Love and Friendship. Love or Friendship? Karan Johar goes back to his usual formula for this controversial Diwali release. The eagerly awaited film, mostly for its enchanting music and off-center casting, received enough buzz to last a whole year, mostly for reasons not remotely associated with cinema.
Having said this, the only reason the first half is somewhat enjoyable is because of Ranbir and Anushka's presence and on-screen chemistry. They light up a failed script and out-of-sorts direction. Some of their scenes together are genuinely funny and both actors have splendid comic timing. The second half sees Ranbir drift to 'Rockstar' mode, in a much less effective way than the afore-mentioned movie. Aishwariya Rai Bachchan is effective without being spectacular. It is very rare that I don't criticise Mrs. Bachchan for her role in any movie, so this is the best I can do (I'm sorry, I'm just biased in this case. Judge it for yourselves). She plays the older woman, the elegant seductress with ease and her chemistry with Ranbir is quite appealing. Amid all the hoopla about his inclusion, Fawad Khan's role in the movie is minuscule and nothing much to remember him by (this is not a reflection in any way of my opinions on the topic. I refrain from getting into that conversation here).
Coming to the leading man, I now worry for Ranbir. In my eyes, he is the best of his generation, in terms of overall acting ability. He, however, seems to now be cast in similar roles across all movies. As if to prove my point, in this movie, Karan Johar has cast him as every other role he has ever done! I seriously hope that he does not get type-cast. He is much better than that.
Coming back to Karan Johar, he once again goes back to his formula of using high-profile guest appearances to earn 5 minutes of applause, in a movie which fails to live up to its lead actors otherwise. I think everyone knows by now the list of guest appearances. However, for the few who don't, I won't spoil the surprise (is it, really?). He also goes back to address the dilemma of whether Friendship is better than Love when it comes to soul-mates. The famous line that a boy and girl cannot be friends is used again. The fact that soul-mates often don't spend eternity together is also repeated, a plot line much better handled in movies like 'Ek Main aur Ek Tu'.
The sole shining light throughout the movie is it's music. Pritam has outdone himself once again, with three songs which are completely different from one another, yet completely superb on their own. 'Bulleya' did not catch my imagination when I had first heard. Now, I love the song for its fast pace and thoughtful lyrics. 'Channa Mereya' is a soulful rendition which has a calming influence despite the circumstances under which it is sung in the movie. It is a huge injustice that the movie does not include the entire track. The title track is the movie in short! The songs deserved a better movie...
Karan Johar needs to pull up his socks if he wants to stay relevant in Bollywood going ahead. Sure, there will always be an audience for this kind of movie, but his image as a 'film'-maker (judgements welcome) will degenerate if he keeps re-hashing his old work. Ranbir Kapoor needs to explore himself further. Anushka Sharma, well she's the best part of this movie, and just needs to keep doing what she's doing. As for the others, their roles were not big or impactful enough to warrant a suggestion here.
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