Nikhil Advani seems to be on a roll…. After last week’s SKF film Hero, he comes with UTV produced, KattiBatti… lots to look out for in this film, Nikhil on a love story after a long time, Kangana playing a blunt, off beat Delhi girl and Imran in a movie after a long time …. Again after a long time.
Love Story…. This film is…. & it goes like this…
Once upon a time, very long long ago, there lived an actor who showed great promise in 2 films. Both were heavily edited, promoted and ghost directed by his 2 loving mamas (Maternal uncles).
This is their love story for their bhanja, why else would they be thanked in the beginning of the film.
This film is about their love towards their bhanja, who hasn’t had a release in around 2 years, now we know why…. Poor guy moves around with 3 ½ expressions in the film. Be it happiness, frustration or shock, he is consistently in love with the same expression / reaction…
This is his love story towards those 3 ½ expressions.
The film has Kangana playing a carefree, spirited, strong, opinionated girl from Delhi. She is in love with this character that she has played earlier too, that she wants to play the same part again and again….
This is her love story towards that character.
The film has a whole load of characters, who in the names of supporting, are doing more than the lead actress. So you have the best friend, who is on a suicide mission ever since their college days in Ahmedabad; you have the sister whose job is to look all angry and keep calling repeatedly, since she is on the unlimited friends and family plan on the mobile network.
This is their love story towards their individual missions in life…. make life hell for the hero, who was doing a good job of it on his own.
There are more supporting actors, in 3 bunches. One being the hero’s best friends including comedian Aadar Patel (Schitz& Giggles anyone? the famous ‘social travels’ video recently) who only look flabbergasted at the couple every time they are around. Then there is the girl’s best friends who are as silly as her and mentally twisted rather. Imagine wearing the outfits they do in reality in a college in Ahmedabad. Then there is the Delhi group of the hero (lovable character he is) who forge a relationship based on the Kachuachaap pet called… Milkha.
This is their love story, of hanging around…even when not required, so the screen looks full.
Nikhil was missing the Dharma Productions’ setup very badly, since he learnt his craft from them, but doesn’t know how to go back. So this is his message in a bottle. With some decently written scenes, the Devdas play, the bike ride and the emotional manipulation in the climax all seemingly inspired from his days there. Otherwise the movie made no sense, it had all the inspiration from 500 Days of Summer, but went ahead and ruined it. Nikhil was missing calling the shots in his last week’s dud, so he went and called everything here, repeatedly. So the hero is a repeated whiner, the girl a confused martyr and the various bunch of supporting staff, props. The entire Bugs Bhargava office scenario, where work rarely happens, a supposedly hot chic’s anatomy is always on display and discussion and the boys make no bones of discussing their feeling towards her publicly, with her in the background, listening in… probably too dumb to understand. Well this was Nikhil’s way of professing his love to his alma mater.
This is his love story…. to his Alma Mater.
So what should you do, there are 3 Hollywood biopics released this weekend…. Watch them, but stay away from the screens where you might find people offering you free vouchers for the latest e-commerce site and inside a free DVD of the original English film. I want my money and my 3 hours back Nikhil…
RATING: DO WE HAVE NEGATIVES?
By: Yusuf Poonawala
