Why I Find AAA Boring

Perhaps nothing reveals my feelings about Andaz Apna Apna more than the fact that the first time I heard college friends discussing it, I couldn’t for the life of me, place the darn film. Growing up in UP, it is impossible to remain untouched by Bollywood and from bhajans to election campaigns, everything was inspired by it. So of course I’d watched the film but clearly it didn’t seem to have made much of an impression.

source: place-of-torment.tumblr.com

An exercise in mental calisthenics finally regurgitated the memory of Salman and Aamir getting up to completely pointless antics. I racked my brains for more but Karishma Kapoor’s eyebrows kept getting in the way and I realized the cause of trauma leading to repression of memories.

Seriously? That film? The one I yawned through and rolled my eyeballs until they did a 360? 

Over the years the film kept cropping up in conversation and I realised that certain dialogues were familiar. Whether due to constant repetition by friends or because I’d heard them before, I cannot say. I’ve also caught the film on the television in recent times and each time I sit myself down to it telling myself that there must be something to it if it’s made it to cult status. Something I’m missing. About ten minutes in I'm wondering why everyone finds it hilarious when Salman avers, 'Chalega kya, kud kud ke chalega... I smile faintly at the next 'joke', nod in recognition at yet another. And then either my eyelids droop or something infinitely more interesting like watching paint dry, beckons and I regretfully miss the rest of the movie. Until the next time.

When asked to write my impressions of the movie I wondered if I should quickly catch a viewing of it. And then I realised, not even Gogoji’s ghaghra could induce me to sit and watch the entire film again.