Director: Sameer Vidwans
Cast: Kartik Aaryan, Ananya Panday, Jackie Shroff, Neena Gupta, Chandni Bhabhda, Tiku Talsania
Where to watch: Theatres
Rating: 2 stars
After all the ultra glam trailers, the Kartik
Aaryan, Ananya Panday starrer has finally been released in theatres today. Despite the humongous expectations from the film, the irony is that, despite the title being a tongue twister, the film in totality lacks any kind of twists and turns.
The film starts with a voiceover introducing us to retired Col Amar Wardhan Singh (Jackie Shroff) and his two daughters - author Rumy (Ananya Panday) and Jia (Chandni Bhabhda). One fine day, when Rumy travels abroad, she crosses paths with Rehaan Mehra aka Ray (Kartik Aaryan). What initially starts off as an irritation for Rumy and casual flirting for Ray, eventually culminates in true love from both sides.
And when the self confessed flirt Ray confesses his true love to Rumy and tells her that he would want to meet her father to seek her alliance for marriage, the latter immediately refuses it and turns him down, even though she also is heads over heels in love with him.
What’s the reason for Rumy to turn down Ray’s proposal for marriage, is Ray really in love with Rumy or is it one of his impulsive casual flirtings and what happens of the two in the end is what forms the rest of the film.
Actors' Performance
Everyone plays their part staying true to the film’s screenplay. But, since the problem lies in the screenplay itself, everyone's performances get affected very badly. Kartik Aryan’s performance is decent, but, only till the time he is true to his name and character. During frequent intervals, one sees traces (read 'sliding into') likes of Shah Rukh Khan, Akshay Kumar, and Ranbir Kapoor in his performance. And that is where he loses the plot (no pun intended!).
As for Ananya Panday, we know her as the very lady who put her heart and soul into her cute and convincing character in Call Me Bae. But, despite putting all her cuteness in the forefront, her character still fails to leave an impression in the minds of the audience in this film. She oscillates between being a glam doll and an actress trying to do a serious role. There's also Chandni Bhabhda, who seems totally out of place. She really needs to read her role in any film rather than her co-stars.
On the other hand, one lands up feeling sad (actually very sad) for veteran talents like Jackie Shroff, Neena Gupta and Tiku Talsania. The director had a blockbuster chance to extract stellar performances from this trio. But, he failed to do justice to that.
Also, why on earth would anyone want to see a middle aged married lady ogling Kartik Aaryan’s character… who is her son’s age. She not just ogles at his chiselled physique, but also clearly spits out desperation (for the lack of a better word). This character could have been avoided totally.
Direction, Music and Aesthetics
Sameer Vidwans’ direction is one of the many reasons for the film not being able to live upto the expectations and hype. Right from the word go, he seems to have gone on an lethargic overdrive about the direction, which clearly shows in the film. Sharing the blame-load has to be Shrikant Sharma for the ‘un-magnetic’ storyline, screenplay and even dialogues. The film, which has the box office darling Kartik Aaryan, remains devoid of having a decent seeti-maar worthy one liner / punch line. The existing dialogues seem to have been thrusted in order to look cool and sound GenZ-ish.
Film suffers majorly in the editing department as well. Scenes like song parody could have been avoided totally. It would have not just made the film crisper, but also would have saved a lot of money for the producer. Film’s cinematography seems to be the only saving grace of the film.
As for the film’s music (Vishal and Sheykhar), which was supposed to be a maindraw, just about passes the litmus test. Barring the title track (melodious and beautifully shot) and Hum Dono, other tracks are merely passe. There is also a parody of nineties hit tracks and a recreation of the cult ‘Saat Samundar Paar’ track. Both of these merely act as fillers in the film.
FPJ Verdict
Even though the film is a visual treat for the die hard fans of Kartik Aaryan and Ananya Panday, but for those who are looking for meaningful wholesome entertainment, it's better to look elsewhere!
