Film Review: 'What's Your Raashee?'

he Story:

'What's Your Raashee?' is a romantic comedy about a young man who needs to get hitched in ten days and finds love through sun signs.

'What's Your Raashee?' tells the story of a Chicagoan, Yogesh Patel (Harman Baweja), who returns to Mumbai with the false news of his ailing father. Instead, he's desperately called back home to free his family from utter ruin. In order to bail his family out of the financial mess, Yogesh must get married in ten days. If Yogesh meets the deadline, he will inherit his grandfather's estate and pay off all of his family loans. After lots of emotional blackmail and restless nights due to jetlag, Yogesh agrees to marriage without the acceptance of dowry.

One night, Yogesh is inspired by a book on astrology and decides to begin his bride hunt by meeting one girl from every raashee - sun sign. His parents give an ad in matrimonials and Yogesh gets 163 replies. Once his parents shortlist the girls, he sets out to find his dream girl by going on twelve different dates; they girls are - (Priyanka Chopra) - Anjali (Aries), Vishaka (Taurus), Kajal (Gemini), Hansa (Cancer), Mallika (Leo), Pooja (Virgo), Rajni (Libra), Nandini (Scorpio), Bhavna (Sagittarius), Jhankhana (Capricorn), Sanjana (Aquarius) and Chandrika (Pisces). He decides to meet two girls per day for six days, gives himself three days to make a decision and leaves the tenth day for marriage.

While all the girls are Gujarati from various parts of Mumbai - from Bhuleshwar to Vashi, and have strikingly different personalities and avatars, Yogesh is the only one who sees a resemblance between all of them. All of this confuses him further and makes it harder for him to make a final decision. With pressure from his parents and limited time, Yogesh goes into deep thought before taking the big step. But before you find out who he ties the knot with, there's a climax song featuring all twelve of his prospective brides.

The Cast:

Harman Baweja as Yogesh Patel - a popular DJ, he's a Gujarati bachelor from the University of Chicago who is desperately called back to Mumbai to save his debt-ridden family by getting married in ten days. He agrees to meet one girl from each of the 12 zodiac signs but can't figure out which one he actually loves.

Priyanka Chopra as:

Anjali - an Aries with a slouch, sports a Thai look, speaks with an accent ('Mon-dates, Toos-dates'), snorts while she laughs, tries her hand at cigarettes and likes to drink.

Vishakha - a Taurus, she's a vivacious Gujarati girl who enjoys classical music, must test the guy before marriage and sings 'Su Che' when she meets Yogesh.

Kajal - the bubble-blowing Gemini, she's a lanky street-clothed small-town college girl who loves hip-hop dancing and needs time to 'connect' with Yogesh.

Hansa - a Cancer, she's the teary-eyed middle-class virgin with traditional values who suffers from a heartbreak.

Mallika - an ambitious Leo, she's an easygoing girl who is a passionate modern dancer.

Pooja - a Virgo, she's the idealistic and sexy microbiologist from Kampala who wears yellow saris and is keen on trying new things. As a doctor, she expects Yogesh to support her in every one of her ventures.

Rajni - the Libra who is a modern businesswoman looking for a contract marriage to save her from an ongoing CBI enquiry.

Nandini - the Scorpio who is traditional by day and naughty by night, and aspires to become a supermodel.

Bhavna - an intelligent Sagittarius who's an astrologer with seductive charms and enjoys reading.

Jhankhana - a Capricorn, she's the surprisingly strong, unattractive schoolgirl who has inner beauty.

Sanjana - an Aquarius and die-hard romantic, she's the elegant and high society girl who has a fake American accent, knows how to mingle and is in love with an African man.

Chandrika - a psychotic Pisces who's obsessed with reincarnation and is convinced that she knows Yogesh from a previous birth.

The Crew:

Director: Ashutosh Gowarikar
Producer: Ronnie Screwvala, Sunita Gowariker
Production House: Ashutosh Gowarikar Productions
Distributor: UTV Motion Pictures
Music Label: Sony Music
Screenplay: Ashutosh Gowarikar, Naushil Mehta
Story: Madhu Rye
Cinematography: Piyush Shah
Choreography: Chinni Prakash, Raju Khan, Rekha Chinni Prakash, Terrence Lewis
Music Director: Sohail Sen
Lyricist: Javed Akhtar
Cast: Harman Baweja, Priyanka Chopra, Anjan Srivastava, Visshwa Badola, Rajesh Vivek, Dilip Joshi, Daya Shankar Pandey

What Worked:

All the praise goes to Priyanka Chopra for putting on twelve great acts! While some of her characters are simplistic, there's an edge to the characters like Rajni, Anjali and Vishakha.

Harman suits his endearing role and his bride hunt is what holds the film together, keeping you hooked.

Ashutosh Gowariker highlights the Gujarati community and you get to see a variety of them - from Jhaveris, to business tycoons and farmers to spice merchants.

What Didn't:

'What's Your Raashee?' is too long for being a light-hearted entertainer. What stretches it is the content within the screenplay; it's dry and the entire plot remains thin - pointless subplots (detective following a womanizing marriage broker and a stalker who hassles Yogesh's brother for a long running loan), repetitive scenes (Yogesh's date with each girl is followed by a song), and humdrum dialogue - all leading to a weak and copped-out climax. And as a musical, only four out of fourteen tracks are likeable.

Despite Priyanka's sincere performance, too many of her characters are unlikable and eventually you suffer from a Priyanka overload, since she's just too outrageous and quirky in characters like Kajal and Bhavna.

The Soundtrack:

Sohail Sen has composed a few nice songs for an otherwise dated and lifeless soundtrack. The best tracks are the romantic number 'Jao Na' and 'Chehre Jo Dekhe Hain,' both soulfully sung by Sohail himself. 'Su Chhe' sung by Bela Shende and Sohail Sen, and 'Aaja Lehrate' with vocals by Shaan, are catchy tracks.

Slated or Rated:

'What's Your Raashee?' is a lengthy but fun romantic urban comedy for the entire family. If you enjoy astrology, a variety of songs, lots of silliness, Gujarati culture, and are a big Priyanka Chopra fan, go for it!