PREM PRATIGYA This casually complex love affair between a destitute, helpless working girl and a local henchman who both live in a shanti town in Mumbai suburbs works mainly secondary to the chemistry between its two lead stars who both come up with spontaneous performances. Madhuri as the vulnerable young woman who works as a domestic maid finds herself a prey in a pedantically sexist society after her grandfather sudden demise, she is totally convincing from the frivolous young working class woman to the bereaving daughter and the angry young woman who is a victim in a male dominated society The only person who offers her protection is a local gangster brilliantly played by Mithun Chakraborty who is simultaneously torn apart by his empathy and attraction to the damsel in distress, he portrays himself with subtle restrain and his speechless performance is the hallmark of the movie where he converts the scornful woman who loathes his illegitimate lifestyle to a young woman who starts to initially respect and ultimately love the very pinnacle of her hate. The conversion is mutual and very lyrical as it is expressed by cinematic language instead of words and the movie evolves through some of the best acting seen on Indian screen between the two main characters sharing the screen. The final outcome is of no consequence as the theme is about mutual respect in a relationship earning ultimate love rather than simple physical attraction and infatuation and the script and acting succeed in conveying the message . It is a delight to see the screen chemistry between two great natural artistes like madhuri and mithun and it is both rewarding and refreshing to see a Bollywood movie where a mature love affair is described in a totally natural environment rather than the fairy tale classics with huge mansions and Gucci dresses endorsed wit Porsches and Swiss locales. For once this love live almost pulls it off but is marred by a silly and totally irrelevant comedy track between devan verma -aruna irana which can be easily edited out as it deserves to be chopped out of this love classic by the director who seems to have been under pressure to include it for commercial demands ,its totally disgraceful and irritating in a movie which can easily be called a love classic minus the silly intervention . Definitely a watch for the thawing affections bestowed by madhuri on the callous and savage gangster, mithun who is smitten with love and inspired by faith and honesty of a vulnerable young woman to a rehabilitation only true love can aspire to, this movie treads a love line scorching with fire and succeeds in crossing it without getting burnt or blistered ,which is a rare achievement for bollywood. A love story from the shanty towns of India between two very unlikely characters which will thaw some cynical critics yet a tribute to both mithun and madhuris talents captured simply without any indulgent melodrama or production numbers. Courtesy: Revie writen by Usman Khawaj