi
Life
Mein
is
below
par.
The
songs
are
better
filmed,
though.
The
only
noteworthy
aspect
of
the
film
is
its
lead
pair.
Akshay
Oberoi
is
talented
-
no
two
opinions
on
that.
He
has
good
screen
presence,
but
most
importantly,
he
acts
very
well.
Sandeepa
Dhar
is
another
talent
that
catches
your
attention.
Her
expressions
are
just
perfect.
Also,
she's
extremely
photogenic.
Salman
Khan
is
wasted
in
a
cameo.
Mohnish
Bahl
is
his
usual
self.
Shagufta
Ali
is
okay.
Prachi
Shah
does
well.
Aditya
Raj
Kapoor
is
wooden.
On
the
whole,
Isi
Life
Mein
lacks
the
Rajshri
stamp.
It
tries
so
hard
to
be
cool,
but
ends
up
falling
flat
on
its
face.
Movie
Rating: