By Rupang Bhatt, Ahmedabad, 29 August 2014

Dared to watch this Gujarati film Aapne to Dhirubhai on first day.

First, because Vrajesh Hirjee is good actor and he can play comedy role well. Secondly, the film was promoted professionally through big hoardingz on main roads of Ahmedabad, newspaper ads and organized publicity drive.

But ultimately what?

Only few multiplexes are takers of this film in Ahmedabad, and they run only one show a day of this film.

I went to Cinemax at Devarc mall on SG Highway. This is a ghost mall where only this theater is working and otherwise, entire inner area is on shut-down mode. Even lifts and escalators are not working now.

There were total 9 adults including me and 4 kids inside the cinema hall no. 4 where Aapne to Dhirubhai(ATD) was to be shown to audience.

Vrajesh Hirjee(VH) plays a role of 30-year-old Dhirubhai who is still in college, who drives yellow color luna, who has one fast friend, one crush, whose father is fed up with him because he is yet not settled, his mother protects him against his father.

VH in his college takes challenge to become a businessman matching to Dhirubhai Ambani in two years. He borrows money from his father and opens superstore, but can’t get customers. He launches a discount schemes including 100% discount offer on some items and attracts rush, but loses money. Later customers come and complain about goods they purchased from his store. They come and loot the store items to take revenge.

Then someone asks Dhirubhai to purchase a mill. One old mill owner gives him key but later when he approaches Dhirubhai to give rent, Dhirubhai escapes and leaves that business. He then enters into network marketing business, but actually commits fraud. People come to his house and take away furniture. Dhirubhai’s parents kick him out from their house.

In just last 15 minutes of the film he is shown finally realizing that he lost his lover, money, parents everything due to his whims of doing businesses without any seriousness or skills. He accepts to take guidance of his parent, gets back his lover and gets BMW(it is not shown how, this para happens in last 10-15 minutes of the film).

So, coming back to theater no.4 of Cinemax, Devarc mall, Ahmedabad, there were total 9 adults to watch the movie, 2 of them left the movie in first hour itself and never came back.

Yes, the film is not gripping. You continue to sit thinking that, OK this is hero and therefore he would now do something sensible, he will now do something successful, he will now do something to justify that he is hero, but no, nothing like this happens.

The hero of this film is ultimate dumb person who is at times selfish, always non-serious, constantly behaves like a rascal(who as a store owner also gives 100% discount and sells thing for free), wears goggles and shoes inside house, steals and sells his father’s scooter, doesn’t pay rent of property, sells inferior quality items, dupes people through faulty business scheme, neglects lover etc etc.

The film doesn’t make you laugh for even a minute. You watch scenes after scenes, but only casual things happen in continuation with same development and nothing new actually happens in the film till last 5-10 minutes when the hero realizes that he is wrong.

There are two songs in the film. Music is given by Mehul Surti. Title track is catchy. Heroine adds glamor to the film. Movie is captured in Rajkot but flavors of Rajkot are missing.

Vrajesh Hirjee is good actor and the actress in this film is beautiful. No problem with acting, but the problem is with plot that goes on slow speed. Overall the film is flat and may not survive post week-end period because in most theaters, there’s an unwritten rule that it takes at least 15 persons per show to run the show.