BIG SCREEN
Movie: Break Ke Baad
Cast: Imran Khan, Deepika Padukone
“Break Ke Baad” boils down to be a khichidi of numerous romantic films of the past. BKB literally proves that Bollywood directors don't have it in them to do spectacular cinema anymore; unfortunately they are only inspired either to copy from a foreign film or steal few scenes off a movie of similar genre and put them all together.
Plot
The story revolves around childhood buddies Aaliya and Abhay, who have spent more than 20 years together until romance is kindled. Aaliya is an aspiring actor, who also believes a relationship would only keep her away from her goal, while Abhay on the other hand is aimless, with no idea of what to do with his life.
Blinded by her ambition, Aaliya bids adieu to Abhay and leaves for Australia to pursue higher studies and fulfil her dream of becoming an actor. Insecurity creeps into the mind of Abhay, soon he too lands up in the country and an impulsive fight leads to their breakup. Abhay doesn't stop there, he checks in as Aaliya's neighbour in order to win her back.
Performances
The plot seems very clichéd, bringing to mind memories of “Salaam Namaste”, “Hum Tum” and “Love Aaj Kal”. Director Danish's effort to bring forth a seasonal rom-com seems to have failed miserably, which also proves the fact the Bollywood comes up with regular romantic comedies that do not go beyond preset norms. Adhering to regular romantic films, BKB attempts to recreate same old scenes; like the NRI couple who provide accommodation to Abhay and Aaliya in their sea-facing apartment, only reminds the audience of a typical Hindi film.
The narration is stretched, and the story happens through songs. The only thing that is worth appreciating is the music, which aptly fits the story. Imran and Deepika have done a decent job. Had the story been any better we could have expected better performance. Nevertheless both fit the bill accurately, irrespective of the fact of working together for the first time.
Bottomline: There is nothing path breaking about “Break Ke Baad”, the story seemed to have made it to ‘just another typical romantic movie' type, with almost no scope for any attention or critical acclaim.
HARICHARAN PUDIPEDDI, MBA, Indian Business Academy, Bangalore
