The film revolves around Sameer(Salman Khan) a orthopedist who can't resist women and women cannot resist him either. A unshamed player Sameer always tells women he is married to make sure that none of his flings ever get too serious and most of them after hearing that leave him alone.
His latest love Soniya(Katrina Kaif) is goreous, modern and sensitive and Sameer finally falls in love with her and wants to settle down and get married. The twist strikes when she tells Sameer she will only marry him after she meets his wife!
Sameer is stuck between a rock and a hard place as he doesn't have a wife.
He blackmails his reluctant secratary Naina(Sushmita Sen) who secretly loves Sameer too into pretending that she is his wife. As they say one lie leads to another and Sameer ends up trapped under a burden of lies.
To make matters worse Sonyas new neighbour Pyaare(Sohail Khan) falls for Sonya and is suspicious of Sameer...he can smell a rat and he is out to uncover Sameers trail of lies and is always on his case.
Just as things couldn't get any worse Sameers best friend Vicky(Arshad Warsi), Sameers full Punjabi blooded mother (Bina Kak), and a fake patient Thapa(Rajpal Yadav) all get embroiled into the mess. At the end of which Sameer thinks..MAINE PYAAR KYUN KIYA?
Writer Rumi Jaffery has written many comedies for David Dhawan in the past including last years MUJHSE SHAADI KAROGI and here again she writes a story that provides unlimited laughter at every juncture. The screenplay is well written the the gags keep rolling. The film does lose a bit of pace post interval only to pickup again like a non stop rollercoaster ride upto the climax. The climax is cliched to the core as the indian audience have seen the "rush to the airport" climax umpteem times before.
As a director David Dhawan until he reinvented his own "DD Magic" formula last year. With MUJHSE SHAADI KAROGI the colours were more vibrant, the characters more colourful and full of attitude, the actors were hot n happeningf, the songs were fast paced with a MTV style flavour, and the entire packagking were super slick and ultra glamourous. In soul the movie was the usual madcap and zany David Dhawan film but in presentation it was a whole new style and it worked! With MAINE PYAAR KYUN KIYA he proves that he has reinvented himself fully and that his new found formula-the DD+ is here to stay. The film has a countless number of gags including superbly witty dialogues with hilarious one liners as well as zany slapstick. The films narrative is superb. At times the film unfolds like a american sitcom while other times it feels theatrical as the emotions are so overly exaggerated. Right from the very first frame the film is laced with gags and punches which keep the viewer in splits. All the characters have that extra zing that is needed and Dhawans casting is fantastic. David Dhawan has always relied heavily on comic triangles where he shows a game of one mans upmanship be it the tug-of war between Anil-Govinda in DEEWANA MASTANA over Juhi or the fight for Priyanka in MUJHSE SHAADI KAROGI between Salman-Akshay. Here too there is a struggle between Salman-Sohail over Katrina and the results are HILARIOUS. But thankfully that only forms PART of the movie as the film has a number of stories which all cummulate into one at the end. Some parts will have the viewer in stitches that doesn't leave the viewer much room to think. From a critical point of view...those who have always criticised David Dhawans brand of cinema will again sit there and pick holes as the film defies logic. No doubt one must give credit to David Dhawan for creating his own genre of cinema and not being apologetic for the kind of cinema he makes...above all his films are successful! One can call him the Manmohan Desai for todays times....
In terms of performances the film as a ensemble cast of which all of them deliver the goods.
Salman Khan is cast in a role that is tailormade for him. As the womanising doctor Khan is at ease with his character. His performance is charismatic and the actor looks a million bucks. His comic timing is is FANTASTIC here not only his delivery but also also relying heavily on his eyes and whacky facial expressions. There are times where I have found Salman Khans comedy forced and hammed(HAR DIL JO PYAAR KAREGA) but with MAINE PYAAR KYUN KIYA, Salman Khan delivers one of his best comic performances in recent times and his chemistry with David Dhawan as well as the rest of the cast is excellent.
Sushmita Sen gives a flawless account of herself and proves that she is without a doubt one of the most versatile actresses we have today. She is a absolute scene stealer from the start be it as a nurse, the pretend-wife, or the evil bahu. Her comic timing is emmaculate right from her delivery to facial expressions and this no doubt rates as one of her finest performance to date not to forget that she looks stunningly GORGEOUS throughout.
Katrina Kaif too delivers a worthy performance with her second film and consolidates the fact that she is here to stay. The girl is simply gorgeous with a smile that can give Preity Zinta a run for her money and a killer body. She exudes charm and confidence and gives a likeable performance. She does need to work on her delivery and facial expressions still as she appears raw at times.
Sohail Khan as Pyaare steals the show! The actor who till now was only known to suit serious action roles proves his versatility in a outright comic performance which defies stereotype and is on the borderline of comic genius. The actor lets himself go totally loose on screen as the nosey neighbour. His facial expressions are simply fantastic and although he goes over-the-top at times he still manages to extract laughter unlimited. His delivery well done too. The chemistry between Salman and Sohail is simply crackling on screen and it is evident both brothers are having a lot of fun which have further enhanced their performances.
Arshad Warsi is with a doubt one of the best comedians we have today and given that David Dhawan is one of the best directors in the genre-one would expect explosive results-and the results are just that..pure dynamite! Warsi manages to hold his own in a Supporting Role and delivers a fantastic performance. He is unbeatable when it comes to comic timing and the manner/timing he delivers each punchline is off the hook. His chemistry with the entire cast is superb and it is glad to see Arshad Warsi back in the limelight working on big projects. After this the actor will be seen in Yashrajs SALAAM NAMASTE.
Isha Kopikkar doesn't get much scope in a small role.
Bina Kak as Salman Khans "slap friendly" mother is great in her role. She plays her with conviction and one wishes the talented lady gets more roles in the future.
Rajpal Yadav fails to deliver the goods this time. Surprisingly enough though the actors entry in the movie had the whole auditorium burst out in claps and whistles. After Sohail and Arshad, Yadavs entry got the most claps in the film. But sadly the talented actor disappoints in a role that relies more on physical gags rather than dialogues and compared to the other charcters his doesn't come across very well.
Dialogues by Sanjay Chhel deserve a special mention as they are simply BRILLIANT. A film of this genre relies heavily on witty dialogues and Chhel doesn't disappoint.
Himesh Reshammiyas music is keeping in sync with the ambience of the film. All the songs are melodious and have been picturised with style and panache. The songs have been shot with slick MTV style precision and the choregraphy is superb. LAGA PREM ROG, DIL DI NAZAR are well done but the best song in the enterprise is JUST CHILL which delivers the message of the whole movie too.
Technically the film is superb as expected . Camerawork by Vikas Sivaraman is ace and the film bears a slick, bright and colourful look throughout.
All up MAINE PYAAR KYUN KIYA is a thoroughly enjoyable comedy which will leave the viewer laughing from start to finish. Yes-the film is a David Dhawan film so logic be damned and there is no point in even counting the flaws when the film is this entertaining. Given that I can sit through most David Dhawan films only once.....I find myself wanting to watch MAINE PYAAR KYUN KIYA once most simply to see the wonderful comic performances of Salman/Sohail/Sushmita/Katrina/Arshad. TOTAL PAISA VASOOL!
Final Rating: * * * ¾
