Aisha scores as a fashionable chick-flick

But time has proved her wrong as the story of the good-hearted but meddlesome Emma Woodhouse continues to enchant event today. Sonam Kapoor-Abhay Deol starrer 'Aisha', the latest adaptation of the novel, proves it.

In 'Aisha' the English countryside has been replaced by the high society of Delhi where the heroine tots around in designer brands like Salvatore Ferragamo, Christian Dior and Channel. It is India's first chick-flick and most fashion forward movie.

But the constant plugging of these brands in the very beginning is very distracting.
Aisha (Sonam Kapoor) and her best friend Pinky (Ira Dubey, live in their own bubble. The favourite pastime of the haughty but well-meaning Aisha is matchmaking. After getting her aunt hitched, she soon finds another project for herself in small-town girl Shefali (Amrita Puri).

Aisha tries to fix Shefali with Randhir Gambhir (Cyrus Sahukar). Her matchmaking efforts for Shefali fail to impress her close relative and friend Arjun (Abhay Deol), who criticises her interfering ways but Aisha continues with her pet project.

Things get messy when Aisha finds that Randhir has fallen for her. However, her over working mind finds another match for Shefali in Dhruv (Arunoday Singh) without realising that she is heading for disaster.

Directed by Rajshree Ojha and produced by Anil Kapoor Films and PVR Pictures, the film is all about Sonam, who fits in the world of Aisha perfectly. She dilutes the meanness of her character with her bubbly personality.

The real surprise of the film, however, is two newcomers Ira Dubey and Amrita Puri. Dubey gives Pinky, an snobbish but vulnerable character, depth and complexity. Puri is perfect as wide-eyed, middleclass girl Shefali, who has a sweet demeanor to her. Her performance outshines every other character in the film. She almost becomes the second lead.

Abhay Deol is the male protagonist in the film and though the story revolves around Aisha, the actor, true to his style, gives a great performance. His sarcastic one-liners are the best part of the narrative and he utters them with utmost nonchalance. It is his first rom-com after debut film 'Socha Naa Tha'.

Arunoday Singh and Lisa Hayden don't have much to do in the film except look good. The two characters are the weakest in the movie as they are not well defined.

Amit Trivedi's music is the high point of the film and blends beautifully with the narrative.
There is not much of a plot but the first half of the movie is funny and gives a glimpse of the social life of the rich and mighty of Delhi, who play polo, attend parties, shop in their extra time and turn their noses on those who don't belong to their class.

The movie tumbles and stretches on unnecessarily towards the end of second half. The director could have done away with Sonam's monologue towards the end, which sounds corny and does not help at all. The climex is predictable.