In case you are a fan of simplistic (depicting the Indian Middle-class) and hiccup-less gripping movies of the great Hrishikesh Mukherji and the like, you probably cherish movies like Chhoti si Baat (1975), Khatta Mitha (2010), and Chitchor (1976).
In recent times we have only seen such movies coming from fresh directors presenting slightly off-beat themes and lesser known actors. Hasee Toh Phasee brings back that subtle entertainment of well-presented everyday life stories sans any gimmicks, burden of ‘superstars’ or unreasonable hype that ends up fooling innocent film enthusiasts.
Anybody can guess from the promos that this film will be another tried and tested formula rom-com movie with the only difference being a new pair of faces via Sidharth Malhotra and Parineeti Chopra. But to our surprise, it is not another ‘love-story sprinkled with dash of humour and drama’ movie.
The core of it remains a story about normal people, with some abnormal circumstances all of us have to deal with, and how people tackle relationships with their mindsets, ideas and moral values. What works is a well written story, good content, characterisation, plot and performances.
[easyreview title=”HASEE TOH PHASEE” cat1title=”Story” cat1detail=”Fresh, simple and interesting.” cat1rating=”3″ cat2title=”Performances” cat2detail=”Parineeti gives her best performance to date, Sidharth is very impressive too.” cat2rating=”3″ cat3title=”Direction” cat3detail=”Perfect treatment given to the story and plot.” cat3rating=”3.5″ cat4title=”Production” cat4detail=”Although a low budget movie, well detailed cinematography and good production value.” cat4rating=”3″ cat5title=”Music” cat5detail=”Excellent score by the talented duo after a long time, most of the songs are popular.” cat5rating=”3.5″ summary=’Hasee Toh Phasee is a sorbet among gelatos, a refreshing change after too many larger than life and over the top films. Review Scores by Saurin Shah.’]
Meet Mr. Nikhil (played by Sidharth Malhotra) whose long term relationship with his girlfriend Karishma is finally moving a step forward after 7 years.
Like common Mumbai sweethearts they have their fair share of fights, breakups and patch-ups. Nikhil is trying his best to please his girlfriend and putting on some desperate attempts to pretend he has arrived in life and is doing well.
While he is trying to juggle his love, work and family (from both sides), he happens to meet Meeta (played by Parineeti Chopra), a very unusual piece of work that can be easily mistaken as a mental case.
As their encounters become more frequent and Nikhil learns the truth about Meeta as she opens up, the story becomes more intriguing and keeps a smooth and pleasant pace.
We all know what happens in the end as we expect it to be, but how this happens is a celluloid journey viewers will enjoy.
Vinil Mathew has to be given full credit for handing the story, screenplay and getting excellent performances out of the main cast. Given Sidharth is only one film young, who played an aggressive go-getter college student in his first movie, is shown in complete contrast as a struggling guy, whereas Parineeti is an almost psycho geek with enough troubles.
The director maintains a good pace and flow until the end and not for a moment do you feel bored or disconnected even though there are not too many flashy elements. The editing also deserves special mention as it is kept simple, straight and no-nonsense.
Parineeti lands a role to be remembered and she fares very well. She creates a sort of Barfi (2012, ft. Priyanka Chopra) character for herself and marvels in the challenging role. Sidharth shows he is yet another new actor able to carry an entire movie solely on his shoulders despite remaining candid and refraining from trying too hard.
Manoj Joshi who has only appeared in Priyadarshan’s comedies in the last decade is now doing more important character roles with a natural comic timing, all of which is a big plus, and the same can be said for Sharat Saxena. Everybody else, including the Gujarati family characters do their parts really well and make scenes individually enjoyable.
Vishal-Shekhar who gave back to back hits a few years ago, now make a big comeback with a refreshing and hummable album. Most of the songs are instant hits among the public with dances numbers like ‘Punjabi Wedding Song’, ‘Drama Queen’ and melodies, ‘Zehnaseeb’ and ‘Ishq Bulavaa’. ‘Shake it like Shammi’ however is an awkward tribute to Shammi Kapoor and in hindsight could have been completely avoided.
It’s a great start for the Hindi film industry in 2014 with films like Hasee Toh Phasee which defines truly good and popular cinema. Both Parineeti and Sidharth already have a huge fan following across India and it will be a treat to watch them together.
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