Directed by: Habib Faisal
Starring: Arjun Kapoor, Parineeti
Chopra, Gauhar Khan
Released: 2012
Verdict: destroy every
copy – horrible – bad – whatever – flawed but enjoyable -
good – great – amazing
There is new star kid on
the block, or rather a producer kid, since we are talking about Arjun
Kapoor. And here´s hoping he´s going to take after uncle Anil
rather than uncle Sanjay. In his debut, proudly presented by the
Yashraj production house, Arjun and Parineeti Chopra, who has so
impressed one and all in her small role in very blah Ladies vs. Ricky
Bahl last year, set out to burn the world with their own take on
Romeo and Juliet, and to make the emnity between their families even
more intense, it´s not just them being political rivals that raises
the hatred, but also the difference of religion.
Parma (Arjun) is a Hindu.
A grandson of an influential politician. A local macho guy. And an
ass. Cannot blame him really, after all it seems only his mother has
some brains, otherwise his whole family is full of pride and think
they are the most clever and awesome bunch of people all around. Zoya
is a Muslim. A daughter of an influential politician. A local feisty
beauty. And an idiot. Her family seems definitely less stupid than
Parma´s, but they still have enough of the very same pride and again
are convinced they are the most clever and awesome bunch of people
all around. And since election is coming, the ever present war
between the two families is anything but imaginary. Zoya can somehow
cope with Parma stealing a prostitute dancing at her father´s party
to dance at his grandfather´s party, but looses control once he
publicly relieves himself at a poster of her dad. She stands up to
him. He falls in love with her.
Or so it would seem. Why
else would he follow her everywhere, asking her to go out with him?
Why else would he dare to come to her yard and bear the merciless
beating from her brothers? She charmed him, he claims and stares at
her with his dark eyes. And she, slowly, accepts. And too falls in
love. Instead of running around the trees they are learning to shoot
a gun, instead of a saree floating in a gentle breeze Zoya takes
shower with her clothes on while the beautiful “Pareshaan” plays
in the background. Finally Parma proposes to her and after bit of a
convincing Zoya agrees and in secret marries Parma according to both
Muslim and Hindu rite. And according to human rite too (aka they have
sex if you didn´t get that). No sooner Parma rolls off of her and
the most disgusting twist ever takes place. There was no marriage,
Parma says. The priest was a paid actor. He did all this to get Zoya
into bed. Unmarried Muslim girl looses her virginity to a Hindu guy,
who is her family´s enemy. And Parma makes sure the news is known to
one and all. Zoya´s father looses election. And Zoya herself swears
revenge.
"I screwed your life. LOL." |
I must say that though the
film kept me entertained well enough I couldn´t help but feeling
something was just so so wrong. The sexism (because it is soaked with
it)? Perhaps. The twist? So bloody disturbing (and disgusting as I
have already mentioned)! Also the characters were rather confusing
and without development jumped from one avatar to another, without
explanations. And while I could possibly accept Parma´s change of
heart, Zoya´s falling for him AFTER the interval remains absolutely
unacceptable to me even now. There are things you do not forgive, and
I can´t see why you should be proving your love for the bastard by
running away with him. What Parma does to Zoya is unimaginably cruel,
way more terrible than for example being unfaithful. The two of them
getting together just didn´t seem like the right thing to happen,
but happen it did and one had to accept it. I don´t know if
complaining that the characters were stupid is in place though.
Because for all the silliness and lack of logic they seemed real
enough. A horrid thought of today´s youth being actually like this
has been haunting me ever since. Or perhaps a confident debut by
Arjun and natural performance by Parineeti make it seem so
convincing?
The ending of the film
makes sense, yet it is nonsense (and am I making sense here? Huh?).
Firstly – why would a girl, who knows her father is ready to kill
her, go back home? Secondly – why would their families organize a
massive hunt throughout a city and then a school building to kill
them? You already had a scandal and you think killing your own kids
will improve your image? And finally – you couldn´t find a more
painful spot in his body to shoot into, right, Zoya? Who shoots their
loved one in a way they suffer for long??? All in all the finale
seemed half baked. As if the writers got tired of it all, of the
story, of Zoya and Parma and their love.
I totally agree with you! I found it so absurd that Zoya actually FORGAVE Parma for what he did to her! Any sane woman would have got revenge somehow,but Zoya just forgave and loved him.
ReplyDeleteI think that due to the massive hype that surrounded the film, I expected more from the film. Don't get me wrong - it's a good film, but it's just not what I expected (more twists and a good solid plot line with some intertwining plots).