U Me Aur Hum

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

U Me Aur Hum
Umeaurhum.jpg
Theatrical-release poster
Directed byAjay Devgn
Screenplay by
Story byAjay Devgn
Produced byAjay Devgn
Starring
CinematographyAseem Bajaj
Edited byDharmendra Sharma
Music bySongs:
Vishal Bhardwaj
Score:
Monty Sharma
Production
company
Distributed byEros International
Release date
  • 11 April 2008 (2008-04-11)
Running time
156 minutes[1]
CountryIndia
LanguageHindi
Budget₹220 million[2]
Box office₹400.2 million[3]

U Me Aur Hum (transl. You, Me, and Us) is a 2008 Indian Hindi-language romantic drama film co-written, directed, and produced by Ajay Devgn. The film narrates the story of Ajay (Devgn) who meets the bar waitress Piya (Kajol), while he is on a cruise with his friends (Sumeet Raghavan, Divya Dutta, Karan Khanna, and Isha Sharvani). Falling for each other, the two later get married but after few months, Piya is diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease.

U Me Aur Hum was announced in May 2007 and marked the directorial debut of Devgn, who had wanted to direct a film for a long time. The story of the film was written by him and the screenplay was done by Robin Bhatt, Sutanu Gupta, and Akash Khurana. Soon, following its announcement, the principal photography was commenced by Aseem Bajaj, taking place in India. The film was edited by Dharmendra Sharma and the background score was handled by Monty Sharma. The soundtrack was composed by Vishal Bhardwaj, and lyrics were written by Munna Dhiman.

U Me Aur Hum was released on 11 April 2008. Made on a production cost of ₹220 million (US$3.1 million), it earned little at the box office, only grossing ₹400.2 million (US$5.6 million) from both India and overseas markets. Critical response to the film were mixed, some of whom acclaiming as well as panning Devgn's direction while the film's exposition got a negative reception; the cast's performances, especially that of Devgn and Kajol, were positively reviewed but the latter's physical appearance was criticised. The film has received several nominations, including that of the Best Actress at the Filmfare Awards and Screen Awards for Kajol.

Plot[]

The film starts with Ajay telling his son that he should make his move on a girl he likes. The son tells him that if he can go woo another older lady, he will tell the girl he likes about his feelings. Ajay goes to the woman and starts telling her a story. Gradually, everyone around them starts listening and the scene goes to a flashback. A younger Ajay is on a cruise with four of his friends: Nikhil and Reena, an unhappily married couple, whilst Vicky and Natasha are a happily unmarried couple. On the cruise, Ajay meets Piya, a waitress, at the ship's bar and falls in love with her.

While he is intoxicated, he buys drinks for everyone at the bar and then blacks out. In the morning, Piya goes to deliver the bill and Ajay says he is still in love with her instead, which she do not accept. He wants her by any possible means, peeking into her diary, in which she spoke about her love to salsa dance. With help from his friends, he starts to learn it, and subsequently the two falls for each other. But later, Piya finds out that he had looked in her diary and she yells at him. He leaves with putting a paper contains his number in case she changes her mind.

While at their new home, Ajay calls his friends to come to his house. While driving there, we see how Ajay has tried to win Piya back by getting her anything she loves, including a dog. When they go inside, they find Piya and Ajay have getting married. They are all surprised and delighted. The newly-married couple soon start a wish list, which they write on their bedroom wall; the first of which is to go on a cruise on their 25th anniversary. However, few months later after the marriage, Piya forgets everything, including where she lives, when she goes out for shopping. They go to the doctor and she is diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. The problem is that she is also pregnant, and it will exacerbates her condition. In this situation, Ajay must keep a close eye on Piya or she might hurt the baby. The baby is born, and Piya's condition worsens, making Ajay put her in an asylum. Meanwhile, his friends persuade Ajay to go get her back.

The story ends with Ajay saying the best thing he had ever done was bringing Piya back home. He says that it is a special day when she can remember things, and bonus days when she remembers him. It turns out that the elderly woman is Piya, and she and Ajay are celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary on a cruise with their son.

Cast[]

The cast has been listed below:[4][5]

Production[]

The actor Ajay Devgn (pictured), who made his directorial debut in U Me Aur Hum, admitted that he had always aspired to be a director since his childhood

In May 2007, the entertainment portal Bollywood Hungama reported that Ajay Devgn would make his directorial debut in a project that was later titled U Me Aur Hum.[6] Having aspired to be a director since his childhood, he described the occupation as his passion that came to him "naturally".[7] Addressing the issue of Alzheimer's disease, he had conceived the idea of the film by himself since three years ago prior to its release.[7][8] The film was produced by him under the banner of Ajay Devgn FFilms and the story was written by him; it also sees him in the lead role of Ajay. The screenplay was done by Robin Bhatt, Sutanu Gupta, and Akash Khurana, while Ashwni Dhir finished the dialogue.[4]

When Devgn told about U Me Aur Hum to his wife Kajol, she immediately said to him that she wanted to star in the film.[7] Therefore, it marked their seventh collaboration following the action films Hulchul (1995), Gundaraj (1995) and Raju Chacha (2000), the romantic comedies Ishq (1997) and Pyaar To Hona Hi Tha (1998), and the drama Dil Kya Kare (1999).[9][10] Kajol played Piya, a waitress who suffers from Alzheimer several months after his marriage to Ajay, which she noted for its simple and ordinary character.[11] Kajol spoke of her rapport with Devgn, stating that working with him would always be a "new experience" because of his unpredictable behaviour.[12] Furthermore, Devgn believed that her involvement in the film had made his work as a director "much easier", describing the opportunity to collaborate once again with the actress as a "fortunation".[8] The film also features the model-cum-actor as their son, Aman Mehra, in a cameo appearance.[13]

Principal photography was handled by Aseem Bajaj and started at the Manoranjan Studio in Andheri, with Sameer Chandra as the production designer.[6] The costumes were designed by Anna Singh, while that of Kajol was by Manish Malhotra. For Devgn's costume, Singh gave him bright, sun-coloured clothes for his scenes on the cruise, and suits when the film switching its background to a hospital and featuring him as a doctor.[14] Ashley Lobo and Ganesh Acharya were the choreographers, and Jay Sinagh Nijjar was the action director. Shooting moved to Filmistan on 5 to 25 May 2007, with the cruise's sequences was being filmed there.[6] After the filming ended, the editing and sound design were did by Dharmendra Sharma and Rakesh Ranjan, respectively. Monty Sharma worked as a composer for the background score.[4][15]

Soundtrack[]

U Me Aur Hum
Soundtrack album by
Vishal Bhardwaj
Released13 February 2008
GenreFeature-film soundtrack
Length29:33
LabelEros Music
ProducerVishal Bhardwaj
Vishal Bhardwaj chronology
No Smoking
(2007) 		U Me Aur Hum
(2008) 		Kaminey
(2009)

The soundtrack to U Me Aur Hum was composed by Vishal Bhardwaj, and the lyrics were written by Munna Dhiman.[4] Adnan Sami, Shreya Ghoshal, and Sunidhi Chauhan performed the vocals.[16] The album was released by Eros Music on 13 February 2008.[17] In a review for Bollywood Hungama, Joginder Tuteja wrote that the singers had delivered their best effort, observing of the title song, "It's a beautiful track that is as melodious as it gets and flows in a direction ..."[18] Meghna Menon of Hindustan Times thought that Bhardwaj had "once again hit the jackpot" with the film's soundtrack, and commending Dhiman's unconventional lyrics.[19] Raja Sen gave a rating of four stars described it as a "innocent ... romantic and real, moody and modest" album.[20] The Hindu believed that the Latino feel from the song "Jee Le" made it "racy".[21]

Track listing[16]
No.TitleSinger(s)Length
1."Jee Le"Adnan Sami, Shreya Ghoshal5:11
2."U Me Aur Hum" (Female)Shreya Ghoshal6:39
3."Saiyaan"Sunidhi Chauhan3:55
4."Phatte"Adnan Sami, Shreya Ghoshal5:32
5."Dil Dhakda Hai"Adnan Sami, Shreya Ghoshal4:13
6."U Me Aur Hum" (Male)Adnan Sami4:03
Total length:29:33

Release[]

U Me Aur Hum was one of the most anticipated Indian films of the year, and trade analysts hoped that it would emerged as a commercial success as most of Devgn and Kajol's collaboration underperformed at the box office.[22] A special screening was held by the sitar virtuoso and composer Ravi Shankar for the critic-turned-politician L. K. Advani on 6 April 2008 at the auditorium of the Films Division of India in Delhi. It was attended by the member of the cast and Sushma Swaraj. Advani gave the film a standing ovation, claiming that he was impressed by it, and Swaraj appreciated Kajol's performance.[23] Distributed by Eros International,[6] U Me Aur Hum was released theatrically on 11 April 2008 and clashed with Jaideep Sen's comedy thriller Krazzy 4.[3][24] The film was later released on DVD on 26 May as a single-disc pack in the NTSC widescreen format.[25] Since 30 November 2016, the film has been accessible for streaming on Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV+.[26]

Although garnering high expectations, the commercial performance of U Me Aur Hum was poor.[27][28] The film was released on 450 screens—with 150 of which were on digital platforms—and grossed ₹22.1 million (US$310,000) on its opening day.[29] The film subsequently collected ₹75.9 million (US$1.1 million) by the end of its first weekend, and ₹120.8 million (US$1.7 million) following a one-week running.[3][30] The film earned a total of ₹289.6 million (US$4.1 million) in India.[3] U Me Aur Hum was more received by overseas audience and, after one week, collected ₹70.3 million (US$990,000).[31] The film eventually grossed ₹110.6 million (US$1.6 million), the year's seventh-highest grossing Indian film.[32] Summing the film's total gross in India and overseas, the film-trade website Box Office India estimated that it earned ₹400.2 million (equivalent to ₹900 million or US$13 million in 2019) against a ₹220 million (equivalent to ₹490 million or US$6.9 million in 2019) budget.[3]

Critical reception[]

U Me Aur Hum was met with mixed critical reception, with several reviewers lauding but criticise as well Devgn's direction and the film's exposition were generally panned;[33][34] the performances of the cast—particularly that from Devgn and Kajol—the plot, and the cinematography were universally praised, while Kajol's physical appearance generated negative responses from some of the critics.[35] The film received a rating of 60 percent on the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes based on five reviews, with an average rating of 5.7 out of 10.[26] Taran Adarsh of Bollywood Hungama observed of the actors, "U Me Aur Hum is like a medal that glimmers on Ajay Devgan's body of work. He's exceptional! Kajol, well, what can you say of an actress who has proved herself time and again? That she's undoubtedly the best has been proved yet again." He further described the film as "a well-made, absorbing love story that's high on the emotional quotient", noting that it was the 2004 American film The Notebook with Indian sensibilities in the screenplay.[36] Jaspreet Pandohar of the BBC called the film "a worthy but mushy watch",[37] while Maitland McDonagh found it to be "dumb" in the first-half and "classic" in the second-half.[38]

A critic from Rediff.com gave U Me Aur Hum three-and-a-half stars, commenting that Devgn had delivered a "fantastic" work by telling a "powerful" story without "resorting to that most traditional and painful of Bollywood cop-out methods, the flash-cuts".[39] Rajeev Masand opined, "Well, to some extent, it’s the leads whose credible performances outshine the shoddy script. Ajay Devgan oozes sincerity as the conflicted husband, but it’s Kajol who is really the emotional anchor of the film, dazzling you with her spontaneity, pumping life and blood into her character, making Piya a portrait of internalized pain, something even the script fails to do."[40] Writing for Screen magazine, Rajiv Vijayakar said of Devgn and Kajol's "stupendous" and "terrific" performances but presumed the direction and screenplay made the film "undoing". In the three-star review, Vijayakar also took note of the supporting cast, mostly Sumeet Raghavan and Divya Dutta, who he thought were "great" as well as "admirably restrained".[41] Frank Lovece asserted that the film "is an emotionally affecting tragedy wonderfully acted by Western standards".[42]

Ziya Us Salam spoke of Kajol's physical appearance both as a young or old woman in U Me Aur Hum; according to him, he preferred to singled out the latter look for praise as he felt that when she was "sipping her coffee, her luminous eyes exuding rare brilliance", and also saw that Devgn's performance was overshadowed by hers.[43] Sudhish Kamath from The Hindu shared the same thoughts, claiming that "Kajol revels in her role with an unforgettably electrifying performance". While questioning the originality of the film, Kamath, unlike Salam who criticised Devgn, was positive of the actor, elaborating, "As an actor, he's brilliant. As a filmmaker, even better. A fine example unfolds (again in the second half) when the doctor hands him his newborn and adds that he's not sure if the mother would even recognise the baby."[44] The Economic Times' Gaurav Malini, who rated U Me Aur Hum with a rating of three stars, commended both actors for playing to "perfection" and hailed that the film "raises much above the candyfloss or campus romance regularly churned out" in Bollywood. Reviewing Devgn's direction, Malini added that he "also succeeds in extracting authentic performances" from the rest of the cast.[45]

Rated the film two stars, Namrata Joshi of Outlook summarised: "U Me Aur Hum is a blast from the hoary past. I was squirmed on hearing the heavy-duty philosophy of love." She was ambivalent of it, panning Kajol for being "terribly contained" and Devgn's "dreadful" effort to play a rakish, cool man. Joshi stated that only Raghavan and Dutta who remained as the "good performer" in the film.[46] In Hindustan Times, the critic Khalid Mohamed concluded, "For its tear-drawing emotional content, a splendid performance by Kajol and Devgan’s fluid makeover from an actor of steel to a director of tenderness, you ultimately take U Me Aur Hum home with you. Worth a cherish."[47] Nikhat Kazmi from The Times of India noted Kajol's role "mirrors the vulnerability and the insecurity of a woman who lives life on the edge, threatening to fall off any day",[48] and Baradwaj Rangan wrote her expression in the scenes featuring her in an old-woman look off as "vacant".[49] Sonia Chopra inscribed in her review for Sify that Devgn's part was "sketchy and not particularly likeable", further saying, "Director Ajay Devgan makes a confident debut, but hopefully next time round, he'll choose to appease the audience’s mind as well, and not just aim for the heart."[50]

Accolades[]

Award Category Recipient(s) and nominee(s) Result Ref(s)
Filmfare Awards Best Actress Kajol Nominated [51]
Screen Awards Best Actress Kajol Nominated [52]
[53]
Best Actress (Popular Choice) Nominated
Stardust Awards Hottest New Film U Me Aur Hum Nominated [54]
Breakthrough Performance – Male Sumeet Raghavan Nominated
Best Supporting Actress Divya Dutta Nominated

References[]

  1. ^ "U Me Aur Hum". British Board of Film Classification. Archived from the original on 23 May 2021. Retrieved 23 May 2021.
  2. ^ Iyer, Meena (30 December 2007). "Into the future". The Times of India. Times News Network. Archived from the original on 23 May 2021. Retrieved 23 May 2021.
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e "U Me Aur Hum". Box Office India. Archived from the original on 23 May 2021. Retrieved 23 May 2021.
  4. ^ Jump up to: a b c d "U Me Aur Hum Cast & Crew". Bollywood Hungama. Archived from the original on 3 May 2008. Retrieved 23 May 2021.
  5. ^ "U Me Aur Hum Cast". Box Office India. Archived from the original on 23 May 2021. Retrieved 23 May 2021.
  6. ^ Jump up to: a b c d Adarsh, Taran (2 May 2007). "Ajay Devgan turns director". Bollywood Hungama. Archived from the original on 27 April 2008. Retrieved 24 May 2021.
  7. ^ Jump up to: a b c N., Patcy (10 April 2008). "'Kajol and I didn't even propose to each other!'". Rediff.com. Archived from the original on 12 March 2018. Retrieved 24 May 2021.
  8. ^ Jump up to: a b "'U Me aur Hum' — straight from Ajay's heart". Daily News and Analysis. Press Trust of India. 1 April 2008. Archived from the original on 24 May 2021. Retrieved 24 May 2021.
  9. ^ "Ajay Devgn Filmography". Box Office India. Archived from the original on 1 May 2021. Retrieved 24 May 2021.
  10. ^ "Kajol Filmography". Box Office India. Archived from the original on 13 July 2020. Retrieved 24 May 2021.
  11. ^ Mahmood, Abdulla (8 April 2008). "Kajol Devgan: U, Me Aur Hum". Gulf News. Archived from the original on 25 May 2021. Retrieved 24 May 2021.
  12. ^ Patel, Devansh (5 April 2008). ""Ajay is unpredictable" – Kajol". Bollywood Hungama. Archived from the original on 25 April 2008. Retrieved 24 May 2021.
  13. ^ Dundoo, Sangeetha Devi (11 April 2008). "Marquee moves". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 20 May 2021. Retrieved 24 May 2021.
  14. ^ Anima, P. (10 April 2008). "The art of design". The Hindu. Chennai, India. Archived from the original on 24 May 2021. Retrieved 24 May 2021.
  15. ^ Devgn, Ajay (11 April 2008). U Me Aur Hum [You, Me, and Us] (motion pictures) (in Hindi). Ajay Devgn FFilms. Event occurs at 1:21.
  16. ^ Jump up to: a b "U Me Aur Hum (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) – EP". iTunes. Archived from the original on 25 May 2021. Retrieved 24 May 2021.
  17. ^ Bollywood Hungama News Network (14 February 2008). "Meet Ajay Devgan and Kajol's daughter, Nysa". Bollywood Hungama. Archived from the original on 17 May 2008. Retrieved 24 May 2021.
  18. ^ Tuteja, Joginder (16 February 2008). "U Me Aur Hum: Music Review". Bollywood Hungama. Archived from the original on 21 April 2008. Retrieved 24 May 2021.
  19. ^ Menon, Meghna (29 February 2008). "Music Review: U, Me Aur Hum". Hindustan Times. Indo-Asian News Service. Archived from the original on 25 May 2021. Retrieved 24 May 2021.
  20. ^ Sen, Raja (18 February 2008). "U Me Aur Hum will make you smile". Rediff.com. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 24 May 2021.
  21. ^ S., R.; N., N.; K., A. (5 April 2008). "Chords & Notes". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 20 May 2021. Retrieved 25 May 2021.
  22. ^ Pillai, Swarupa (15 January 2008). "Top ten awaited movies of 2008". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 25 May 2021. Retrieved 24 May 2021.
  23. ^ Bollywood Hungama News Network (7 April 2008). "L.K. Advani gives standing ovation to U Me Aur Hum". Bollywood Hungama. Archived from the original on 11 May 2008. Retrieved 24 May 2021.
  24. ^ "'U Me Aur Hum' and 'Krazzy 4' set for box-office battle". The Economic Times. 11 April 2008. Archived from the original on 25 May 2021. Retrieved 24 May 2021.
  25. ^ "U Me Aur Hum (2008) (Hindi Film/Bollywood Movie/Indian Cinema DVD)". Amazon. 26 May 2008. Archived from the original on 4 September 2014. Retrieved 24 May 2021.
  26. ^ Jump up to: a b "U, Me Aur Hum". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on 28 October 2020. Retrieved 24 May 2021.
  27. ^ Salam, Ziya Us (4 July 2008). "Flop show". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 25 May 2021. Retrieved 24 May 2021.
  28. ^ "U Me Aur Hum: Box Office India". Bollywood Hungama. Archived from the original on 27 May 2010. Retrieved 24 May 2021.
  29. ^ "Krazzy 4 Has A Big Release". Box Office India. 11 April 2008. Archived from the original on 13 April 2008. Retrieved 24 May 2021.
  30. ^ "Top India First Weekend (2008)". Box Office India. Archived from the original on 17 May 2021. Retrieved 24 May 2021.
  31. ^ "Top Overseas First Week (2008)". Box Office India. Archived from the original on 21 May 2021. Retrieved 24 May 2021.
  32. ^ "Top Overseas Grossers (2007)". Box Office India. Archived from the original on 23 April 2021. Retrieved 24 May 2021.
  33. ^ "Emotional bond, spiritual connect". The Hindu. 23 October 2016. Archived from the original on 24 May 2021. Retrieved 25 May 2021.
  34. ^ Mirani, Vinod (19 May 2008). "Jannat scores at the box offie". Rediff.com. Archived from the original on 6 July 2015. Retrieved 25 May 2021.
  35. ^ "Tashan vs U Me aur Hum, Krazz 4, Race & Sirf". The Economic Times. 29 April 2008. Archived from the original on 25 May 2021. Retrieved 25 May 2021.
  36. ^ Adarsh, Taran (11 April 2008). "U Me Aur Hum: Movie Review". Bollywood Hungama. Archived from the original on 20 April 2008. Retrieved 25 May 2021.
  37. ^ Pandohar, Jaspreet (April 2008). "U, Me Aur Hum (2008)". BBC. Archived from the original on 24 April 2015. Retrieved 25 May 2021.
  38. ^ McDonagh, Maitland (2008). "U Me Aur Hum Reviews". TV Guide. Archived from the original on 25 May 2021. Retrieved 25 May 2021.
  39. ^ Sen, Raja (11 April 2008). "Ajay Devgan does well in U Me Aur Hum". Rediff.com. Archived from the original on 25 January 2016. Retrieved 12 April 2008.
  40. ^ Masand, Rajeev (1 December 2011). "Masand's Verdict: U, Me Aur Hum/Krazzy 4". RajeevMasand.com. Archived from the original on 25 May 2021. Retrieved 25 May 2021.
  41. ^ Vijayakar, Rajiv (18 April 2008). "U Me Aur Hum (Hindi)". Screen. Archived from the original on 20 April 2008. Retrieved 25 May 2021.
  42. ^ Lovece, Frank (16 April 2008). "U Me Aur Hum". Film Journal International. Archived from the original on 1 December 2017. Retrieved 25 May 2021.
  43. ^ Salam, Ziya Us (12 April 2008). "A flick worth watching". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 25 May 2021. Retrieved 25 May 2021.
  44. ^ Kamath, Sudhish (25 April 2008). "The Devgan show – U, Me Aur Hum". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 25 May 2021. Retrieved 25 May 2021.
  45. ^ Malini, Gaurav (16 April 2008). "U Me aur Hum: Movie Review". The Economic Times. Archived from the original on 19 April 2021. Retrieved 25 May 2021.
  46. ^ Joshi, Namrata (22–28 April 2008). "Movie Review: U Me Aur Hum". Outlook. Vol. 48 no. 17. p. 87. Archived from the original on 25 May 2021. Retrieved 25 May 2021.
  47. ^ Mohamed, Khalid (11 April 2008). "Review: U, Me Aur hum". Hindustan Times. Archived from the original on 9 September 2018. Retrieved 25 May 2021.
  48. ^ Kazmi, Nikhat (11 April 2008). "U, Me aur Hum". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 14 April 2008. Retrieved 25 May 2021.
  49. ^ Rangan, Baradwaj (13 April 2008). "Review: U Me Aur Hum/Krazzy 4". The New Sunday Express. Baradwaj Rangan. Archived from the original on 21 July 2013. Retrieved 25 May 2021.
  50. ^ Chopra, Sonia (2008). "U Me Aur Hum". Sify. Archived from the original on 30 June 2008. Retrieved 25 May 2021.
  51. ^ "Kajol: Awards & nominations". Bollywood Hungama. Archived from the original on 4 December 2009. Retrieved 24 May 2021.
  52. ^ "15th Star Screen Awards Nominations". Screen. Archived from the original on 21 January 2009. Retrieved 24 May 2021.
  53. ^ "15th Star Screen Awards Nominations (Popular)". Screen. Archived from the original on 16 January 2009. Retrieved 24 May 2021.
  54. ^ "Stardust Awards 2009". Stardust. Archived from the original on 8 February 2009. Retrieved 24 May 2021.

External links[]

Retrieved from ""