After two consecutive flops, director Sooraj R. Barjatya returns to
the marquee this Friday with "Vivah", another colourful entertainer
about the sanctity of marital bonding.
There was a lull in the Barjatya camp post the phenomenal success of
"Hum Aapke Hain Koun...!" with "Hum Saath Saath Hain"
(1999) and "Main Prem Ki Diwani Hoon" (2003) bombing at the
box office.
But Rajshri Productions are hoping to restore the fame and popularity
of their banner with their latest offering that stars Shahid Kapur and
Amrita Rao.
Touted as a heart-warming tale of unconditional love, the film revolves
around Poonam (Amrita Rao), a middle class girl who lives in the small
town of Madhupur with her uncle (Aloknath) and aunt (Seema Biswas).
Poonam's parents passed away when she was very young and since then
her uncle has been looking after her. However, her aunt has never liked
her.
Poonam grows up into a graceful and beautiful young woman and touches
the heart of matchmaker Bhagatji (Manoj Joshi) with her simplicity and
warmth.
Bhagatji is so impressed with Poonam that he takes her marriage proposal
for Prem (Shahid Kapur), son of a Delhi-based businessman Harishchandra
(Anupam Kher).
Prem, a soft-spoken boy rooted to the ground, is hesitant about getting
married so early. However, respecting his father's wishes, he agrees
to meet Poonam.
What follows is a meeting arranged by the two families and this formal
meeting turns into an engagement. Prem and Poonam get engaged and it
is decided that they will tie the knot after six months.
The six months become the most beautiful and romantic period of their
lives. Coming from different sensibilities, both want their relationship
to be very "right" for each other.
After six months when everything is set for Prem and Poonam's wedding,
something happens to put their love on trial.
Rajshri Productions has decided to release the film in only 200 screens
nationwide and 100 prints in the overseas market because they feel that
the film will gain popularity only by word of mouth.
This limited release strategy helped "Hum Aapke Hai Koun...!",
along very similar lines. One hopes they reap rich dividends this time
too.
