Love Breakups Zindagi- Reviews

By Taran Adarsh, October 7, 2011 - 11:30 IST


Love. Dates. Marriage. Commitments. Relationships. Do we ever ponder on what we leave behind, as we move ahead in life? Not many of us introspect. But LOVE BREAKUPS ZINDAGI, a slice of life film, makes you recall certain episodes of your life. Though the film isn't biographical, one does relate to certain episodes in the narrative for two reasons -- they seem straight out of life and of course, first-time writer-director Sahil Sangha makes an effort to tell it with utmost honesty and simplicity. But, unfortunately, he succeeds to a degree!

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Sangha seems to be focused on telling a story, sorry two stories [Zayed-Dia-Vaibhav and Cyrus-Tisca], without magnifying the issues or relying on melodrama. While Sangha sets things up beautifully in the first hour -- the film has some remarkable sequences that have been filmed with lots of sensitivity -- it's the post-interval portions that blow away the impact generated by those riveting moments. There are reasons why the second half doesn't measure up to the expectations: [i] it relies on clichs, [ii] the climax, though well filmed, is way too predictable and of course, [iii] the film is tooo long [almost 2.40 hours] and worse, sluggish and dawdling paced.

LOVE BREAKUPS ZINDAGI is all about relationships and moments. Zayed Khan and Dia Mirza are almost 'settled' in their lives; Zayed is in a relationship [with Pallavi Sharda] and so is Dia [with Vaibhav Talwar]. Cyrus Sahukar has been divorced twice, but that doesn't stop him from falling in love all over again [with Tisca Chopra]. Satyadeep Misra and Auritra Ghosh are on the brink of a dream wedding.

There's no denying that Sahil Sangha has the makings of a fine storyteller. His mature handling of the emotional moments sets him apart from his contemporaries. As a storyteller, he initiates you to enjoy life and live life one day at a time. It gives you an earnest message on why we should live life by seizing the moment and following our hearts. But Sangha, like most of his peers, gets carried away while narrating the story. He takes an exceedingly elongated time to reach the culmination, tossing between real and predictable situations in the second half. Zayed's fight at the pani-puri stall appears fake. Zayed and Dia visiting Umang's three boyfriends comes across as inconsequential. But the weakest link is the climax. The culmination is beaten to death and lacks novelty.

The review would be incomplete without the contribution by music maestros Salim-Sulaiman. The supremely talented composers deliver a lilting soundtrack in LOVE BREAKUPS ZINDAGI. 'Rab Rakha' is mesmerizing, while 'Rozaana' is lively. The remix version of 'Main Se Meena Se' is super. Aseem Bajaj's cinematography is top notch. The frames are simply stunning. Ditto for the production design.

Though the film has a number of characters, Zayed and Dia are the driving forces. Zayed delivers a striking and sincere performance. Dia is first-rate and the script does justice to her talent. Tisca Chopra is excellent and so is Cyrus Sahukar. In fact, Cyrus contributes enormously in making the first half interesting. Satyadeep Misra is natural to the core. Auritra Ghosh is wonderful. Umang Jain is okay. Vaibhav Talwar is wonderful.

Farida Jalal is endearing. Soni Razdan doesn't get much scope. The film has sparkling cameos by Shabana Azmi, Boman Irani, Riteish Deshmukh and above all, Shah Rukh Khan.

On the whole, LOVE BREAKUPS ZINDAGI has moments that leave an impression, but they are few and far between. Besides, a weak second hour, excessive length and sluggish pacing makes it a tedious experience!

Love and breakups have become a common component of urban zindagi. As much as predictability has become a part of most romantic comedies. This zillionth Bollywood spin-off on the second half of Kuch Kuch Hota Hai is no different!

Jai (Zayed Khan) and Naina (Dia Mirza) are in their individual mismatched relationships. Until they meet in a common friend's wedding. Amidst song-dance routine, cupid strikes Jai by the interval point. Naina is uncertain until her doting mother advices ' wahi karo jo tumhara dil kehta hai ' (how pioneering and profound!) Alas she takes a little too long to decide while the viewer has already reached to the conformist conclusion.

Till date, Bollywood has devised only two alternatives for the climax of a film like this. In the feel good format, the other man willingly decides to let go his ladylove for the main hero (like Salman Khan did in Kuch Kuch Hota Hai ). The other option is when this other man acts difficult (Jimmy Sheirgill in Tanu Weds Manu ). This film belongs to the former feel-good variety.

While the film could have brought some variety with its other assorted couples, the problem with the writing is that all the supporting tracks are half-baked. Jai's friend (Cryus Sahukar) falls for a 'Sheila' (Tisca Chopra) who isn't exactly 'jawaan'. While this odd-aged couple has its moments of charm and comedy, their bonding could certainly have been explored in a better way. The girl from Dairy Milk ad (Umang Jain) has graduated to having ice-creams here after her multiple break-offs, but her sweet revenge spree was far from funny.

The film does have a lighthearted mood throughout but one does feel that its sense of humour, though not bad, could have been more fine-tuned and sharp. While this brand of comedy is anytime better than a senseless slapstick, there is a feeling that the film could have been funnier. At the same time while the director tries to keep things subtle and avoid melodrama, some situations lack the basic intensity that the drama demands. Like Jai's breakup with his first girlfriend (Pallavi Sharda) comes across so casually that it seems as if nothing has happened. The pacing is slow and the length is a little too long for a predictable film.

Zayed Khan and Dia Mirza share good chemistry and are decent in their acts. Dia has a natural charm.Cyrus Sahukar underplays his character and is the butt of most jokes. Tisca Chopra looks delightful despite playing a (slightly) elderly female. Umang Jain is cute but has a short-lived character.Vaibhav Talwar plays in a limited range but pulls off his part. Satyadeep Mishra is good. Pallavi Sharda and Auritra Ghosh get no scope. From all the special appearances, Boman Irani is hilarious and leaves more impact that Shah Rukh Khan who doesn't do much beyond playing himself and endorsing furniture brand.

Director Sahil Singha doesn't show any innovation in the storytelling of his debut venture but he still has the command to bring a smile on your face, thanks to the breezy romance and the film's optimistic outlook. While being conventional cinema, it isn't essentially exasperatingly cliched.

Neither utterly lovely nor breakthrough! Love Breakups Zindagi is that variety of predictable cinema that is passable.