Majhya Baikocha Priyakar review: A terrible ‘remake’ of a poor Hindi film

Remaking films is a regular business in India. Then there are the unofficial remakes, also called 'copies'. Usually it is an acclaimed or successful film that gets taken up for remaking. But occasionally there are some, like director Rajiv S Ruia, who get 'inspired' by something like Great Grand Masti (2017).

The only substantial difference between Ruia's Majhya Baikocha Priyakar and Great Grand Masti is that the character played by Urvashi Rautela in the Hindi film is turned into a male here.

Great Grand Masti bombed at the box office and received a thumbs down from audiences and critics alike. But that, apparently, was not enough to deter Rajiv S Ruia.

Majhya Baikocha Priyakar takes place in a fictitious town in Maharashtra. Ganesh’s parents are eager to get him married. However, despite liking a lot of prospective brides, he is unable to marry as his parents always demand an enormous dowry. His brother (Anshuman Vichare) was also married in the same way, with a fat dowy.

During one meeting with a prospective bride Komal (Bhagyashree Mothe), Ganesh (Aniket Vishwasrao) finalizes the marriage without even looking at her face. His aim is to fix the marriage before his mother can demand dowry. 

On their wedding night at their wada, Komal urges Ganesh to run away with her to some 'exciting' place to make the moment, well, more exciting. The couple moves out and lands up at an old bungalow.

Just as they look forward to spending some 'quality' time together, Ganesh realizes that the bungalow is haunted by Sanam (Priyadarshan Jadhav). Who is he and what does he want?

Majhya Baikocha Priyakar is a misleading title. But that disappointment is nothing in comparison to what the film has in store. The silliness begins with the plot itself. Why would you ‘run away’ with the one you married? Worse, when the news spreads, the parents of the couple start wondering where they must have gone instead of why. Also, the idea to take up residence in an abandoned bungalow that has been shut for ages is also moronic.

The director tries to inject humour into the proceedings with arguments among and between the parents of the lead couple. These moments seem more like a ham fest. The track of Vishwasrao’s brother and his wife is also silly, not to mention unnecessary. They venture out in search of the missing couple and end up celebrating their honeymoon in some field.

Majhya Baikocha Priyakar is laden with a background score that has nothing to do with the scenes playing out on the screen. The songs, especially the dance number, are forgettable.

With such poor content, what do you think the performances would be like? No prizes for guessing correctly. Aniket Vishwasrao does have decent comic timing, and it is seen here as well. But he has been repeating himself, like he did recently in Hrudayat Something Something (2018), and needs to think about it.

Despite the terrible problems with the writing of his character, Priyadarshan Jadhav manages to elicit a few laughs here and there. 

Bhagyashree Mothe has good screen presence and manages to take her performance to an average level. Anshuman Vichare and Priya Gamre, who plays his wife, are affected the most by the poor writing.

Spoilers ahead!

Just like in Great Grand Masti, the aim of the ghost Sanam is just so wrong. He is apparently stuck at the bungalow because he died without having had sex. Hence, he can get moksha only if he has sex with someone, even if by force. Now which sane viewer would feel for such a person? Or soul?

Eventually, Sanam is told that he should fulfil his desire in a ‘good’ way. Perhaps they could have invited Urvashi Rautela's character over from Great Grand Masti and laid both of them to rest (no pun intended).