Thoughts/Favorite Scenes/Spoilers (Red):
I saw a lot of flak about the premise but it made sense to me. I see so many couples who struggle with communication and trust, and rather than talk to each other, build up scenarios in their minds, get caught up in their anxiety, insecurities and negative spirals. While it is easy to state the remedies from the outside, I think that each person carries their own baggage, which makes it difficult to engage in healthy patterns. And without getting appropriate guidance, tools or insight, people don't magically engage in healthy patterns. That being said, I thought Diya's idea for the loyalty test made for a fun narrative/plot point for the movie to develop Kunal and Ally's connection but at the same time, felt like she was being unfair to Kunal especially because not only was he not being trusted but he was also being set up. Here I think Ally too played with his feelings by agreeing to this plan.
I think Tukhko captured Kunal and Diya's relationship over 16-years well and Kunal's last monologue really captures why he loves her and chooses to be with her and I loved the scene as a standalone scene BUT aside from the beginning song and end scene, I think the movie struggles to showcase meaningful moments between them. I don't think this would have been important if Diya wasn't insecure and struggling to trust Kunal and wanted to put him through the loyalty test. But because she clearly didn't trust him nor did she ever communicate her insecurities or trust issues with Kunal--I feel like she fails to be a good partner to Kunal. Even when Kunal expresses his feelings at the end, she still seeks reassurance that he is not doing it out of obligation which is incredibly unfair. And so it still feels unresolved. I feel like I would have preferred they each ended up alone or a time jump and then show them end up together would have made more sense.
I think the movie does a good job of developing Ally and Kunal's connection and friendship, and I loved their moments in Sicily. I especially loved the scene when Ally confesses her love to him, and or when she sits next to him during his Bachelor party. While you know they aren't meant to be together, you feel enamoured by the what ifs.
Another favorite scene of mine was when Diya and Ally are alone in Sicily and Kunal is sent to get wine, and like close friends, use that moment to really talk about how Diya has been feeling. It felt like two friends finally getting time to talk to each other and was so sweet. Another is towards the end when Diya and Ally are in the room with all their family present, and freaking out about Kunal. That was a really entertaining scene, and Kriti and Rashmika's chemistry was so fun. I wouldn't have minded AT ALL if they had depicted a queer love story between Ally and Diya.
Characters/Performances:
Ally: Ally was depicted to be a beautiful, free-spirited, flirtatious, fun-loving yet lonely wanderer. She was also selfish, self-centered, and a bad friend. I thought Kriti was fantastic as Ally--she did a good job portraying the free-spirited, flirty, fun-loving Ally as well as the selfish, self-centered, and eventually heart-broken Ally. Kriti has showcased so much versatility from Ally to Mukti to Sifra—and has performed each of these roles really well. Have been super impressed.
Back to Ally, I wished they had shown a little more backstory for Ally. And Kriti really did look BREATHTAKING in the movie--she has looked her best in this movie. And I don't think it's what she wears that makes her look sexy but rather the way she flirts, the way she looks at Kunal, and the charm and charisma with which she portrays Ally is what makes her character and her performance captivating. She did not need to wear several different bikinis or bikini tops to showcase her sexiness. While she looks good in all of these outfits, my favorite look was her sangeet look in the black outfit. So gorgeous. I think the makeup artist did a wonderful job creating subtle, soft-glow makeup that enhanced her features.
Diya: Diya was portrayed to be a sweet, perfectionistic, non-spontaneous woman struggling to trust her partner. I don't understand why Rashmika has gotten so much criticism for her accent--she has a South Indian accent but it does not detract from her character nor is it a central aspect of the story or what we know about Diya. If Diya was supposed to be a North Indian character and the writing emphasized this as being critical, it would have made sense but it does not. So it feels unfair to criticize her for her accent when she was still decently clear in her dialogue delivery. Rashmika looked super cute in the movie. I especially loved her haldi outfit look. I thought she looked so PRETTY in it. However, I think Rashmika could have better portrayed the insecurity and trust issues during the beginning of the movie. When Ally asks for one more day because there is something there (between Kunal and her), she looks unfazed. For somebody who is really worried that their partner might cheat on them, she seemed pretty unfazed and so it felt really hard to connect with her there. I think it would have helped if the writers fleshed out a little more why she felt insecure and how deep her trust issues are because it felt hollow the way it started. I think she does way better during the second half of the movie. BUT, I preferred her performance in Thamma and her chemistry with Ayushmann more than her Diya here, and her chemistry with Shahid.
Kunal: I felt empathy for Kunal. He is shown to be a good, loyal, trustworthy, loving, and caring partner throughout the movie but gets lack of trust, dishonesty, and games. Yes, he can work on not making jokes that are upsetting to his partner, and could express himself more, but it does seem like he communicates his love and care for Diya. I felt like Kunal deserved more time to process being lied to, put through a loyalty test, and not trusted (from both Diya and Ally), and I wish the Kunal-Diya scene that occurs, happened after a time-jump or something for it to feel more heart-felt. I thought Shahid did well in this movie--he looked super cute. It's not his career-best performance (Haider will forever be my favorite performance of his) but he offers sincerity and charm, and I think portrays the confusion, heart-break, and hurt really well in the car scene. He's a really good dancer and so I wish they had added more dancing for him.
Edited by soni595 - 3 hours ago
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