Aditya Chopra redefined romance for an entire generation back in 1990s with his debut film Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge. A film, that till date, inspires people to fight it out when in love became a cult classic over the years and while there have been several films that have tried to create similar magic, none have been even a close second. Interestingly, Chopra made two more films after that- both did fairly well- but were never able to create that massive an impact like DDLJ did.
Chopra returns to big screen with Befikre, a take on modern day love stories, and how the youth perceives love as. It is effortless, breezy and no committal, the trailers indicated. But is it really? Because Befikre particularly suffers due to predictability.
From Punjab, Chopra shifts his characters in the new film to Paris. The city of love and passion where Dharam(Ranveer Singh), a stand-up comic meets Shyra(Vaani Kapoor), a tour guide at a party. One night of booze and sex later, Shyra gives clear instructions to Dharam to not call her, because ‘the party’s over’ and she is not looking for anything long-term but Dharam, the Delhi boy doesn’t want to yet let go of her. After a series of ‘dares’ that they perform for each other, the two end up moving in and predictably, monotony seeps into their relationship. A year after their break up, their paths cross again and they decide to start over, as Befikre friends. But are they really friends?
Interestingly, while the film opens with Shyra and Dharam breaking up, never a clear reason is given as to what led to them parting ways. The fact that their relationship is simply based on series of dares that they keep performing could be a reason, but that is just our guess. I mean, how long can a relationship last which started as a one night stand and accelerated into an affair after one of them goes and slaps a cop on the road, just for fun?