A well-done rant on commitment

Film: Shuddh Desi Romance

Director: Maneesh Sharma

The title, Shuddh Desi Romance; and the fact that the 27 kisses in the film have been overtly publicized might trick you into believing that this is some kind of a gooey, romantic film. However, Maneesh Sharma surprises yet again by bringing something new to the table, with a subject that has been beaten to death by our very own Hindi film industry - commitment.

Raghu (Sushant) has cold feet before his marriage to Tara (Vaani) and his doubts strengthen as he meets Gayatri (Parineeti) on the baarati bus. He runs away from the marriage and then falls in love with Gayatri. However, the two confused lovers have their own trust issues and face similar problems as they plan to get married. A series of coincidences follow which see the tables turn, and exposes the flaws in every character.

A decent screenplay, apt background score and visuals to match the mood, make Shuddh Desi Romance a great product. Contemporary dialogues that gel with the setting make the overall experience more authentic. The film instantly establishes a connect with the audience, thanks to the main characters breaking the fourth wall ,time and again, and addressing the audience directly.

The chemistry between the couples is a little iffy, but forgivable. Vaani Kapoor puts up a good performance on her debut and Sushant picks up from where he left in Kai Po Che. Parineeti's character is well within her comfort zone and she pulls it off pretty well, making her actions look seamless and habitual (even smoking).

The real hero of this film, however, is Rishi Kapoor, who plays Tauji, a local businessman who provides everything from catering, to bands to hired baraatis for weddings. Surprising the audience yet again with a different role, Tauji is the innocent bystander as the three leads bring the place down.

Addressing issues like the fleeting nature of today's young mindset, the film indirectly touches upon a lot of adjacent problems like fear of commitment, indecisiveness and a general sense of immaturity when it comes to handling relationships.

Maneesh Sharma's film is a sad commentary on today's youth and their construct of romance. However, Shuddh Desi Romance does not restrict itself to commentary, and dodges the bullet of becoming too preachy. It shows a really beautiful mirror, lined with pink confetti and bokeh, which shows what the lesser-photogenic couples do in contemporary urban India.

Nothing new in its philosophy, but the ease with which the film puts forth its point without losing its humour is noteworthy. If a Hindi film is what you want to watch this week, this is the one. 

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Published in DNA (Pune) on September 7, 2013 

A Kite on a Breezy Day

After the disastrous Hello and the blockbuster 3 Idiots, Kai Po Che is the third cinematic adaptation of a Chetan Bhagat book. Starring fresh faces in all the lead roles, Abhishek Kapoor's film makes one point above all else: never judge a film by its book. Based on The Three Mistakes Of My Life, the film makes the most of the available content and its skillful presentation is what keeps you hooked in an otherwise dull plot.

Barring minor alterations, Kai Po Che is simply an audio-visual re-telling of The Three Mistakes Of My Life. It is a story of three friends, which begins in the pre-earthquake, pre-riot Ahmedabad in 2000; and deals with the universal themes of friendship, aspirations and forgiveness. Ishaan, Omi and Govind are the closest of friends and want to start a sports equipment store and a cricket academy to give young and talented athletes a platform. The three are drastically different from one another and when they are exposed to the radical changes that happen around them, they are faced with severe predicaments and end up making decisions that alter the course of their lives.

What works in favour of the film is the intelligent screenplay which picks up on the fine points of the book and does very well to hide its flaws. Without deviating from the narrative, the film capitalises on certain intense moments like the Test match against Australia, and the riot sequence. Abhishek Kapoor's direction is another plus point, which makes a convincing overall presentation. His fixation with friendship continues from Rock On!, but his handling of some intense scenes shows remarkable growth from the polished dreamy world of his previous endeavour. The second half, which is too saturated with events, is where the film loses hold over its consistency. But, those who have read the book will know how little it provides, and to make a decent enough movie with that content is commendable.

The highlights of the film are the three main characters played by debutantes Sushant Singh Rajput and Amit Sadh and a gradual revelation that is Rajkumar Yadav. Rajkumar plays the role of the practical and business-minded Govind; who is shy and lives by the book. With every single role, Rajkumar has shown significant growth, from Shaitaan to GOW2 to Talaash; and having nailed this important role, he has taken a huge step forward.

Sushant Singh Rajput, who is the pick of the lot, plays Ishaan, the athlete and the hot-head and is charming and confident in his performance. And Amit Sadh, barring a few scenes where his face looks a little too stiff, also gives a great debut performance as the conservative Omi Shastri. The film gets its casting spot on, and apart from the leads, the characters of Bittoo Mama, Ishaan's sister Vidya and others prove how important it is to have a good overall ensemble.

Amit Trivedi's music is the biggest contributor in creating the setting, and setting the mood. He captures the essence of Gujarat in his own way and also underlines the important themes in the narrative very gracefully.

At 2 hours, the film is crisp and at times seems to fight against its own dull plot to remain interesting. And in the end, the film proves two points above all else: It is possible to like a film without liking the story; and secondly, sometimes, films are better than the books they are based on.

Rating - 3.5 out of 5

Published in DNA After Hrs (Pune) on February 24, 2013