Mere Jeevan Saathi

For all practical purposes, this is a one woman show. But first, we’ll get the supporting cast out of the way. Note, there may be a few spoilers.

Vicky (Akshay Kumar) is an aspiring rock star; a role which he is getting a little too old for. While he is generally likeable on screen, his performance is just a rehash of the hapless male from Aitraaz and Bewafaa.


Pet Peeve Number One: As a guitar player, I am always annoyed when actors in a guitar playing role have no clue of how to actually play it. Akshay in this film is one of the worst.

PLUG IT IN! It’s an electric guitar for crying out loud.
GET A STRAP! You can’t play while clutching the bottom edge.
MOVE YOUR RIGHT HAND! Your thumb is just sitting on the strings.
GET IN SYNC! Move your left had in time with the music.

The film’s title song is average. The girls looked OK in their gold dresses, but the guys, not so much. As a software geek I have no fashion sense, but even I know this is not a good look.


Anjali (Amisha Patel) is Vicky’s long time girlfriend with no ambition to be or do anything else. The role was not well defined, and she generally just stands around without much to do. Even though she is the heroine of the film, I found myself rooting for psycho bad girl.


Morani and Torani (Gulshan Grover and Ashish Vidyarthi) are small time operators who con Vicky into an exclusive contract. After he breaks the deal, they are out to do him in. I am guessing these guys hammed up their roles on purpose, as they couldn’t possibly be that bad of actors. This subplot was more irritating than funny and could have easily been dropped. Fortunately for the audience, they are blown up in the middle of the film.


OK! For all you guys with Karisma Kapoor on your laminated list, this movie is for you. She plays the bad girl and looks mighty good doing it.

Natasha (Karisma Kapoor) has been obsessed with Vicky since their college days when she secretly sent him good lyrics to replace the bad lyrics in his songs. He is totally unaware of her existence. Natasha’s father dies in a car crash and leaves behind his international recording company, Angel Records. As Vicky becomes a success in India, he signs up with Angel Records to go international. He travels to New York City and meets Natasha, the president of the company, for the first time.


After a few recording sessions and concerts, it’s time for Vicky to return to India. Natasha convinces him to stay one more day and celebrate her birthday.






The next day, consumed with guilt, Vicky rushes to the airport to return home to India and Anjali. Natasha has also decided to return to India and by an amazing coincidence has the seat next to him. Naturally, before she can sit down, a little vamping is called for.


Pet Peeve Number Two: When using stock aircraft footage in a film, the editors should ensure that the plane taking off is the same one landing.


Everyone arrives at the airport and now the fun begins.


One of the catchier songs of the film is Mashooqa (Hey Sweetheart, I learned a new Hindi word). The dance involved a lot of touching and crawling all over each other.



Vicky eventually decides he has to set Natasha straight.


Note To Guys: Karisma’s walk up the stairs in the above dress, is alone worth the price of admission.

In a bad move, Vicky and Anjali invite Natasha to sing and dance at their engagement party. Dewanni is the best song and dance number of the film, and features somewhat traditional dress and rhythms. About half way through the number, Natasha sees Vicky and Anjali getting cozy. She smashes a glass bowl on the floor, kicks her shoes off and continues her fast and twirling dance. This makes for a rather bloody mess and puts a damper on the party.


The following day, Vicky goes to Natasha’s place, tears up his contract and says he’s through with her and his international recording deal. Natasha is not amused.




Yeah, that was a cheap shot, but the family resemblance really shows.

The movie becomes much more interesting at this point as Karisma begins to go into full “Fatal Attraction” mode. After taking a moment to crimp her hair, Natasha soon pays a visit to Anjali’s place.


While there’s nothing like a good cat fight with lots of long silky hair flying about, tossing in a knife is just pure entertainment.


Eventually Natasha runs Anjali through with the knife and she falls to the floor. The movie is getting very tense and thrilling at this moment. But then the film makers pull a fast one on the audience. Sorry, that was just a dream sequence. It never really happened. Kya?!


Throughout the film, Karisma has many intense “stare at the camera” moments, such as the following. I must be totally pagal, because now I’m totally mesmerized and rooting for psycho bad girl.


With Anjali’s encouragement, Vicky goes to check on Natasha. He’s apparently not very observant, as he talks to her for several minutes before he notices that she’s had a problem with her pen knife. The affects crew did a pretty good job complete with pulsing arteries.


There is a final (for real) confrontation between Natasha and Anjali. Karisma gives a great emotional performance with plenty of screaming and crying. Amisha simply recites her lines in a high pitched monotone.


Afterward Natasha returns to her place alone. Karisma goes into over acting overdrive and provides a totally insane breakdown scene. Bravo!


I decided to omit the final scene so as not to spoil the ending for those who haven’t seen the film and may want to after reading this fine review. The film generally didn’t receive the best reviews from the press. From a detached perspective, I can see some of the reviewers’ points. However, if you want to see Karisma looking her best and you enjoy her “over the top” style, then this movie is for you. Thumbs Up!