Stories with messages that are not thrust in our faces but are subtly incorporated into a saga that is completely fresh, riveting and entertaining are not very common. This film may be an adaptation of a Tamil rom-com, Love Today (2022) and touted as a “frame-to-frame” remake but yet again, I have to state that while remakes are now passe as the originals are freely watched on OTT, a good remake is a good remake. Period.
And so we cannot take away from the contribution of Sneha Desai, screenplay and dialogues writer, whose last work was the splendid Laapataa Ladies last year. Oh, yes, Sneha also wrote the dialogues for Maharaj and has penned quite a few episodes of the hit sitcom Wagle Ki Duniya as well, underscoring her innate talent for a mix of humor and valid takeaways from a movie.
If the “frame-to-frame” part is correct, director Advait Chandan does not have all that much a contribution creatively. And yet, this film is superior directorially to his original debut, Secret Superstar (2017) and a complete volte-face from the abysmal adaptation that was Laal Singh Chaddha(2022).
The Aamir Khan connection comes through everywhere in the four films mentioned above. And it is also present here in the way Junaid Khan, his son, resembles him in certain expressions and even body language. With his leading lady Khushi Kapoor looking faintly like her mother Sridevi, we do find “nostalgic” scenes where we see Aamir Khan and Sridevi in the two young actors! I use that term because while Sridevi worked with Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan, she never did any film with Aamir!
Having said that, Junaid’s performance exhibits the welcome fact that he knows those finespun differences between stage and screen acting, and I say this with some authority as I have also watched him in his satirical play, Strictly Unconventional. His acting is completely fluid, very cinematic, and he handles his role as Gucci a.k.a. Gautam with finesse.
Khushi Kapoor, the Janhvi Kapoor sibling who had effortlessly outclassed co-debutant Suhana Khan in The Archies, comes up with a charming and endearing turn as his girl, Baani. For both the lead stars here, this film is their big-screen debut and they are thus remarkable, especially in their reel chemistry.
(Let me digress here and reveal that the IMDb (Internet Movie Database) mentions Aamir Khan and Boney Kapoor, the respective fathers, as co-producers. But the film’s credits do not! So I wonder whether this is merely wishful thinking on the part of a contributor to that site or a secret that is under wraps!)
And now for the story, which like Khel Khel Mein (which was a rework of a foreign film) discusses in a humorous form the dangers of possessing someone else’s mobilephone! This time, Baani’s a-shade-autocratic-but-not-villainous father (Ashutosh Rana—simply magnificent!) makes this the sole condition for permitting the matrimonial alliance of the lovebirds. Exchange phones for 24 hours—complete with codes to unlock them—and then decide whether they would want to be husband and wife.
Not that they have any choice, but Baani and Gucci wholeheartedly agree to the “switch” as they completely trust each other. But the phones open a Pandora’s box of secrets about Baani’s exes and Gucci’s sexual proclivities (like porn, though they are both virgins). The monster of suspicion raises its nasty head, and while both confide to their siblings, they almost lose each other.
But though Baani’s younger sister Pinti is a package of common sense, Gucci’s elder sister Kiran (Tanvika Parlikar) also becomes heavily suspicious of her dentist fiancé, Anupam (Kiku Sharda) when he shows his extreme preoccupation with his cellphone: the man is so secretive that anyone will smell a rat!
It is left to Gucci’s loyal friends, his cantankerous but golden-hearted mother (Grusha Kapoor) and Pinti to resolve the mess. And when no one supports Baani after a Deepfake video clip goes viral, not even her father, a contrite Gucci sees the truth and stands solidly behind her.
Technically upscale, the film is buoyed up with superb turns from the supporting cast. Kiku Sharda stands out as Anupam though his reason for being obsessively attached to his handset comes across as a shade exaggerated, all things considered. Tanvika Parlikar is correctly confused, Grusha Kapoor impresses, and so do Devishi Madaan as Pinti, and Gucci’s consortium of friends—Aaditya Kulshrestha, Nikhil Mehta, Jason Tham and Yunus Khan.
For its relentless humor amidst the drama and emotions, Loveyapa stands out as a magical romantic comedy with a heart, showcasing some telling truisms about life for GenZ, like Gucci’s mother telling him that a mobilephone can be changed every two years, not relationships. And that is what raises the graph of Loveyapa from a mere youth-centric rom-com to a weightier slice-of-life saga about values. In the final analysis, the film not only shows the dangers of a mobilephone, but also the more important way in which it can actually help us better our lives if we learn the right lessons from the many clouds that hide all the silver linings.
But as a reviewer, it is important to also show a flipside of a movie if it exists. And here, in the first instance, is the ‘over-trendy’ title, which does not say anything about the film, at least to a non-North Indian audience unfamiliar with the term “Siyappa”, which roughly means a mess. Even a title as plebian or cliché-ridden as Mobile Love would have worked better!
Secondly, the film has several Punjabi songs (again!!!!) by the usual multiple coterie of song assemblers but not a single (and Hindi) chartbuster. A Papa kehte hain level of song would have helped create wonders for this film. Last but emphatically not the least, this is the seeming beginning of a new malaise: multiple background score composers too! And at least the first two factors can really hinder the prospects of this otherwise wonderful film.
Rating: ****1/2
AGS Entertainment’s & Phantom Studios’ Loveyapa Produced by: Kalpathi S. Agoram, Kalpathi S. Ganesh, Kalpathi S. Suresh, Srishti Behl Arya, Madhu Mantena, Pradeep Ranganathan & Bhavna Talwar Directed by: Advait Chandan Written by: Pradeep Ranganathan, Sneha Desai and Sidhant Mago Music: Tanishk Bagchi, Suyyash Rai, Siddharth Singh & White Noise Collective Starring: Junaid Khan, Khushi Kapoor, Tanvika Parlikar, Kiku Sharda, Ashutosh Rana, Grusha Kapoor, Devishi Madaan, Kunj Anand, Aaditya Kulshrestha, Nikhil Mehta, Jason Tham, Yunus Khan & others
(Used with permission)
