I was taking a stroll through Chor Bazaar and found a collection of antiquities that left me awestruck. Their prices were exorbitantly high and they did not feel as old as the shopkeepers claimed it to be maybe they used to polish them often. I kept wondering throughout the day, “Why does such old stuff even interest people?” I couldn’t find an answer to that and quite in the same way, I couldn’t find an answer to why I liked Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani, it was an antiquity – there was a same old formulaic story you will find in most Karan Johar Movies, the same taste of friendship, some spiced up Romance and so on, but still managed to keep me glued to the screen for the entire length of the movie, which was pretty long by the way. Maybe because it has a message, like the previous Ayan Mukherjee movie it tells us to wake up and take life seriously.
This is story of two people worlds apart still too close for comfort. Wait a minute, let me reframe the earlier sentence. This is a story of four besties –The funky and aimless Avi, the tom boy Aditi, the commitment phobic Bunny and the nerdy and insecure Naina; three of them seemingly aimless and one a little too focused and shy(no prizes for guessing who). Their journey of finding their true selves, their insecurities, bad habits, adventures form the crux of the story and in between all this we see the carefree Bunny that helps Naina break out of her cocoon and break the shackles of her insecurities and falling in love and apart mid way. It is the story that has all the elements of a Karan Johar Movie with some shades of Zoya Akthar and finally Ayan himself. Revealing the story over here would be a dampener, so I’m showing some self restrain.
As Bunny, Ranbir is the heart and the heart beat of this movie. I’m a huge fan of him and saw this movie only because of him. I couldn’t find a moment where he did anything wrong throughout the movie. It is the unconquerable spirit of this funny and carefree bunny that kept me glued to the screen and I should say that in the last 5-6 years Ranbir has mature immensely and has achieved the superstar level. I’m not a huge fan of Deepika as she has always done stereotypical roles but nevertheless she has complemented Ranbir pretty well in this movie. There is definitely some great chemistry between the exes. Aditya Roy Kapoor is another guy who impressed me in Aashiqui 2, and he sinks into his role wonderfully in this movie – His role as Avi – the spoiled brat is the one to watch out for. Kalki as Aditi shines in her role as always. As I have mentioned earlier – the story is ordinary but the way the foursome captures the tone of the movie makes it an interesting watch.
What Ayan did in the movie borderlines disappointing because he had earlier impressed me with Wake up Sid and this movie is nowhere close in terms of its plot. He has done well in picturising a weak plot. Given his caliber, he could have done much better, but the casts acting has come as a face saver and rest assured that this movie will click at the Box Office.
The songs of the movie are the main highlights – I have been humming “Badtameez Dil” and “Balam Pichkari” for weeks now and will continue to do so. Madhuri’s Ghagra will gain a cult status among the masses, if not now then in days to come. Pritam is such a class. The songs are made for all ages and captures the essence of the movie beautifully. The picturisation has been top notch as well.
*Verdict** – This movie is a one time watch because it deserves just that. If you are a Ranbir fan, never give this one a miss. If you love Karan Johar movies then you’ll watch it more than once for sure.
*My rating 3/5.*