Courtesy:
IndiaFM
Friday,
April
21,
2006
Generally,
most
light
entertainers
don't
come
with
a
heavy
baggage.
Since
there's
not
much
logic
involved,
all
that
the
director
and
his
team
of
writers
have
to
do
is
go
for
a
script
that
has
scope
for
comedy
and
importantly,
pick
and
choose
actors
who
are
gifted
enough
to
carry
the
roles
with
Élan.
While
Mukta
Arts
Ltd.'s
Shaadi
Se
Pehle,
directed
by
Satish
Kaushik,
gets
it
right
in
its
choice
of
actors
[Akshaye,
Mallika
mainly],
it
falters
in
the
most
vital
department:
Script.
Armed
with
an
interesting
plot,
you
expect
the
film
to
be
a
laughathon,
from
start
to
finish,
but
the
film
amuses
in
parts.
Inspired
by
director
Rajat
Rakshit's
Amol
Palekar-Ranjeeta-Ashok
Saraf
starrer
Meri
Biwi
Ki
Shaadi
[1979],
Shaadi
Se
Pehle
takes
the
same
route
as
No
Entry,
Garam
Masala
and
Malamaal
Weekly.
Meaning,
don't
look
for
logic
when
you
watch
the
film.
But
the
makers
have
to
ensure
that
the
content
has
the
meat
to
keep
you
glued
for
the
next
two
hours.
Unfortunately,
Shaadi
Se
Pehle
lacks
the
power
and
punch
to
keep
you
hooked.
It's
way
below
expectations!
Ashish
[Akshaye
Khanna]
and
Rani
[Ayesha
Takia]
are
pretty
much
in
love
with
each
other.
But
Ashish
has
a
problem:
At
the
slightest
level
of
tension,
Ashish
needs
to
pop
a
pill
to
unrattle
his
shaken
nerves.
Rani's
family
[Vijayendra
Ghatge,
Kishori
Shahane
Vij]
are
strictly
against
the
relationship.
And
if
that
is
not
enough
for
Ashish,
his
childhood
friend,
Rohit
[Aftab
Shivdasani],
has
the
hots
for
Rani.
When
Ashish
goes
to
visit
his
doctor
[Boman
Irani],
he
misunderstands
the
doctor's
diagnosis
of
hypertension
to
cancer.
Ashish's
world
turns
upside
down.
Before
dying,
he
decides
to
do
the
right
thing:
He
wants
the
best
for
his
love
Rani.
Along
with
his
friend
[Rajpal
Yadav],
Ashish
embarks
on
a
plan
to
make
Rani
hate
him
so
that
she
will
not
have
to
suffer
the
ordeal
of
his
death.
Ashish
starts
flirting
with
the
sexy
supermodel
Sania
[Mallika
Sherawat].
Seeing
Sania
in
Ashish's
arms,
Rani
is
dejected
and
dumps
him.
But
there's
a
twist
in
the
tale:
Ashish
realizes
that
he
does
not
suffer
from
cancer
at
all.
He
decides
to
break
up
Rani
and
Rohit's
engagement.
But
there
are
problems...
Will
Ashish
be
able
to
convince
Rani
of
his
true
feelings
and
clear
up
the
mess?
Will
Ashish
be
able
to
convince
Sania's
elder
goon-brother
Anna
[Suniel
Shetty],
who
wants
to
get
Sania
and
him
married
without
further
delay?
With
an
interesting
concept
on
hand,
Shaadi
Se
Pehle
could've,
and
should've,
developed
into
an
entertaining
joyride,
but
what
you
get
is
not
what
you
expect
from
a
film
that
boasts
of
impressive
names
on
and
off
screen.
The
problem
lies
in
the
fact
that
Shaadi
Se
Pehle
tries
too
hard
to
make
you
laugh.
At
times,
you
do
enjoy
the
humor,
but
at
most
times
it
falls
flat.
There
are
sequences
that
do
bring
the
house
down.
For
instance,
the
Akshaye-Rajpal
Yadav
sequence
at
the
start
of
the
film
[when
Akshaye
confides
that
he's
going
to
die]
is
hilarious.
Even
the
Akshaye-Boman
Irani
sequence
at
the
latter's
clinic
evokes
mirth.
Mallika's
track
is
another
ace.
The
bindaas
attitude
her
character
exudes
as
also
the
glamour
quotient
that
comes
with
Mallika
is
eye
candy
for
the
junta.
Unfortunately,
Shaadi
Se
Pehle
goes
downhill
in
the
second
hour.
The
comic
scenes
in
the
post-interval
portions
appear
superficial
and
that's
a
major
slip-up.
Also,
there
are
unwanted
tracks
in
the
plot,
like
the
Gulshan
Grover
sub-plot
which
only
acts
as
an
impediment.
Ditto
for
Suniel
Shetty's
portions,
which
was
the
need
of
the
story
for
sure,
but
how
one
wishes
the
writer
would've
garnished
those
portions
imaginatively.
Even
the
climax,
which
should've
been
the
mainstay
of
the
enterprise,
lacks
conviction.
Ideally,
the
concluding
portions
should
leave
an
ever-lasting
impression,
but
in
this
case,
it
comes
across
as
a
half-baked
effort.
Director
Satish
Kaushik
is
not
in
form
this
time
around.
His
choice
of
the
subject
is
right,
but
the
screenplay
lets
him
down
to
a
major
extent.
Sanjay
Chhel's
writing
evokes
mixed
feelings.
While
the
screenplay
interests
in
parts
[not
amongst
Chhel's
better
attempts],
the
dialogues
penned
by
him
are
excellent.
In
fact,
the
witty
one-liners
are
the
highpoint
of
the
enterprise.
Himesh
Reshammiya's
music
may
not
be
of
hit
variety,
but
it
serves
the
purpose
nevertheless.
Yet,
given
the
kind
of
music
Mukta
Arts
has
come
up
with
in
the
past,
you
miss
a
hit
score
in
the
film.
Ankhiyon
Se
Gal
Kar
Gayee,
Bijuria
and
Tere
Liye
are
foot-tapping
nonetheless.
Cinematography
[Johny
Lall]
is
enticing,
especially
the
locales
of
Malaysia.
Akshaye
scores
yet
again.
The
various
expressions
that
flash
on
his
face
within
a
fraction
of
a
second
reiterate
the
fact
that
he's
amongst
the
best
in
the
business.
Extremely
efficient
at
all
times!
Ayesha
Takia
gets
to
play
the
conventional
heroine,
but
the
role
appears
so
boring
in
today's
times.
Even
otherwise,
the
actress
enacts
her
part
mechanically
and
needs
to
get
her
styling
right.
Mallika
Sherawat
is
a
star,
not
an
actor,
and
the
makers
understand
it
well
enough.
There's
no
effort
to
depict
Mallika
as
an
actress,
but
a
seductress
and
that's
precisely
why
this
character
works.
Suniel
Shetty
doesn't
impress.
Aftab
Shivdasani
plays
second
fiddle
right
through.
However,
the
long
hair
suits
him.
Rajpal
Yadav
excels
once
again.
Although
he
tends
to
go
over
the
top
at
times,
he
does
make
you
laugh
whenever
he
appears
on
screen.
Anupam
Kher
looks
disinterested.
Gulshan
Grover
is
wasted.
Ditto
for
Vijayendra
and
Kishori
Shahane
Vij.
On
the
whole,
Shaadi
Se
Pehle
has
its
share
of
fun-filled
moments,
but
the
film
doesn't
make
much
of
an
impact
in
totality,
thanks
to
a
weak
second
half.
At
the
box-office,
the
4-day
weekend
and
the
onset
of
summer
vacations
may
help
to
an
extent,
but
it
lacks
the
power
to
sustain
after
the
euphoria
settles.