Movie Review: ��Hasee Toh Phasee�۪
Film leads Sidharth Malhotra and Parineeti Chopra have both broken into the Bollywood business with a bang. Malhotra was launched in a dramatic way with ��Student of Year�۪ (2013), a film which didn�۪t do so well at the box office but still made people in the business sit up and take notice. Chopra, on the other hand, won the audience over with her cheeky smile and fiesty attitude with her debut in ��Ladies vs Ricky Bahl�۪ (2011) and has only gone on to shine in films which have followed. Trailers for ��Hasee Toh Phasee�۪ promised a crazy caper with Chopra and Malhotra getting up to all kinds of antics in the trailer and it would be interesting to see how this fit into a romantic comedy context.
Nikhil (Sidharth Malhotra) meets his future bride Karisma (Adah Sharma) at a wedding and falls in love. On the same night, Nikhil meets Meeta (Parineeti Chopra) who is essentially the runaway with a difference and has an unusual encounter with Nikhil before she disappears. Seven years on, Nikhil and Karisma are having their big Indian wedding when it is interrupted by the arrival of Meeta. Meeta, mischievous and prone to getting herself into trouble, is put into the care of Nikhil by Karisma, who is busy working. Nikhil and Meeta�۪s adventures begin here as both try to find their way through the seven days before the wedding whilst being complete opposites. Nikhil is desperate to prove himself to Karisma�۪s family who think he is a lazy young man with no prospects while Meeta is desperate to fit in to a society which simply does not understand her.
First things first, if you are expecting typical Bollywood rom-com then you might as well walk away now. This is definitely not that, instead this is a refreshing breath of fresh air in Bollywood cinema where director Vinil Mathew gives you a no frills story. There are no characters in this film which are perfect and probably the most flawed are the leads, Nikhil and Meeta. Nikhil is not a stereotypical hero; he is in debt, makes mistakes and is not a perfect son. Meeta is a na�ve drug addict who does not understand anything about the society she lives in and is incredibly lonely. However, this is what makes the audience relate to them. There are no dance numbers on the Swiss Alps or elaborate sets, these are two people who have found themselves thrown together by life and somehow just fit. It is interesting to see issues like drug addiction and simple loneliness being shown in an empathetic way with the backdrop too.
The chemistry between Malhotra and Chopra has to be commended. Somehow both of them together bring this film to life, Chopra even more so. Malhotra�۪s restrained expressions suit his character of Nikhil perfectly and it is good to see him looking more comfortable on screen. Ms Chopra does steal this film away from him, lighting up each scene despite whatever gibberish her script demands for her to speak. She looks so innocent on screen, yet in many scenes she doesn�۪t even need to speak to show how she is feeling. Chopra is frankly playing someone who is crazy, but she does this effortlessly and convincingly.
The dialogues, written by Vinil Mathew and Anurag Kashyap, must have taken months to research and write coherently and that is clear to see in each scene. There are so many moments in the film which make the heart melt, one scene is particular is when Meeta wants to see her father and Nikhil helps her reconnect with him. Not every scene is perfect, one where Meeta leads Nikhil�۪s family through a bazaar in a long chain is simply mad and doesn�۪t make any sense but to be honest, you can forgive that in the bigger picture. One thing to be commended about this film is the fact that the director is not afraid of silence and it is interesting to see that there isn�۪t music placed in every single scene where the characters are not saying anything.
Zehnaseeb from the film�۪s soundtrack is the one song which sticks after you leave the cinema, with its melodious notes and touching lyrics. The song sums up the whole film completely and fits the mood of the film perfectly.
This film is not a typical romantic comedy and once watching it, you wouldn�۪t want it to be. It’s a great film which ensures that you really do fall in love with the characters and the idea that the person you fall for does not have to be perfect to everyone but they just have to fit with you.
BizAsia Showbiz rating: 4/5
