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 The wait is over! Hindi cinema’s most hyped romantic comedy of the year is finally out in cinemas! With two power-house performers (Ranbir Kapoor and Priyanka Chopra) and a commendable director (Siddharth Raj Anand) who has matured with time. Terrific promotion, coupled with a fantastic soundtrack by the musical duo Vishal and Shekhar only set the expectation level higher. And then there’s the much-expected chemistry too. The interviews have already set the positive buzz level to a dizzying high, upping it a wee bit further with the week’s delay due to the seemingly unending wait. And now that the film’s released, does it work for the audience? Read on to know more.
Akash (Ranbir Kapoor) meets Kiara (Priyanka Chopra) on the bridge while they’re both trying to commit suicide. After several failed attempts, they decide to skip it till 20 days later on the 31st of December, before which they start fulfilling all kinds of wishes they never dreamt of. They slowly get to know each other, but do they like what they know? For a movie that has a huge baggage of expectations attached to it, it fulfils all of it, and some more. The story (Mamata Anand) is very, very hatke, unlike the usual romantic comedies Hindi and Hollywood cinema keeps churning out. The screenplay (Siddharth Anand) does full justice to the story, thereby churning a narrative that’s constant, keeping you glued right from the start till the end. The characterization of Akash and Kiara is so grounded, you’d relate to all their problems and why they’d want to be so pumped up to take their own life. But despite all of that, they’re so likable you’d want to make friends with them. The execution of the screenplay by Anand makes the movie even better, as he fleshes out electrifying chemistry between Chopra and Kapoor like never before. While the first half of the movie is filled with bittersweet dry humor, the second half is filled with more emotionally powerful scenes that are bound to move you. The dialogues are very realistic, but the sub-textual element the visuals provide with the dialogue is what makes the movie a fantabulous product. The best part about the film is that most of it is based on just the characters played by Chopra and Kapoor – an act that can turn risqué for reasons of boredom, but turns out never to be one bit.
The film boasts of an overall impressive production design, with impressive styling of the characters and realist art direction. The edit by Rameshwar S. Bhagat is very crisp and lends a stylistic look to the film. Sound design by Nakul Kamte is strong and helps the imagery of each and every scene exceptionally. When a film stars two young but superior commercial performers, you wonder if they’ll be up to the mark. The answer sure enough is, yes, they are! Ranbir Kapoor is known for bringing out the most restrained performances to life in celluloid. Right from Saawariya till Raajneeti and now this film, he’s always upped the bar in each and every one of his performances, and this one keeps his status as the most wanted superstar alive. Priyanka Chopra looks gorgeous! In fact, it’s amazing how she can look so unpretentiously sexy without trying so hard to. But the great part about her is that she acts too; and in fact here she’s not a prop, but a very meaty character in full flesh and blood. Her confidence, her emotion, and her breaking down into tears – all look real. Zayed Khan does an impressive cameo. Vishal Malhotra, for once, does not make a fool of himself in his role, and ends up taking a more serious supporting role, not the “clichéd sidekick” one, which comes in as a breath of fresh air. Others are efficient. Now you might ask, what doesn’t work? The answer to this is, “Almost nothing, except for a couple of scenes that could have been edited out!”
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Usually, movies that have a strong script are technically not up to the mark. Films like Right Yaaa Wrong are perfect examples. But this one has substance and style, being technically the slickest romantic comedy in recent times. Ravi K. Chandran’s terrific cinematography, and the smooth camerawork, both capture the most beautiful of locales in New York and Las Vegas. Background music by Salim and Sulaiman enhance all the emotions in the scenes very well, thereby giving a haunting impact to all of them. Vishal and Shekhar’s music is fantastic, and the visuals make the music even more memorable. The choreography to the songs is pretty raw and grounded and helps authenticate the realism.
Overall, the movie has a terrific script, combined with awesome execution by the director Anand, for whom this film turns out to be the best of the lot he’s directed. Post Imtiaz Ali’s Love Aaj Kal, which depicted love and relationships in the most natural way possible, if there’s any movie that can take up the helm of trying to show love without any overrated epic dialogues and emotions, it is this. Here, what Anand tries to show throughout the whole movie is completely psychological, right from suicide to the mixture of feelings the characters hold for each other, and he succeeds in it by nailing the whole imagery of the sensitivity right in the head. Yes, it’s an outstanding film which every romantic and non-romantic must watch and not miss!