So, this is a love story of 2 perfect loonies – Nikhil (Sid Malhotra) and Meeta (Pari Chop). The guy is conventional and wants to play it safe, while the girl is wacky and always crazy. Now, Sid is supposed to marry Meeta’s sis Karishma. When Meeta drops in for the wedding, things get complicated and “not entirely surprisingly” Sid falls for Meeta. Though this is a completely ordinary rom-com, the packaging makes it rather unconventional.
Director Vinit Mathew, with writer Hashvardhan Kulkarni, creates characters that are unique, funny and endearing. The plot revolves around a wedding and hence we see a menagerie of characters; a muscular small-town cousin who wishes to be Indian idol, an irritating uncle who keeps asking the same question again and again, an aunty who wants to make full use of the trip and sight-see, etc etc.
But what’s most refreshing is that the heroine is the looniest of them all. She is a nut-job scientist, who does research in China and was once a drug addict. She is not your run-of-the-mill heroine; in fact, she neither looks nor behaves like any heroine you would have ever seen. Ever seen a heroine piss in her dress and admit to it? Well, that’s how unconventional she gets! The Hero is a loser through and through, but has a good heart on him.
Apart from the characters, the director does well to create a bunch of absolutely laugh-out-loud scenes and holds his own in the emotional ones too. But the screenplay is a bit patchy, the pacing sluggish and there isn’t much meat in the first half to keep you fully awake. Even the music by Vishal-Shekhar is third rate! They have turned into utterly conventional music directors and this seems like a rush job.
Sidharth Malhotra does a decent job and has a pleasant screen-presence, but clearly has miles to go in terms of performance. Manoj Joshi gives a soul stirring performance as Meeta’s father, but ultimately it’s Parineeti who captivates you with her brilliance. Be it her hyper active, tooth-paste guzzling avatar or her silent, intelligent and angst ridden one, she hits every note almost perfectly. You laugh when she bats her eyelid and shed a silent tear when she is bawling like a baby. This girl is going from strength to strength and she is definitely the one to watch out for in the coming future.
This is the first decent release of 2014 and with “Shaadi Ke Side Effects” + “Queen” coming up, it sets a good enough bar to beat. So, should you watch the movie? Well, if you like Parineeti you absolutely cannot miss it. In fact, it’s quiet a decent watch if you disregard the boredom of the first half .. Toh, Thoda Hasso, Thoda Phaso.
Rating: 6/10
Do Like if you Liked this Review and Comment if you agree/disagree with my views. Would love to hear from you!