Those who have watched I Hate Love Storys would know that Punit Malhotra hates scratchingbeneath the glossy surface. Here he has come up with a version of romantic comedy that aspires to be inclusive in its approach. It starts as the love story of a self-absorbed son of a Tamil industrialist and daughter of a Punjabi social activist. While Sreeram (Imran Khan) loves to have chicken and keeps a crab as a pet, Dia (Kareena Kapoor) is vegetarian. But soon their relationship falls apart and the story shifts to a Gujarat village, where the two have to literally build a bridge to mend fences. There is very little substance in this farcical tale, for, Punit and his team of writers are dealing with a world they know little about.
It is not that the film doesn’t have its moments of truth. For instance, the way Sreeram sells himself to Dia’s father evokes unbridled humour. But Malhotra’s portrayal of the selfishness and hypocrisy of the rich breed of youngsters is shallow. His air-brushed village is no place to lose your heart. There is so much gloss around that even the stray dogs that Dia feeds seem thoroughbred. The river that needs to be bridged looks artificial too. It is a kind of film where you are expected to fawn over the stars — together with Shraddha Kapoor in a cameo, the cast looks absolutely attractive — notice the ethnic outfits of Kareena and the slim fit shirts of Imran more than the characters they are playing. You might take home designer ideas to decorate your living space, but as far as the content is concerned it lacks emotion. As for characterisation, Kareena looks the part as a social activist largely because of the shallow surroundings she is in. At this stage of her career, when she can actually say no, she doesn’t need to indulge in ‘Tooh’, a song that celebrates human derriere. Imran is convincing as a cocky youngster, who transforms into a generous lover.
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Director : Punit Malhotra
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Storyline : A party animal and a social worker fall in love, bicker and then build a bridge between the two worlds.
Bottomline : A love story that hardly tugs at your heartstrings