In a scene from the film, Alia who is heartbroken bites into a green chilli. She looks at her best buddy Fatima and says - the chilli is pungent.’’ Tears silly fears and frailties all part of the life process. So brave it we must. This kind of sums up the life lesson writer-director Gauri Shinde’s second directorial film imparts.
But unlike her first film English Vinglish that hit the bullseye subtly, here the message is hammered. Of course some of the writing has merit. There are funny and clever one-liners. There are numerous analogies drawn to explain the innumerable relationships one encounters. Some of this makes you chuckle, some of it makes you cry. So far so good. However, the first half of the film meanders, making you restless. Frankly, things actually begin to look up just before intermission when SRK, without his trademark outstretched arms, makes an appearance.