User reviews

Aisha is a modern-day adaptation of Jane Austen's famous novel Emma. Now I'm personally not into this kind of movies, but I still wanted to see it for Abhay Deol, whom I consider to be one of the most talented actors in India today, and most of whose films and performances I highly appreciated. Aisha actually centres around the young Sonam Kapoor, whose Aisha is a take-off on Austen's Emma. The movie reminds me of many of those kitschy Hollywood fairy tales like The Princess Diaries, and it tries very hard to be western. It actually is supposed to be a fairy tale, but it mostly looks like a wannabe rather than a good movie on its own. Its dialogues, songs, characters, and its overall atmosphere all seem to have been inspired from various foreign movies of this sort, and sadly, not even once does it try to show the beauty of India, using it only in some comic scenes of parody instead. Sonam Kapoor plays the title role, and she is okay. She does manage to carry the film on her shoulders, but despite being pretty and vivacious, she somehow seems to lack the charm her character requires, and at points she gets a bit annoyingly unnatural. Abhay Deol is reduced to a role of minimal importance and by the end of the film I was left wondering what on earth he could find in this movie or role that he accepted it. Aisha is not a complete bore and it does have its moments from time to time, but overall it's an ordinary and rather mediocre tale, which could be easily skipped.

There is a scene in the movie where Abhay Deol looks at Sonam and accuses her of being shallow. He may have been talking to the director of the movie. I don't know how many times poor Jane Austen may be rolling in her grave. Forget about adapting from the book (which is a true masterpiece ); it wasn't even able to copy from another classic of its kind.

The story does not progress with any logic – scenes seem to have been cut and pasted to fill in the gap. The character Emma is supposed to be a complex one – she is vain, narcissistic and controlling yet has charm and an attractive appeal about her. You love to hate her. Aisha, on the other hand , seemed plain dumb. Fighting with her childhood friend and acting like a bitchy teenager when another hot girl comes into the picture (a totally irrelevant addition) is really not a show of character. The love-hate equation with Abhay Deol should have been crackling but they keep arguing unnecessarily throughout the movie. Sonam doesn't look very convincing in her I-know-what's-best attitude.

As for the characters - Sonam has potential but is slowly becoming a bimbo expert. However she usually looks pretty in her movies and has a good sense of style so her styling in the movie seemed way off. The outfits were meant to emulate the Manhattan street style but looked odd and out of place. Abhay is his smart Alec self but looks so disgusted with his co star, you wonder how he fell in love with her. The supporting characters actually add flavor to the movie. Amrita Puri is fabulous, with good roles and opportunity she can make it big. Cyrus looks very genuine and appears to be a typical Delhi boy. Ira Dubey goes from headstrong and blasé to gentle and soft in 2 consecutive frame which confuses everyone.

The only scoring point was the movie's music which is very apt , youthful and a true delight..wish the movie was the same..!

i watched the flick today and i din' find it convincing...i was expecting a bit more from it..it did not even had the level of entertainment value one would expect watching the trailers of this movie..i went to watch the movie to enjoy to the fullest...thinking of it as one of the urban comedies that would make me laugh..and get involved with the movie...and i came back from the cinema hall reluctantly..

Talking about performances..well they were just average...Abhay Deol's expressions were nice...but he was not able to carry himself with the story and the plot of the movie..Sonam was as disgusting as ever when it comes to act...though she looked cute in it..Ira Dubey was much better on CHICKS ON FLICKS rather than wasting her time here and even smooching Cyrus Sahukar...m.k. Raina was just jumping along with the lead actors trying hard as if he is turned 25 again...Cyrus Sahukar was as he is..and others also gave just average performances...yupp..the only girl i can praise is Amrita Puri...being her debut movie...she did a great job..acted better than Sonam Kapoor and many other experienced actors...she was really convincing..

the music was very cool..specially the song "GAL MITTHI MITTHI BOL" is already my one of the favorite of recent times..and the title track "AISHA" is also nice...the direction was somehow fresh..but was again just an average direction..cinematography was good...screenplay was okish except in few scenes when it became ultra-slow..

all in all...the movie was just average..with a below average story and content..

i would rate it 4 / 10 this week...go for DESPICABLE ME..instead of AISHA..at least you would enjoy much more than watching AISHA..!!

The less said about this movie the better. But I have to add 10 lines so here goes. The movie is as shallow as the characters. Every plot element is completely predictable. And this makes it even more frustrating. You find that each and every stereotype is played out. The characters do not do anything to make you relate with them. The lead characters (Aisha) acting makes you cringe every time she opens her mouth. The only thing that that was not completely useless in this movie was the acting of the person who played Shefali.

I would have to nominate this as the worst movie of the year. Of the decade even.

Week after week I push myself into believing that the next movie I watch will not make me want to impale myself on toothpicks. It takes hours of psychiatric therapy and experimental pharmaceuticals... but somehow I manage to do it.

And then something like "Aisha" happens. WHY God, WHY?

Let's get the facts straight. Sonam Kapoor can't act. She can be subtly (and overtly) bitchy. She can smile the crap out of 35mm cinemascope print. But she can't act. And when you have drunk tweens for a supporting cast who can't decide if they'll do more justice to this country's 220 million poor and hungry wearing Gucci or Versace, well... Abhay Deol (wasted) and Cyrus Sahukar (relief) are there. And they seem to be fighting. But it seems like a lost cause.

I also remember the good old days when you needed a story to make a movie. Clearly the good director has transcended that particular limitation. I guess the idea these days is to base it on a well known half remembered piece of literature and hope for the best. Snob value should take care of the rest.

Pretty clothes and expensive handbags do not a good movie make. Do yourself a favor and buy the toothpicks instead.

2 out of 10. 1 because I'm shallow and don't care for substance.

Sonam Kapoor, Ranbir Kapoor and Deepika Padukone burst onto the Bollywood scene just about the same time with one another in 2007, with the Kapoors (no relation here) starring in their first feature film together in Saawariya. We know how prolific Ranbir Kapoor has become with a successful 2009 and 2010 seeing him all serious in Raajneeti, while Deepika Padukone herself is fairing none too bad with a string of releases. This is not a tabloid so I'll stay hands off on the on-off romance between these two, but somehow Sonam Kapoor has got off the blocks rather slower than her peers, and seem to be making up for it just recently.

Thanks to dad Anil Kapoor and sister Rhea as producers, I suppose a project like this will only befit one of their own in taking on the starring role as the titular Aisha, or shall you say the Hindi version of Jane Austen's Emma, directed by Rajshree Ojha. Sonam Kapoor steps into the role as the romantic matchmaker wannabe who, as the idle daughter of a rich man in Delhi, takes it upon herself to be a Ms Fixit, especially when it comes to matters of the heart. Not hers of course, but that of her friends and family. With best friend Pinky (Ira Dubey), Aisha takes it upon herself to transform plain Jane Sheali (Amrita Puri) into an air-head femme fatale, and just about as confused as Aisha herself is.

I suppose if you know the story of Emma, then you'd know the story of Aisha as well, although it's more like Clueless starring Alicia Silverstone than Austen's literary epic for the more modern, upbeat feel to it. Amongst Sonam Kapoor's role, I actually disliked her portrayal of Aisha, who's more negative than a positive one, highlighting with some cliché humour on the fairer sex's indecisiveness when it comes to the matters of the heart, and seriously, creating more problems out of nothing than to actually address the issues at hand. The coy yet arrogant, cloy yet independent behaviour when in the midst of different parties just brings out the sheer hypocrisy of the character.

Which is not to say that Sonam Kapoor didn't do well with the role, but I felt her earlier roles were more challenging. If anything, she shows that she's quite the clotheshorse here with, I think, almost every scene seeing her decked out to the nines in designer togs, and carrying them off very well on her lithe frame. In some ways the film becomes an advertising feature for the various fashion houses and labels that Aisha endorses, and becomes like a huge product placement during one of the montage sequences.

Everything else that goes on in the film, sad to say, you wouldn't care too much about, because the rest of the supporting cast are quite the caricature, offering not much depth as they either pander around or loathe Aisha's presence as she sashays her way to manipulate the lives of others, only to see her plans backfire hard one by one onto herself. However, every spoilt brat deserves a break, and in comes the indecisive (as well) hero Arjun (Abhay Deol) who drapes a New York based colleague Aarti (Lisa Haydon) around, to invoke the natural bitchy comparison by any pretty lass when another prettier, more popular lass is in their midst. Meow.

There seems to be quite the disconnect with the characters as they all seem to be fairly loaded without doing anything substantial, most born with a silver spoon in their mouths, and watching them wild about their idle time attending weddings, parties, and the likes, just seems too surreal to be rooted in reality. But as a romantic comedy, this one had its eye candy cast galore to thank for to hold your attention as it plods its way (and thankfully for a Bollywood film, just slightly over 2 hours) to a finale which you know all's well that ends well, with all the messiness of relationship entanglements straightened out in no time. Strictly for those with Emma fetish and want to compare across all versions and variations.

I thought Aisha was really cute. As an Emma adaptation, I thought it was excellent- they kept all the important elements of the story in, and I saw a few homages to Clueless in there as well. I like that Aisha wasn't 100% likable, as she shouldn't be- she is a girl who's been given everything in life, which doesn't always lend itself to peachy sweetness. Of course she's going to be arrogant! Nobody other than Arjun ever says no to her.

Because this film is about a very wealthy girl and her matchmaking pursuits, which do often come across as very superficial and celebrating monetary pleasures, and the characters are very shallow at times (their problems are hardly anything, compared to the very real struggles other Indians face) I can see how some people might not like it- my dad thought it was absolutely ridiculous (his exact quotes were "I can't believe filmmakers would waste celluloid on this trash").

However, the essence of the film is to show how silly Aisha's attempts are at forcing what cannot be forced, regardless of how much she tries to manipulate the situation or how much money she throws at it. She is portrayed as an arrogant girl, but we are shown that doing so ultimately alienates her friends from her. Do the filmmakers celebrate what could be labeled as "western excess" in the process of telling her story? Sure, but who doesn't like seeing pretty clothes and hairstyles once in a while? Aisha Kapoor is not one of the "mango people"- who would expect her to be?

The music was terrific, and the supporting cast did a wonderful job- especially Amrita Puri, who played the character of Shefali. For those who have seen Clueless, I definitely felt echoes of Brittany Murphy's character Tai through her performance- in a great way. She was really cute! And Ira Dubey played Aisha's sarcastic friend Pinky (Dion in Clueless) to a T, and Abhay Deol and Cyrus Shankar were great as Arjun and Randhir.

I personally highly recommend this film if you're looking for a fun, escapist Jane Austen adaptation with great clothes and danceable music.

I really liked the music of this movie which made me watch it without looking for trailer or reviews. This turned out to be complete waste of my time which I am never getting back.

Aisha... A good adaptation of the Best Selling "Emma"...

The movie has got its own pluses and minuses... The biggest Plus point of the movie is its Music and Sonam Kapoor, Amrita Puri and Ira Dubey's Performance, Sonam has carried the role of Aisha with true sincerity and with elegance, She looked so stunning and her styling was just awesome.. Sonam Kapoor, has the touch of her dad Anil Kapoor who can never do bad acting in any of his movies... Its the same with her...

Amrita Puri as a middle class girl was just awesome.. Ira Dubey was awesome... Abhay Doel, no words to describe his screen presence...

The other actors have done their bits well and good..

Music and Lyrics are awesome...

Now the Minuses... The movie tends to get slow after the intermission and as it reaches climax it gets boring...

Watch this for Sonam and the other ensemble cast...

Movie - 7/10 Music - 10/10 Performances - 9/10 Overall - 7/10

Dear. ... Sonam,

Simply unbearable, Sonam Kapoor, I pledge from now on, in whichever movie you will appear, I would stay away from even trailers, forget movie. You overact too much baby, you forget that you are from bollywood. You think that your father born n bred you in LA or NY. So poor baby..You are from India. Get it straight to your head. Overacting is something what I hate.

The way you act, I actually get blushy moments on your pathetic attempt to copycat F.R.I.E.N.D.S Jenny's inevitable style, I request you to get natural and please act like you've been born n brought up in Mumbai/Delhi wherever you belong, not being Kardarshian.

Sonam, I ......never believed in you. Believe me, never. Last I saw your glimpse in Saanwariya, it was apparent that either Sanjay leela bhansali had indebted truckload of money to your father or worst your father was intimate with him, thus your surprising inception in film industry has been justified.

I am not saying you don't have talent or looks.........so what, even I have got loads of talent and great looks, then? My father isn't a human bear, with hairs on the corpse body more than you have got talents in your bootie and some solid luck with B'wood.

You were horribly awful in the movie. I got swayed away by 4 star ratings which TOI, and many other newspapers gave you. And I swear, the day I will lose hope of life, the day I will accept that their is no other way left, I will start reviewing movies.

I lost my 200/- + snacks ~ 400/- like ........whooooosshhh! All I needed was just a place to place my ass in this sweltering delhi heat where I had decided a dayout with ma friends, else I would have preferred indoors. Pls avoid acting for goodness's sake!

Aisha is about this super rich good-hearted luxury-snob who sees nothing beyond anything high class, and she can very well afford to. Sonam Kapoor plays Aisha, who is some sort of a cross between Sex and The City's Carrie (in her quintessential fashion sense) and Cher from Clueless (in her adorable snobbishness). She's into social services such as protecting animal rights, appreciating and creating arts, and not to forget her newly found talent, match making.

Teamed with her best friend Pinky, Aisha tries to match make a plain-Haryana-Jane (named Shefali) with her friend Randhir, whom she thinks is perfect for Shefali, but Randhir in fact is in love with Aisha herself. Her only obstacle is Arjun (Abhay Deol), or so she thinks.

In a nut shell, Aisha is a feel good movie, with cute and lovely characters, who each leave their mark with their roles and acting, although I felt Abhay Deol was shortchanged for the amount of potential he has. Amrita Puri (Shefali) in my opinion is the best one to watch out for. Sonam is also very lovable in the snobbish role of a high society snob whom we'd love to hate.

One downside of the movie is that I felt the movie was really pretentious with the amount of super high flying luxurious life shown, especially with the polo match and unreal river rafting getaway in a well-equipped camp house for the vain people. On a positive note, the movie was some very light hearted moments, even makes a what seems serious love declaration at the wedding function into a light comedy moment. You can't help loving Aisha!

AISHA – CATCH IT ( B- ) Aisha is inspired by international Best seller Emma and the scenes of the movie are ditto copy of Alicia Silverstone's Clueless. The whole movie is like you have seen that hundred times before. The movie is really stylized and Sonam Kapoor looks really Hip. She acted really well and looked like an elite gal. Amrita Puri and Ira Dubey were amazing; they were funny and acted really well. Abhay Deol is like a dead fish, I don't know why people cast him, I found him incredibly boring. Lisa Hayden, Cyrus Shahukar and Arunoday Singh were perfect. Overall it's a complete chic flick, which we have seen hundred times, so watch it if you want to see a Hindi version other wise leave it. Watch Clueless again even after Two Decades its much much better.

A modern day adaption of the 1815 British novel, Emma by Jane Austen, 'Aisha' is a confused and mainly boring film, that holds very less appeal.

Rajshree Ojha's 'Aisha' is a tale about a few confused youngsters, of whom, all, are in the search to find the "Right" one. The usual late realizations, the very-usual complications, verbal-fights are put in this chick-flick.

The problem with 'Aisha' is it's writing. The Screenplay doesn't justify it's characters, and thus, the show is spoiled. The first hour yet manages to hold your attention. But the second hour is a complete letdown! Even the climax, is disappointing!

Rajshree Ojha's direction is fairly okay. The Screenplay is the villain here. Cinematography is just right. Amit Trivedi's Music is vibrant. Acting wise, Sonam doesn't look the part. She looks fine, though. Abhay Deol is very good, as always. Cyrus Sahukar is wasted. Ditto for Ira Dubey. Amrita Puri and Anand Tiwari are superb. Lisa Haydon looks well.

On the whole, 'Aisha' is at best, an average fare. One expected much more!

Clueless was a novel adaptation of Austen's Emma that introduced and spread like wildfire the Beverly Hills/Valley Girl/California culture to the rest of the U.S. during the roaring 90s. Now it's India's turn, and Anil Kapoor picks New Delhi as the LA equivalent. The idea is brilliant since India's rapidly increasing materialism, consumerism, and westernization and fascination with romance create a terrific setting for this story.

Alicia Silverstone's shallowness, lack of concern for her career, romantic obsessions, glamorous stupidity, and an infatuation with materialistic possessions created the notorious stereotype of a California girl, which even till today is the image that is conjured in people's minds. Sonam Kapoor carries out her character wonderfully. However, where I feel the movie failed was instead of bringing out the new spirit of New Delhi, the film was forced into being a carbon copy of the American adaptation. From PBJs and Valley Girl slang to the VW bug and pepper sprays, the culture portrayed is so obviously not of Delhi at all. For example, far-left liberalism and formation of animal rights groups is something unique in Cali, whereas majority of people in India are already vegetarians, and this aspect of Aisha's ditsy character doesn't even make sense.

Each scene is an in-your-face desperate attempt to copy American culture, and it is repulsive. Other films such as Wake Up Sid, Rock On!!, and Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na brought out the new generation of urban India successfully and not by trying to imitate the West. Other than that, songs were terrific and very catchy.

The entire promotional campaign of AISHA revolved around only one character alone and the film also does the same. It's a Sonam Kapoor show all the way where she luckily gets ample support from her supporting cast too. AISHA is rich in glamour, has a certain class of its own and has also got some breezing romantic elements to offer to the younger generation. So Sonam is here to make another impression on the viewers with her fresh charm and elegant style which is clearly visible throughout the movie till its last frame.

But unfortunately, the news is not entirely positive as the compliments given above are strictly meant for the movie before its intermission. Revolving around the story of a funky, fashionable girl who loves to be a match-maker for her friends, AISHA surely manages to impress the audience in its first hour with some good sequences and fine performances. But post interval, it simply starts walking on the same old decayed path of realizing your actual love and then apologizing for the same. Though the movie is not too long in its duration but still it drags a lot in its second hour and has got nothing new in the name of content to sustain the impact generated by its initial reels.

Actually the fact is that AISHA heavily relies on its treatment and therefore comes out as only a partially good product as far as its story content is concerned. Any avid moviegoer can easily predict the complete film and its climax, after just watching the first 10 minutes of the movie. Moreover post intermission it loses the pace and one seriously misses all those witty or comic relief moments which are in fact the highlight of the movie in totality. In other words if the makers would had given more stress on its content than on its styling, the film could have been a milestone in the career of Sonam Kapoor.

Based on Jane Austen's novel EMMA, and also inspired from "CLUELESS" (1995), the movie has all the colours in the right tone, but the real problem is that the colours are not many. As the movie reaches its end, the characters become lifeless and monotonous, which don't allow them to emotionally connect with their viewers. So, one doesn't really feel overjoyed as Aisha finds her true love in the end. Moreover, the climax sequence of entering the wrong marriage venue seems to be just pushed in without any purpose. Actually the movie should have ended right there, but the director deliberately inserts another love proposal scene which is not enjoyable at all towards the end.

On a brighter note AISHA has a refreshing first half and that's because of some brilliant performances by its supporting cast which mostly has debutants making their presence felt.

Both Ira Dubey and Amrita Puri as Sonam's fast friends are really a treat to watch. They straight away catch your attention right from their first scene and excel. Especially Amrita Puri who indeed has got the talent to be explored in the right way. Cyrus Sahukar as the dumb rich boy is not loud this time and impresses. Arunoday Singh also leaves a mark with his frank appearance. Anand Tiwari as a middle class boy is lovable but Lisa Haydon as the foreign returned only stands in her scenes without any expression.

Taking about the main lead, there is good news for the fans of Sonam Kapoor, since the girl is there in her full form and style. Along with her acting skills she strongly showcases her fashion sense with her great outfits and make-up. Sonam easily carries the whole film on her shoulders and once again proves that she is undoubtedly among the most talented young girls in the tinsel town. She has always managed to do full justice to her roles in the past but for some reasons all her films till date are only partially good and same is the case with AISHA. I really hope in the near future she hits the bull's eye with a bang.

However for the fans of Abhay Deol, AISHA may not give them any reason to celebrate as the thinking actor is not present here in his full spirits. Abhay underplays his role well but in absence of a well written character he fails to make the kind of impact he usually does. Still, I loved his silence and one liner dialogues delivered in his own unique manner.

AISHA may work for the younger audience due to its elegant production value, eye catching costume designing and Mills & Boon kind of romantic theme. But for the smaller centers, it doesn't have the required merit to make it big. Director Rajshree Ojha has strictly made the movie keeping in mind the cities and multiplexes only. It has some good numbers composed by Amit Trivedi as "Suno Aisha" and "Gal Mitthi Mitthi Bol". But I couldn't understand why a fine party song "Gal Mitthi Mitthi Bol" was saved to be used in the end credits only. In all, AISHA has a refreshing first half but with a not so impressive second, I was only satisfied partially. Yet, for the romantic movies fans, I would like to rate it better than Sonam's last "I HATE LUV STORYZ", but still its quite shallow.

It's a known fact that Devika Bhagat's screenplay is an adaptation of Jane Austen's 'Emma'. The trailers gave the impression of another silly Yashraj movie but seeing the cast and the fact that it was based on a Jane Austen novel, I wanted to give it a shot. Phew, it's definitely not as bad as the Yashraj fairy tale garbage. However, even though I enjoyed 'Aisha' it could have easily been better.

With the exception of the wedding and engagement sequences, most of the time 'Aisha' felt too western. They could have Indianized it a bit more. I'm not saying to completely traditionalize it as it's important to show Aisha as an arrogant spoiled brat who loves modern fashion but there's no need to make the film look like a fashion show of western outfits. Also, the commercialization of brands was sometimes too in-your-face. In addition, a few sequences have been lifted off Amy Heckerling's 'Clueless', especially the scenes with Shefali. Moreover I felt that the ending was rushed. I would have liked to see more development of Aisha, Shefali and Pinky post the 'breakup'.

Among the good points is that 'Aisha is fun to watch. The music is superb. The comedy works very well. There's hardly a dull moment. The chemistry between most actors is just right. Beautiful looking Sonam Kapoor shows tremendous improvement as an actress since her awkward debut in 'Saawariya'. The performance may not be stupendous but she's competent and proves to be a much better actress than most of her contemporaries. Abhay Deol doesn't have a large role but he lights the screen with a natural performance when he appears in a scene. Ira Dubey, Cyrus Sahukar and Amrita Puri are brilliant. Lisa Haydon doesn't overdo her sexbomb colleague character. A stunning Anuradha Patel is a treat to watch. Anand Tiwari is wasted.

'Aisha' is a decently made film. I found the settings quite confusing and inconsistent. Some scenes were filmed in India and others abroad while there was no mention of such. The cinematography is average and the editing at times felt patchy but not to the extent that it ruins the entire movie. 'Aisha' is no classic but it's entertaining.