The romantic comedy is frothy and entertaining.
At first glance, Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani (YJHD) seems formulaic and a mish-mash of other Karan Johar films — a bespectacled goody-two-shoes girl, a fun loving guy who’s a bit of player and a seminal trip. The tomboy who can’t express her love, the big fat Indian wedding and the guy pulling the girl onto a train — we’ve seen it all before.
However, writer and director Ayan Mukerji gives this romantic comedy a deft twist and a thoroughly modern treatment. The result is a frothy, feel-good, marvelously entertaining film.
The story revolves around the couple Bunny and Naina, played by Ranbir Kapoor and Deepika Padukone, respectively. Kapoor’s character is more than just a footloose player; he is passionate, hardworking and dedicated to his dreams, which makes his connection with the serious Naina believable and unaffected.
As an actor, Kapoor just gets better and better. This film is no Rockstar or Barfi! for him to get his teeth into, yet he simply shines on the screen. He is funny and endearing and depicts Bunny’s coming of age with skill. More than that, YJHD shows what a great entertainer Kapoor is. Whether it’s dancing with Madhuri or sizzling on screen with Padukone, he delivers big time.
Padukone also excels in YJHD and shows what a versatile actor she is. She is as convincing as the seedhi-saadhi Naina as she was as wild-child Veronica in Cocktail. Her portrayal of Naina is well-nuanced and attractive. The chemistry between her and Kapoor is palpable and their performance takes the film to another level.
Kalki Koechlin also deserves praise for her stellar performance in a role that could have been very bland. Koechlin lifts her character Aditi from the realms of the ordinary with a feisty, insightful performance. Farooq Sheikh is poignant in his small role as Bunny’s father.
Aditya Roy Kapoor, on the other hand, fails to impress. He seems doomed to drink his way across the screen this summer. He played one sharabi in Aashiqui 2 and plays another in YJHD. He seems unable to do much with his one-dimensional character Avi, and the entire storyline of his friction with Bunny seems rather contrived and awkward.
YJHD nevertheless has a lot going for it. Mukerji delivers on the promise he showed with Wake Up Sid. The story is cleverly handled; there is some deft dialogue and several laugh-out-loud moments. There is an outstanding chase scene and a cute cameo from Kunal Roy Kapoor. Bunny and Naina’s interchange on travel versus home is exceptional; a Broadway Show is compared to Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge at Maratha Mandir — with popcorn.
YJHD has all the great locations and visual appeal you would expect from a Johar production. The songs, too, are very well-choreographed and set the screen alight. Madhuri’s dazzling item number, Ghaghra, in the first 10 minutes shows that she still has what it takes. Her face may show a little of the ravages of time but otherwise, she looks hot and demonstrates yet again what an amazing dancer she is.
Kapoor’s brilliantly choreographed Badtameez Dil and the superb Balam Pichkari are standout songs. It’s worth going to the cinema again just to see these and Madhuri’s Ghagra once more on the big screen.
Verdict: Overall, YJHD is a great, entertaining film. The themes are not deep but what do you expect from a romantic comedy? There are only so many variations on the boy meets girl story; only so many ways they can overcome obstacles on the path to love. What makes YJHD work are the songs, the great performances from its stars and a story that is not as clichéd as it seems at first glance. YJHD is bound to make you leave the cinema smiling — one of this summer’s must-watch movies.
Rating: 4/5
Oxford-grad Salima Feerasta is a social commentator and lover of style in any form or fashion. She blogs at karachista.blogspot.com and tweets @karachista
Published in The Express Tribune, June 2nd, 2013.
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COMMENTS (24)
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@Zubidha Sheikh You are completely I'll informed For your fascination about Indians not having toilets ; India has already developed green toilets with innovation. Even bill gates was impressed with it . And process of installing in every house in villages is begun. With respect to electronic going ; world acknowledges it from developing software ; to putting space satellite to developing cheap medicines from deadly disease India has excelled where we need to use brains. As you have been claiming for last 65 year s that Pakistan has talent ; we have not seen anything coming out your madrassa except hatred for India. And these things don't require resources; but brains.
jawaani not so deewani! deepika's naina is preity's naina from kal ho na ho and thankfully wears contact lenses so the hero doesn't have to take off her glasses. bunny is like (wake up) sid but out of the burrow! couldn't fathom if avi (single), wanting a 'dostana' pad to live in with bunny loved him and confesses watching his travelogue series whereas naina doesn't!! (she loved bunny, right?) aditi, a bisexual out and loud couldn't profess her love to avi! not so bold or deewani! cliched: all four have no siblings! one cliche less: spared from watching kajol or rani in 'ghagra'. after 8 years around 30sh old naina acts like a teen spying on the groom and co to check the dance steps! all i remembered after stepping out was the peppy budtameez dil song bound to be the title of a film and soon! n later watching promos on diff channels recalled the film in parts! bunny and naina meet after 8 years and a pity mukherjee wastes the meeting by making them dance - like they met yesterday after so many years! (she loved bunny, right?) must say ranbir (is one hero who) looks good and emotes well when he is teary eyed! lastly its not just mukherjee's show but johar's,too who has inserted this and that along the way and claims he gives a free hand to the directors!
Looking at the frequency and intensity of IndoPak wars over these pages, I recommend that millions of army and trillions of defense budget on the end of both countries be abolished and this platform can be adopted as 'future battleground'.
@Zubidha Sheikh
That is what I said. Well, the partition happened, so let us seal the deal by closing the gates. This will reduce the hostility, since then we would become oblivious to each other and just go on with our lives. Like I said nothing good came out of this relationship. 2 generations is a long time. It is time to try something else.
@Viviek _ I do not understand what you mean by sealing the border between us? Do you actually believe that will secure peace between India and Pakistan who at a time were one? So the partition happened lets deal with it as civilized people do and one can be on either sides of the issues but its done and it would be idiotic to create more hostility between the two neighbors. India has been touted as the electronic giant in Asia and Pakistan is quite not there we have the talent but for security purposes companies are not comfortable to use its vast resources. Both countries can claim their governments have the outstretched palm and that the manufacturing factories are unsafe and hire child labor, but if you think about it as India claims to be the economic giant which it is but cannot provide latrines to its citizens, as India struggles with its estimated 100,000 tons of human excrement that Indians leave each day in fields or on banks that line rivers used for drinking and bathing. A sophisticated application or a thin mobile phone or a software program is no match for basic human needs.
@Zubidha sheikh
Wise words. Don't you think we can reduce additional headaches between our nations by sealing the border between us ? This can ensure everlasting between peace between us. After all nothing good came out by keeping the relations going between us. In that way we can really focus on the issues that matter to us.
@Zubidha Sheikh You are right, both India and Pakistan have several major issues. But life is not a single lane. While trying to resolve enormous problems you have mentioned, we must learn to enjoy the life. Entertainment is one of the ways to enjoy life. If we just focus only on the problems, we will go insane.
We are fighting and complaing about this trival entertainment story while our neighborhoods are in ruins, poor people in the Outskirts of Karachi & other cities of India do not have basic clean running water & sewage to lead a normal healthy life. Rape is on a rise in India, while men & women are being targeted for killing & lawlesness spills on the streets of Pakistan, do we have our,priorities confused as Indians & Pakistanis?
@Zubair: Why watch Star Treck, isn't it created by Kafirs?
Yawwwwwn
@thepragmatic
What do you think you will achieve by taunting Pakistanis? I am the first to condemn Pakistan for supporting terrorism in India but picking a fight with them on very subject in every forum is simply childish. Grow up, man!
@PiS I second u ,all the energy is wasted in irrelevant topics instead of discussing about the pros and cons about the particular movie,PLZ GROW UP.
Nothing boils my blood more than the petty wars between indians and pakistanis in this section. GROW UP!!!
@pakistani
First stop queuing up at our shores, and then we are not going to miss you after that. After all we as well as our music existed without you. BTW, it is the pakistani theatre owners who would like to play our movies more than anything else. Just check with them for confirmation.
it will break record for higgest weekend in bollywood.
Yes, people shud watch garbage like this while great hits like Star Trek are not even aired. No variety of movies in Pakistan, no taste! Sometimes, I feel there is no hope for the people of this country!
@thepragmatic: It is the same as saying why you like our music. People like you spoil the show. Please get a life.
Story is ok, although a bit dragged. The marriage scenes and the song was quiet long and a bit boring. Ranbir is certainly the best there is, at present. Plenty of funny one-liners make it fun to watch. Chase scene was superb and grabs your attention right from the start. Overall ...Thumbs up !
Boring movie. Seriously cliched. alccohol plays third most important role in the movie. Only saving grace is..you won't come out with a headache.
@thepragmatic Not only is your comment irrelevant it is also paints all Pakistanis with the same sort of a broad brush that you are accusing them of. Shame on you!
@thepragmatic, exactly, bunch of hypocrites.
why you so called 'superior/choose one's/brave's/non idolators" love our movies ?after all we are low lives according to you ;
YJHD already cross 19 crore INR on first day , highest first day collection in india surpassing junior NTR BAADSHAH( TELUGU) and RACE 2 ( HINDI) on running year