This sugar free romance, as it is advertised, has less sugar alright, but it is no delicacy by any means, nor is it any refreshing. Think of ‘No reservations’, which in turn was inspired by ‘Mostly Martha’ and you will realize that it has the same plagiarized look to it that many of its ilk suffer from. It also falls prey to the very same ingredients and inanities that it claims to stay away from. As a result, what we get is just an unsavory concoction. To be clement about it you could say that it is well acted, and that it has some funny(actually, Smart Alec’ish) lines. But you would have to stop right there in being charitable to this dish. It doesn’t quite hold itself together well, for want of a plausible script, genuine characterization, and well-conceived storyline. As for the other key word in its tag line, romance, yes, you do get plenty of it, if your idea of it is being mocked into watching how Amitabh Bacchan and Tabu can fall for each other. The characters they represent are too fake to even have a second encounter, let alone be engaged in a courtship.
The artificial characters they play, and the charades they get into when the story begins inside an upscale restaurant in London, while are mildly amusing thanks in part to some comedic interludes from the staff inside the kitchen, look quite contrived. And, then the whole thing begins to look even kookier, when out of nowhere, you are further connived into watching, first, the coy looks, and then, the dinner dates, and then afterwards, oh yes, a couple of love songs much like in the other, more routine and perhaps more convincing, ‘cheeni barabar/zyada’ fare.
The interactions between Amitabh and his mother, and between Amitabh and his next door neighbor, a sick but very stoic child, do lend some refreshing content for a while when the story still limps along in London. But the whole thing turns quite stale and messy, and very lost desperately in search of reasonable closure, which it denies itself, when the proceedings move to Delhi.
Swini Khara as the sick child brings a bright touch of wit and wisdom to the proceedings. Tabu looks her gorgeous self and as ditzy and miserable as the role requires her to be, and Amitabh looks mechanically at ease with the role he plays, and yes, he acts his age well. And, Paresh Rawal acts well too, showing his shock and disgust very convincingly, making one wonder as to how much of that may have been actually directed at the story itself as it is at the co-characters in it.
The music, with its unnecessary songs, is mediocre and sounds quite strained.
The whole thing has the appearance of being a big farce. The screenplay and plot do stick out, very awkwardly and glaringly, as mere after thoughts.