This morning I had no idea who Saket Choudhary was. Now, I bow this rocking young writer-director. Pyaar ke side effects is yet another film Bollywood should be proud of. A truly modern and witty take on man-woman relationships in yuppie India. Perhaps faintly inspired by a couple of Hollywood films but on the whole so very fresh and original! So who is this Saket Choudhary? Well, the only info I could dig up on him is that he co-wrote Santosh Sivan's Asoka (a film I could barely sit through).
That was in 2001 - God knows what he was doing for the last 5 years. Perhaps biding his time, waiting for his talent to be recognised... And hats off to PNC for putting faith in him.
Right from the little Delhi vs Bombay jokes to the odd collection of friends and sidekicks (great casting!), the film manages to ring true and yet entertain. Commitment phobia is not a new theme - several recent Bollwyood films tried to explore that theme - but they fell flat. Remember 'Home Delivery'... and worse, 'Neal and Nikki'?
The plot
Sid (Rahul Bose) is a DJ playing at Trisha (Mallika Sherawat's) wedding.Witness a scene which goes something like this :
A white sheet is dangling and from it jumps down a fully decked up Trisha
Sid: You're running away from your own wedding?
Trisha: Haan..I don't love him, how can I marry him ? Accha chutta hai, rickshe ke liye?
Sid : Don't be silly.. pyaar shaadi ke baad ho jayega (hands her the change)
Trisha (thinking): Taht's true.. Mere mummy-daddy ke saath bhi to yehi hua tha. Pehle shaadi, phir honeymoon, phir bacche, phir pyaar...
She decides to go back and they exchange goodbyes. A few minutes later she is seen running past Sid and friend Nanu, even as she assures 'taiji' on her cellphone: "Main paanch minute mein aa rahi hoon.|"
And that's the tone throughout - comedy without slapstick, questions and issues minus self importance or gravity. Although Trisha is a central character, the whole film has been written from the guy's point of view... And that makes it different and interesting.
Pyaar ke side effects include 'marriage' - that's what Trisha wants after she's moved to Bombay, met and fallen in love with Sid... 3 years after her original flight out of the mandap. But Sid is not so sure... yet he agrees. And what follows is Engagement ke Side effects which include the pain of selecting an engagement ring and meeting 'papa'.
Following permafrost conditions from daddy's side and an unfortunate (but funny)accident on the golf course, the couple breaks up. Trisha starts hanging out with the same guy she ran out on - a 'Vivek Chadda' looking Jas Arora - while Sid has coffee conundrums with 'Baby doll vol 3' (an item girl played by Sophiya Haque).
There are some side plots - the hilarious roomie Nanu (Ranvir Sheorey) who hates changing his underwear and thinks the fact that superheros never marry is a good argument against the institution of marriage as a whole. Then there's Sid's sister
(Taraana Raja) and brother in law Kapil, Nanu's kooky girlfriend (Sapna Bhavnani) and a wooden chest.
A scene in a club where Sid, Nanu and Kapil are hanging out after the break up is particularly funny.
Girl to Sid: come, dance with me
A few minutes later : "OK bye.. I gotta go home."
Sid : " You have work tomorrow?"
Girl: " NO.. I have school...My boards are starting on Monday.. "
Ouch!
All the actors were excellent in their parts, of course there are kisses - including one underwater - but Mallika is very believable in her single-Mumbai-chick role. The fact that she is taller than him, earns more than him but still loves and wants to marry him is a new and refreshing representation of a woman in Bollywood.
So, what's the verdict?
Almost all reviews I've read say the ending's a farce and give the film around 2 stars. But I thought it was all pretty cool and so, without nit picking and fault finding - because I enjoyed the movie and am pretty sure you will too - I give PKSE 4 stars. Do watch it!
And Saket Choudhary - he is definitely a guy to watch out for!
Hi rashmi, love reading ur reviews.. cause usually after i see the movie, i can see myself sayin the same things..
ReplyDeleteAgain some nice content there, Rashmi..!! I must admit, that it was not long before I started strolling thru your blogs at frequent whiles, but now.. I'm a total addict, and the Youth Curry stays as a Bookmark in every PC I use and each browser in them.. :D anyways, just wanted to give you a KUDOS on yr ongoing efforts, and expressions, which somewhat increase the craving in me everytime to be able to meet and know a person like you once in my lifetime.. :) Take care, and keep em coming..
ReplyDeleteAn ordinary Delhiite,
Jas (",)
I would completely agree with whatever you said about the movie...An awesome pick...But I guess it would have been a helluva trouble if I wud have gone with my girlfriend because actually some things he points out are true, and applicable and sometimes realty hurts...But yeah must watch...
ReplyDeletehi rashmi,
ReplyDeletelooks like this is a movie i am defintely gonna c :)
thx 4 d review :)
keep writing awesome blog posts .
thx
panchi
Rashmi,
ReplyDeleteI would rate the movie at not more than 3. The script is not too engrossing in my opinion, though there is quite good humor in the movie.
I liked the jokes on Delhi girls....very apt and true I feel :). Also, the men angle to the whole marriage thing has been well captured in the movie.
I liked Mallika more in this movie than I usually do. However, was not very happy with Rahul Bose. I really admire him as an actor and felt the movie did not bring out his best. The characters Nonie and Kapil were well portrayed. There was quite a bit of overacting on the part of Sid's sis and Trisha's best friend.
Anyway, the movie was a surely different from the usual stuff we get to see these days. Which definitely is a pleasant change :))
Cheers
Rajni
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteI so agree with your review! Totally loved the movie - atleast the first part of it and empathised with the difft guys at difft points in time. Yeah kudos for carrying it off in a non-slapstick manner though the Baby Doll Vol 3 scenes were a bit too contrived.
ReplyDeleteWhen I saw the movie for a second time (friends who missed out the first time dragged me to it), I was a bit more clinical and found the editing to be a bit bumpy. The film is not one smooth ride but is made up of disjointed scenes which can be a bit jarring sometimes. But yeah, a 4* anyday
Cant stand Rahul Bose in a Bollywood movie... wish there was someone like Arshad Warsi in his place....you can check my review at http://fullyfilmy.blogspot.com
ReplyDeleteWatched the movie today! agree with most points.However, I felt the last quarter failed to live up to the rest of the movie. And also the 'coffee' thing was a bit overdone! And yes the sidekicks really made it a memorable one.
ReplyDeleteI think Ranvir Shorey was the real scene stealer... I still laugh out loud when i remember his break-up scene with Sapna Bhavnani... and the best one is when he is trying to dance with the chics at the disc and he goes, "Who's your daddy!"
ReplyDeleteAnd I think Sophie Chaudhry (not Sophiya Haque) deserves credit for playing the item girl to the hilt!
More bad news for you. Some body ripped your plot outline and put it on the wikipedia article for Pyaar Ke Side Effects. Are you flattered? :D
ReplyDelete(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyaar_Ke_Side_Effects)