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Movie Review: ‘De De Pyaar De’

Director Akiv Ali marks his debut with ‘De De Pyaar De’, starring Ajay Devgn, Tabu and Rakul Preet Singh. The film boasts some hilarious moments, if the trailer is anything to go by. It also seems to echo some of the feel that a Hollywood rom-com may have, with moments that will undoubtedly make the audiences laugh. However, does this film really deliver all it sets out to?

Ashish Mehra (Devgn) is an NRI in London and when his friend’s bachelor party is to be organised, he meets Ayesha who is a test stripper set up by his friend’s fiance and she’s half his age. She ends up staying at his apartment after she passes out having drunk too much. Nothing happens between the two until they meet again during the friend’s wedding. Not long after, she moves into his apartment in trying to escape her ex-boyfriend and the two indulge in some flirting. They eventually get into a relationship and Ashish wants Ayesha to meet his ex-wife and family. However, in the grand scheme of things when they arrive at his parents where his wife Manju (Tabu) and children live, he struggles to introduce Ayesha as his other half. What will happen next?

Ali’s treatment of this story, written by producer Luv Ranjan, is really the film’s pluspoint. The settings, the backdrops and the overall look of the film lifts its quality into the contemporary immensely before the mindsets get there. The way he portray the way Ashish and Ayesha develop a bond and also the way he gets Ashish and Tabu to show their bond in interesting and integral to the overall narrative. The first half of the film is all about Ashish and Ayesha but the second half is a complete spin with Manju and others coming into play. It feels a lot like you’ve watched two different movies but this is not a bad thing.

The performances by Devgn, Tabu and Singh are amazing to say the least, with the obvious bond between the former two being very easy to see translated on screen. Devgn and Singh’s chemistry is the one that takes the film forward and it really is very refreshing. It’s also something refreshing to see the issue of an age gap in their relationship is addressed in a humourous way, with Jaaved Jaaferi making a special appearance as Ashish’s therapist. The other addition to the cast which is very welcome is Jimmy Sheirgill who plays an admirer of Tabu’s. It is interesting to see this mix of actors together and Alok Nath adds to this as Ashish’s father.

The things that let the film down are the slower moments were sometimes the speed of the story slows down and you just want the plot to get on with it. The second half is worse than the first at this in an otherwise suitably engaging story which does keep you engaged for the most part. If all of these parts are forgiven, the soundtrack doesn’t seem to be quite upto scratch either, and could’ve been stronger to lure the audiences in.

In conclusion, the chemistry between Devgn and his lead actresses seems to lift the overall narrative up and without that, it probably wouldn’t be quite as favourable in entertainment levels as it is. Devgn and Tabu are an absolute joy to see together and their nostalgic moments in the form of Ayesha’s thoughts marks the highlight of the film. The best part of the film altogether is Tabu who plays a character which you can easily identify with but without the vulnerability which you may associate with the way her life seems. This is a good one-time watch but whether you really want to be in the cinema to do that is something we’ll leave upto you.