Mr Ya Miss Review {1/5} & Review Rating
2005 has been the year of debutantes. A number of new names surfaced on the horizon. Some made it, some missed the bus. With MR. YA MISS, actress Antara Mali calls the shots as writer and director.
But midway through MR. YA MISS, you realize that the film would've been better off in more competent and experienced hands. There's no denying that Antara has handled a couple of sequences deftly, but comedy is serious business� and not everyone's cup of tea. If the final outcome isn't as stimulating as one expects it to be, the effort is just not worth it.
Armed with a premise that could've been a novel experience for Indian moviegoers, MR. YA MISS had all it takes to be one roller coaster ride, but the outcome is akin to a balloon with a leak. The film just doesn't work!
Sanjay [Aftab Shivdasani] is denied a place in heaven thanks to his philandering lifestyle. At the same time, the Gods think hell is as unworthy place for him since, essentially, he has been a nice person.
Therefore, Lord Shiva [Ajinkya Deo] and Goddess Parvati [Varsha Usgaonkar] decide to give him a second chance and send him back to earth to redeem himself. The purpose being, Sanjay ought to learn to respect womankind. But there's a catch: Sanjay has to live in the body of a woman.
Result: Sanjay becomes Sanjana [Antara Mali], his fictitious step-sister.
Now, instead of Sanjay's work, it's Sanjana's body that gets all the attention. Be it a roadside Romeo [Snehal Dabhi], office colleague Ravi or the esteemed client Mr. Malhotra [Bharat Dabholkar], everyone has eyes on Sanjana.
Worse, best friend Shekhar [Ritesh Deshmukh] ends up falling in love with him. Suddenly, for the first time, he starts seeing the world through a woman's eyes.
Some stories sound interesting on paper, but when translated on celluloid, they simply run out of steam. That's the problem with MR. YA MISS, inspired by the Hollywood film THE HOT CHICK [2002; Rob Schneider, Anna Faris, Matt Lawrence]. Actually, the graph of the film starts sinking the moment Aftab transforms into Antara.
The biggest problem is that there's not much movement in the story after the initial twist. In fact, with the camera focused on Antara from start to end, MR. YA MISS ends up as an exercise in self-glorification. No doubt, it's her story and the camera ought to be focused on her, but how about some interesting twists and turns in the plot to support her presence.
From the writing point of view [scripted by Antara Mali], the only portion that appeals to an extent is that of Bharat Dabholkar trying to get close to Antara. At other times, the film tries so hard to make you laugh, but ends up as an absolute farce. Even the finale, when Aftab realizes that everything was a mere dream [!!!], is such an anti-climax.
Antara's direction is as lackluster as her script. Neither does her screenplay have the power to keep you glued, nor is her direction gripping enough to camouflage the weak situations in the plot. Music is another area which stands out like a sore thumb. There was actually no place for songs in the enterprise and the two-and-a-half songs that appear in rapid succession are of fast-forward variety. Cinematography [John Wilmor] is strictly okay. Dialogues [Raghuveer Shekhawat] are dull.
Antara Mali goes over the top completely. Her styling, hairstyle and walk [after sporting sandals] get on your nerves. Aftab Shivdasani tries hard to make his presence felt in a brief role. Ritesh Deshmukh is sincere enough, but is relegated to the backseat. Bharat Dabholkar is efficient. Divya Dutta does well, but why such skimpy outfits? Ishrat Ali is as usual.
On the whole, MR. YA MISS will neither appeal to Mr., Master, Miss or Mrs. amongst moviegoers. At the box-office, a poor fate is inevitable.