Qarib Qarib Singlle
Year: 2017
Director: Tanuja Chandra
Cast: Irrfan, Parvathy

Writer-director Tanuja Chandra, despite being more than two decades in business, has tasted more failure than success and certainly knows a thing or two about starting a new chapter with a blank slate. Her latest venture Qarib Qarib Singlle is based on the same theme- that of rebooting life afresh!

What’s the plot?

A widow on the wrong side thirty (Parvathy) and a forty-plus bachelor (Irrfan) meet up thanks to a dating website. The woman, a serious workaholic with practically no other interests, has unwittingly turned into an ever-dependable babysitter for her friends. The man, a happy-go-lucky rich guy indulging in poetry and humor, is a total antithesis.

The dating begins none too promisingly before the guy proposes an interesting idea. He wants to go and meet his 3 ex-girlfriends, who have now settled in different far-off places; and he wants the new woman in his life to just accompany him. After a brief resistance, the lady joins him in his ‘Revisiting the past loves’ trip. Thus begins their whirlwind nostalgic tour to Rishikesh, Rajasthan and Gangtok, which is going to throw them in all sorts of unforeseen situations and make them reexamine their lives!

What’s hot?

·       Tanuja Chandra creates a watchable rom-com shunning most conventions. She keeps it light-hearted and subtle. The characters feel genuine and the situational humor is well-tapped.

·       Irrfan is terrific as usual and portrays his quirky, gregarious yet sensitive character with aplomb.

·       Parvathy, an established South Indian actress making her Hindi debut, is attractive and likeable. She portrays the sedate, serious, single woman convincingly.

·       The chalk and cheese chemistry of lead characters works well.

·       The side-cast gels well.

.        Beautiful locations.

What’s not?

·       This is a rom-com which keeps both romance and comedy too understated for popular tastes.

·       Parvathy cannot raise her game in the high-key comic or emotional sequences.

·       Revisiting the past lady-loves; wasn’t it the central theme of Ranbir Kapoor’s Bachna Ae Haseeno earlier?

Verdict

Qarib Qarib Singlle is an enjoyable film that thrives on subtle exploration of matters of heart. Perhaps it is too subtle for the masses to take it to heart!

Rating

3 stars