For as much as I’ve railed against certain conventions of
the genre, I can’t say I have any real issue with romance films as a whole. The
genre exists for the same reason any other does, in that it’s a type of story
that people want to see, and when done right, it can make for some truly
powerful cinema. Whether today’s film fits that mould, I’ll get into in due
time, but suffice to say, we’re in for a treat this time around.
The plot: Popular pulp writer Bubla (Ayushmann Khurrana) is
struggling with his latest novel, a departure from his usual work as a romance
novel. To give himself inspiration, he reminisces on his years-old romance with
the fiery Bindu (Parineeti Chopra) and all the good and bad that came with it.
The cast here is damn good, which for a film that relies on good character interactions is
one of the bigger ticks it needs. Khurrana is very fun to watch on screen as
this bumbling womanizer, even if he hits the tortured artist button a little
too hard. Chopra, likewise, is a very entertaining presence as the female lead,
and despite how much she embodies the manic pixie dream girl, the film itself
must be aware enough of the trope to rein her in before she got too cartoonish
or even annoying by any stretch. Also, bonus points for making an eggplant
recipe sound like the sexiest thing ever conceived; looks like somebody’s
studied up on their Nigella Lawson.
Rajatabha Dutta and Aparajita Auddy as Bubla’s
parents hit awkward while still being engaging (and serving as the linchpins
for some very funny sequences), Bubla’s literary agent (couldn’t find the actor’s
name online, apologies) devolves into a basic slapstick funnel by the end but
is still entertaining enough in his exchanges with Bubla, and Prakash Belawadi
as Bindu’s father is… oh my. It really says something when his character is as
textbook as it gets, and yet he’s responsible for easily the biggest
tear-jerker of the entire film.
In keeping with the likeability of the main cast, the
romance itself is also very nice with plenty of warm dialogue that features a
lot of really specific references and situations, to the point where it feels
like a real story being told. Even if I didn’t get most of the pop culture
references, the way that the actors use them within the script to flesh out the
scenes overcomes that hurdle. Probably helps that the main couple have
outstanding chemistry with each other, often matching each other in manic
energy.
It’s the kind of love-struck story where you could easily make the
argument that the coupling shouldn’t be happening, since it probably won’t end
well given the two people involved, and yet that really doesn’t matter. Having
that feeling of mutual affection is something that people can go their entire
lives without truly experiencing so, even if things do go wrong, it is still
worth it just to get that feeling even once. Or, to put it in simpler and
considerably more trite words, “it’s better to have loved and lost than never
to have loved at all”.
I haven’t talked that much about the music in my last few
Bollywood films, and that’s honestly because it’s usually so bland and poppy
that it doesn’t end up leaving much of an impact. It’s like reviewing radio
hits; other people may be able to do it, but I’m not one of them. However, the
music is honestly really damn good. Or, to be more accurate, the use of music is really damn good. Most
of the pop culture referencing is done through music, specifically Bollywood
music numbers, and the scenes with the main characters just singing and even
dancing to them (mostly in real-world settings, rather than the Bollywood music
video world that actors end up teleporting to during musical numbers) is quite
infectious. Hell, the one traditional Bollywood musical number has the best
music in the entire film, making the dance number feel like an actual reaction
to said music in real life. It’s like the Bollywood answer to Nick Hornby with
how it combines personal connections to music with incredibly warm and inviting
dialogue.
More so than the works of Nick Hornby though, this film
actually reminds me of another Western film: Nocturnal Animals. Initially, it’s
because of the framing device of Bubla writing the novel about his
romance with Bindu. However, I think that this film does that idea a
lot better. For a start, even though Bubla is mainly known for writing
pulp horror, the story itself isn’t hideously dark and, in turn, doesn’t feel
like a colossal temper tantrum as we watch it unfold in context to the ‘real
world’. For another, this film has no real pretences about delivering any kind
of sophisticated message; it’s a romance film first and foremost and it keeps
its focus on that goal. And for a third, and probably the most important point,
it makes the fact that this story is being written by a character in the film
have true weight behind it.
It basically breaks down the typical romance story
into the idea that it isn’t just a single story but two; one from each person in a traditional coupling. The film
sticks to the guy’s perspective of the story, but in the process, it reveals a
version of the “write what you know” adage that would-be authors love to adhere
to that shows just why that is a piece of advice to begin with. Writing, for
those with the passion for it, is how people come to terms with their own life
stories, often tinted by one’s own feelings connected to each moment. The film
starts out with Bubla writing a story of a man about to commit suicide
and, even though it doesn’t go in any of the directions I was expecting to from
that beginning, it made that decision feel warranted and it ended up doing
wonders in terms of showing Bubla’s mindset as he writes out the story
we’re watching.
All in all, this is a living, breathing and incredibly
affecting love story that itself shows the purpose of love stories, be they
real or fictional. Through its amazing cast, sharp writing and incredible
nimbleness with its soundtrack and general use of music, it’s one of the more
compelling and fulfilling cinematic romances I’ve seen of late and most
definitely worth checking out for yourself.
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