Rani Mukherjee's Dreams Come True In The Latest Clip From AIYYAA

I can't honestly say that the upcoming film from first time Hindi director Sachin Kundalkar, Aiyyaa, is particularly ScreenAnarchy-y looking material, but I'll be damned if it doesn't look like a shitload of fun!

Aiyyaa is the story of Meenakshi Deshpande (Rani Mukherjee), a southern masala enthusiast who tries to live her life like the characters in the films she loves so much. She laughs big, she cries big, she does everything big, and when it's time to get her married off, she won't settle for anything other that her ideal filmi hero. In this case that hero is Surya, played by hunky Malayalam film icon Prithviraj. Meenakshi is lured in by his entoxicating musk and follows her nose around hoping desperately to nab Surya for her own.

This first non-trailer promotional clip is the music video for the song Dreamum Wakeuppam Critical Conditionum (south Indian semi-English dialect, not unlike last summer's major breakout Tamil hit Why This Kolaveri Di?). The song is pure southie film fantasy, the kind of song Indian regional film fans went nuts for in the '70s and '80s that still linger in many movies made specifically for rural audiences.

There is something about the twinkle in Mukherjee's eyes that sells this elaborate concoction and reminds me why she's such a big star. Very few actresses exude the kind of joy that Rani Mukherjee does on screen; this looks like a role built for her, and I'm really excited to check it out.

If you've never seen a classic south Indian film, check out this clip to get an idea of what you've been missing.