The month of August begins with only one movie releasing this Friday and that too not very entertaining for its viewers. Though another movie titled 'Mukhbiir' was also scheduled to hit theaters, but it couldn't see the light of the day because of the indifference of the cinema hall owners. Hence, this is the only movie released this week. Firstly, the title of the movie is completely unconventional inasmuch as it is called 'Ugly Aur Pagli'. Second, its tagline is equally amazing - 99 slaps one Kiss'.
Doesn't the movie indicate that the Hindi movie industry is just starved of good stories even though its actors are not only talented but also of world standard? The movie's lead cast of bombshell Mallika Shehrawat and handsome Ranvir Shorey has proved this beyond any doubt. Well, Mallika is back after two years when she had acted in her first movie 'Pyaar Ke Side Effects' with Pritish Nandy. The sizzling beauty had decided to confine herself to select movies. In fact, Rangeeta Nandy wanted to repeat her along with Rahul Bose in her sequel of 'Pyaar Ke Side Effects' but both the actors declined it and Rangeeta dropped the project.
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However, Mallika accepted Rangeeta's offer of 'Ugly Aur Pagli' just after going through the script though Rahul Bose couldn't make it due to his date problems. So, Ranvir Shorey was signed opposite Mallika. Rangeeta Nandy must be happy that the Mallika -Ranvir pair has proved its chemistry in their first attempt. Thus, the movie's shooting in Mumbai, Pune and Goa was completed within 55 days. Interestingly, the movie is immortalized as Ranvir Shorey had to get 99 slaps for one kiss! Again, this shows the perseverance of both the actors. This is another matter that Mallika has charged the producer four times of her earlier fee. Isn't it great?
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According to the movie's story, Ranvir Shorey and Mallika Sherawat come together for the first time as 'Ugly the loser' and 'Pagli the madcap' to entertain the audience through a battle of love between the completely opposite two individuals. Although they don't complement each other yet fall in love. Achrekar played by Ranvir Shorey (Kabir Achrekar) is a loser type - an introvert, bookish and laid-back but his life takes an about turn when he meets the chirpy, sexy and unconventional Mallika (Kuhu).
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Since Ranvir saves Mallika from falling in front of a Mumbai train the former calls for troubles. Kabir has no ambition and when fails in engineering exam he looks towards the examiner for help. So, he tries to run away from Mallika, but the latter holds him tight and slaps him until he kisses her? This turns him into a lover and her true disciple. Similarly, Mallika is found head over heels in love with Ranvir Shorey so much so that she has already shown the movie to her family. This is not for nothing that Mallika says, "I just loved the way Kabir is in 'Ugly Aur Pagli' and I found Ranvir to be very attractive in the role. I enjoyed working with him. I wish I could find someone like Kabir in real life too!"
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However, in a critic's eyes the movie fails to entertain the audience as there are very many flaws in its story though the same is borrowed from a Koean film 'My Sassy Girl ?'. It's impossible for a viewer to fix his or her eyes on the movie except for a few funny and bizarre scenes like Mallika wearing undergarments above her clothes in college . But there're times when the humor falls flat. After all, the two hour long film needs a lot to keep the audience watching it. We wish debutant director Sachin Khot had a strong story supported with strong emotions , especially in the second part that looks repetitive. Sorry to say that Anu Malik's music is no good though Talli rendered by Mika, Anmol Malik and Hard Kaur is soothing .
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As mentioned earlier, acting-wise, 'Ugly Aur Pagli' has come out very well. While Mallika is just natural, Ranvir Shorey plays his submissive role very convincingly. Tinnu Anand and Sushmita Mukherjee do look hilarious in their first scene. Zeenat Aman is there for one scene only. To sum up, we may say that it's superb in acting, good in direction but an untidy story.
