| Sonia Chopra | |
| They’re fraands (apologies; but the bad spelling thingy is infectious), and nothing more. Both have a crush on a sexier other. So what to do?In fact, Vishal (Saqib) and Preity (Sada) start out as enemies, fighting noisily like imbeciles. He calls her Mogambi; she thinks he’s unfunny. Vishal in fact likes Preity’s friend Malvika, but is too intimidated to ask her out. Preity has a thing for hunky singer Rahul, who is Vishal’s friend. To get closer to her, Vishal sends Malvika a Facebook friend request. But the problem is, he sends the request from Rahul’s account. Now Vishal, posing as his rock-star friend is chatting with Malvika on a daily basis. But is it really Malvika on the other side? Ok, so if this film were an FB account, the status would be “it’s complicated”. For that’s what the love stories in the film are. We all know that our central couple is likely to end up together, so the ride has to be worth it. It is…at least half the time. But one wishes the film had more to it than just the fake identity gag. Side characters like the sexist, creepy chamcha-friend is a cliché is most college films. As is the fat guy, who in this film, is made to strip down to his basics for laughs. Then there has to be the college professor. Thankfully, played by the restrained Mita Vashisht, the hip professor still knowingly smiles at the constantly-warring frenemies. This 'knowing smile' a Hindi film prototype is so out of character, it hurts. Most importantly, there is no sufficient explanation to why the characters have a change of heart. Direct Nupur Ashtana debuts with a film that’s neither spectacular, nor a complete downer. Consistently superficial, the film is still a reasonably breezy watch owing to the earnest cast and sharp dialogue. Saba Azad (she had a cameo in Love Kabaddi) is vivacious and a complete scene-stealer. Her performance is key in making the film watchable. Saqib Saleem as Vishal is charming, but is saddled with a clichéd and one-dimensional character sketch. We don’t quite understand this character till the end (is he a bully, funny-guy, what’s his background). Nishant Dahiya is very good as Rahul, and Tara D’Souza as Malvika is confident. While one appreciates the normal-girl styling of Preity (jeans, shorts, tees, messy hair, haversacks), one wonders if it’s accurate to show other college kids walking around in heavy-duty make-up, barely-there clothes, and monster stilettos. Again, it’s odd that a film that bases its entire premise on internet identities and juices the medium dry to take the story forward, ends up criticizing that very technology. One understands that it’s a message the film is trying to convey, but why get righteous about romance? I mean, do we need to hear a 21-year-old say that a smiley is not the same thing as looking into someone’s eyes? And do we really need for our protagonists to screech “Tum?!” whenever they spot each other in a public place. And do we have to have a finale that takes place on a stage with a live audience? On the brighter side: the four characters and their mixed-up romance keeps us hooked for the most part. Other real characters like Preity’s super-cool single mom add to the fun. The heart-to-heart conversations between Preity and Malvika, and other real touches like the scramble to prepare for an upcoming fest are great. Music is a big plus. |
 | Movie Mujhse Fraandship Karoge |
| Director Nupur Ashtana |
| Cast Saqib Saleem, Saba Azad, Nishant Dahiya, Tara D'Souza |
No comments:
Post a Comment