~~~~Hasee toh Phasee Reviews~~~~ - Page 11

written on February 6, 2014 - 5pm EST.

First independent(unpaid) review on the internet.

Wedding is an accepted movie GENRE, and to run away from the altar an emerging FAD. Between Two Weddings and a Barbed wire, our lead pair through their flawed uniqueness, tell you an endearing yet a 'Cucking frazy' tale, true to its twisted tagline.

It all starts in 1992 and makers pay tribute to Agneepath (the iconic one of course) and also portray a naive attempt to establish the flaws in Nikhil and the uniqueness in Meeta, our two batters at the crease. Cut to 2006, our batters now want to take cricket to dizzy heights by bantering about 20-20, flying fielders and rotating fields as also they continue to rotate strike. As soon as Meeta leaves the field retired 'sentimentally' hurt, the other batter slows downs the run-rate miserably as also the pretty night watchman sister Adah Sharma, who gets bowled over thanks to some mango-licking moments and 'Abhishek-Bachchan-Meets-Shammi-Kapur' type dance movements. In the third and final innings of 2013, our lead batter returns with a deadpan yet firm expression and while our lead pair nervously resume the innings on a sticky wicket, the other players chip in some dramatic moments. Although hiccups are smartly treated with shock therapy and the batters do well to pace their innings, its only in the post interval we get to see fireworks and chemical reactions at display. Siddharth Malhotra continues to pick singles (no puns please) to rotate strike to Parineeti who actually showcased some brilliant strokes played with different angles. Oops it isn't Cricket, although the narrative actually reminded me of Laxman and Dravid starting with no hope and leading to a historic triumph in Kolkata. No points for guessing that Siddharth played that good supporting role, to the brilliance of Parineeti.

The plot, lead actor performances and the screenplay do not rise or claim to rise above mediocrity threshold; the outcome is an original and well-intentioned ROMCOM which not only sinks in the audience but also makes one believe that 'Mediocrity can be perfected gracefully.'

Gawky yet soulful, it neither goes the 'Monsoon Wedding' way nor dares to challenge 'Jab we Met'. (Both movies belong to the same space though.)

Let me also put down a few illustrations to confirm the game-changing formula as the narrative rises from mediocre to endearing;

• Several half-baked characters without any character building exercise succeed in holding their stake in the narrative. The uncles, the aunties, the twin grandmas, the cousin who croons like Anu Malik and notably Manoj Joshi as the father of the brides all leave an emphatic impression.
• Scenes starting with a lethargic feel , suddenly turning exuberant - The Air sofa scene starts as an amateurishly edited one, is painfully long yet leaves you both confused and amused. You tend to empathize with both characters for different reasons here.
• Deadpan expression by Parineeti Chopra becomes the order of the day as it compliments her character so well that it starts hitting off so very well with the moviegoer and Siddharth Malhotra with a solitary expression somehow runs the singles well to get the strike back to Parineeti. It reflects so well in the Vada Pav scene which ends up paying tribute to another classic ' Three Idiots.' Without much damage to the movie and run-rate, Parineeti's Meeta unabashedly picks the gait and expression from Aamir Khan's Rancho. She plays an IITian coincidentally.

Some blemishes to note too:

• The movie insipidly refers to the forgettable 'Kismat Konnection' at some few junctures citing failures as bad luck etc. and lady luck suddenly smiling towards the end.
• Kurkure Ad conspicuous not subtle
• Editing could have been crisper with cleaner finishing, though it goes well with the overall strategy
• Drama Queen Song coming at the end credits, although a good measure to check audience response to the movie, if majority sits through the end credits.

The songs are few ranging from average to very good numbers and do not impede the storyline thankfully. Ad film maker Vinil Mathew actually turns 'PolyVinil' while transforming his 30 second sentimentalities into a full blown feature film (he likes the word poly which has been used in the script at different occasions) and

Verdict:

Definitely a good watch, however a little out of place at times, has the trappings to be the first hit of the season. Has a week to collect copiously after which Gunday will hog all the screen space.

HASEE TOH PHASEE: PARINEETI CHOPRA IS THE RANBIR KAPOOR OF ACTRESSES - INDIAN EXPRESS