I had a lot of time at hand a few days ago. I had no idea what to do. So I began to surf. And quite laconically, I landed on the YouTube page of Lekar Hum Deewana Dil (LHDD).
Well, since I landed there, I thought I'd might as well take a look at what the movie is all about. No harm in watching a bit you know. After all, I do love a fine Hindi movie once in a while. And this - what I was to watch - was only a trailer. How bad could that be?
The Music
The Verdict
And so, the trailer played.
The Plot
Armaan Jain - the hero - showed up. Then Deeksha - the heroine - showed up. Both started to argue the way Bollywood insists couples do. And right enough, the next set of shots established that fact: They were indeed a couple - initially friends of course and then the husband-and-wife kind.
The Plot
Armaan Jain - the hero - showed up. Then Deeksha - the heroine - showed up. Both started to argue the way Bollywood insists couples do. And right enough, the next set of shots established that fact: They were indeed a couple - initially friends of course and then the husband-and-wife kind.
Thereafter, they realise marriage is not exactly a cocktail to their liking, start to separate, seek counselling, are compelled to hear the usual Indian take on marriage from a court judge, and in the end - quite probably - don't end up away from each other after all.
All this is expected to be a fresh take on the lives of the new generation, how they make mistakes, grow up, etc., etc. And all of it is rolled up in dances and a set of songs (of which only two are really worth your time and ears).
I can understand the need for the dance and the song. Those two are supposed to be part of the elements of Hindi movie-making. What I don't understand is the whole perception of the movie being a fresh take on the lives of the new generation.
Couples have been arguing ever since anyone can remember. Couples have had sex too and yet cannot quite understand each other. In fact, way back in 1924, EM Forster said something similar in his grand novel, A Passage to India!
Couples have been arguing ever since anyone can remember. Couples have had sex too and yet cannot quite understand each other. In fact, way back in 1924, EM Forster said something similar in his grand novel, A Passage to India!
Then there's the bit about making mistakes and growing up. People make mistakes all the time - they need not be young and giddy-headed to qualify for that! And all this several dozen films have made clear oh so often in bottles stained with the same wine over and over again!
So, I doubt this is anything but fresh! It does reek of deja vu clothed in modern day fashions, jeans et al, but it's nowhere close to being spanking new.
The only ones new in this enterprise are the hero and the heroine.
The Cast
As the trailer ran into its second minute, I noticed Armaan has a face that resembles that of actor-director Rajiv Kapoor. Which is because he is Raj Kapoor's grandson, Ranbir's cousin, and Rajiv's nephew.
The rest of him though is totally unKapoor-esque.
Armaan seems to have borrowed his eyebrows from actor Sanjay Kapoor (of Raja fame and no relation to the Kapoor family). He mouths his dialogues as if he is looking way past the cameraman for cues. He does not have an iota of an idea about dancing. And well, he has zero charisma to dress the role in. Armaan is just too raw and doesn't quite know what to do. I think Varun Dhawan would have been better suited for this yuppie-puppy caper.
The Cast
As the trailer ran into its second minute, I noticed Armaan has a face that resembles that of actor-director Rajiv Kapoor. Which is because he is Raj Kapoor's grandson, Ranbir's cousin, and Rajiv's nephew.
The rest of him though is totally unKapoor-esque.
Armaan seems to have borrowed his eyebrows from actor Sanjay Kapoor (of Raja fame and no relation to the Kapoor family). He mouths his dialogues as if he is looking way past the cameraman for cues. He does not have an iota of an idea about dancing. And well, he has zero charisma to dress the role in. Armaan is just too raw and doesn't quite know what to do. I think Varun Dhawan would have been better suited for this yuppie-puppy caper.
Deeksha hasn't much to do - or so the trailer has me believe. She smiles, looks angry, stares lovingly into the camera, and does everything that all starlets launched opposite high-profile debutantes have to do. It's not her vehicle, and by the looks of her acting, she knows that very well too.
The Music
Of the songs, two ditties stand out. Khalifa Khalifa sounds pretty much like an 80s dance number: It has beats that drag your feet onto the floor, and it has a rhythm that makes you want to stay on and wriggle to the melody. Of course this is the 21st century and so, A. R. Rahman had to slap the beginning and a few other sections of the song with some awkward rap and hip-hop rubbish. But ignore that and you'll start to like the melody.
On the other hand, Alaahada has nothing to ignore. It begins quietly as if it were taking a walk by the seashore in the wee hours of a sunny morning. The guitar riffs that tag along walk hand in hand with the pure clear voice of Shiraz Uppal. Uppal breathes in heart and soul into the lyrics. And thereafter, he carries the entire ensemble up into aural bliss. There's nothing out of place in this melody and there's nothing that you will want to put into it either. It's just balm to the heart, really.
The rest - Maalom, Tu Shining, Beqasoor, and Mawwali Qawwali - are tolerable. Each has been given a commercial soul and barely any potential for a repeat listen. Of course, they'll go down well with the audience they are targeted at. That's guaranteed for sure. But they did not go down well with me and so I know am not the target audience at all!
The Verdict
All said and done, LHDD's music will sell for sure. That LHDD the movie will remains to be seen. Indians love love stories and all that - that I know. That, however, is barely an excuse to make a 'fresh' stale love story and peddle it around as if it were the next new dogma of luurvve!
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