Major most culprit of 'Isi Life Mein' is that the love between the protagonists can hardly be felt. What adds salt to the injury is the fact that even while her marriage is on, Sandeepa is shown to be quite happy and doesn't once express any emotion whatsoever for Akshay. On the other hand the boy too just about gives up and never reaches out to her. When the so-called lovers in the film are shown as only friends, how can audience be expected to carry any emotions for them to be reunited (if at they were united in the first place)?
For Akshay Oberoi and Sandeepa Dhar, life is being exposed about seeing two different worlds. When Sandeepa comes from her small town to Mumbai, she is amazed at how college-goers behave, how couples kiss before marriage, short clothes being in vogue and youngsters screaming at their parents. On the other hand for Akshay, Sandeepa is an epitome of a small town girl who just doesn't know how to dream and is unaware about her hidden potential.
Honestly, you don't quite warm up to the proceedings of 'Isi Life Mein'. The college sequences are straight out of 90s and reminds one of the kind that have hardly been in fashion since the 'Khiladi' or 'Jaan Tere Naam' days. In fact there are some scenes which are straight out of 'Maine Pyaar Kiya'. A girl having hots for Akshay tries to steal him away from Sandeepa but he rebukes her. The sweet nothings shared between the couple where eyes do all the talking also belong to the world that Salman Khan & Bhagyashree had left behind.
Thankfully what keeps the audience engaged to some extent are performances by Akshay and Sandeepa who are good for their first film. While Akshay still has a straight forward part to play, Sandeepa is required to be a girl who is being 'reborn' and is seeing a transformation in her mentally as well as physically. Her expertise at dancing is another asset.
The second half also moves ahead on predictable lines and as soon as Akshay and his bunch of friends enter Sandeepa's household while preparations for her marriage are on, you know that it is 'Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge' revisited. There is a twist in the story though with the entire dowry angle coming in and though there are a couple of decent moments that do come in (friends pooling in with their belongings to keep the marriage afloat), one can see the culmination around Mohnish Behl (Sandeepa' father) calling off the marriage from a distance.
What only extends the length of the film are the portions thereafter where one gets to see an entire song and dance affair with an ending which is exactly on the same lines as 'Mujhe Kucch Kehna Hai'. Musically too the film is just okay though 'Isi Umar Mein' stays with you long after you are through watching the film. Amongst actors, while Akshaye as well as Sandeepa are good, their friends are mere caricatures while Aditya Raj Kapoor (playing Akshay's dad) comes up with his third terrible performance in a row after 'Chase' and 'Deewangi Ne Hadh Kar Di').
For all the talks of 'Isi Life Mein' being a new beginning for Rajshri Productions (of Barjatyas), the fact remains that at the end of it all, this directorial debut of Vidhi Kasliwal is nothing but a mix of 'Maine Pyaar Kiya' and 'Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge' with a few uninspiring situations thrown in.
Rating: **
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