Yeh Jawani Hai Deewani
Year: 2013
Director: Ayan Mukherjee
Cast: Ranbir Kapoor, Deepika Padukone, Aditya Roy-Kapoor, Kalki Koechlin

Ranbir Kapoor and Deepika Padukone coming together after Bachna Aye Haseeno; Ranbir Kapoor and Ayan Mukherjee coming together after Wake Up Sid and Ranbir Kapoor coming together with Karan Johar’s Dharma Productions for the first time. The hype surrounding Yeh Jawani Hai Deewani (a title borrowed from a popular Kishore Kumar-song on which once Ranbir’s uncle Randhir Kapoor had once cavorted!) was considerable. So what do we get to see from the director – actor team that gave us an interesting coming of age rom-com in Wake Up Sid?

What’s the plot?

A cool, carefree guy just out of college (Ranbir Kapoor) and his equally casual ‘Who cares?’ buddies (Aditya Roy-Kapoor and Kalki Koechlin) decide to go on a Himalayan trek. Their ex-school-classmate, a shy, spectacled, serious, studious medical student (Deepika Padukone) decides to join that expedition at the last moment. The cool guy and the nerdy gal, after going through initial skirmishes, end up becoming good friends. But before that new friendship transpires into romance, the guy’s ambition to fly high takes him away. For the next eight years, he pursues his dream career, moving from one part of the world to another, leaving his friends and family back in India. One friend’s (Kalki) marriage now brings all the group members together again. Will the career-driven cool guy, afraid to enter into a romantic relationship with anyone, now find something special in the simple nerdy gal?

What’s hot?

·         Ranbir Kapoor is as good as ever. Stylish, easy-going, warm, funny, sensitive, gruff…he changes colors like a chameleon. He sizzles on the dance-floor, too, easily outdoing the dancing ladies, including Madhuri Dixit!

·         Deepika, too is very good and her chemistry with Ranbir is excellent.

·         As a director, Ayan Mukherjee does manage to capture a few tender sensitive moments well. The second half of the film works better than the first.

·         Aditya Roy-Kapoor, Kalki Koechlin, Farouque Sheikh and Siddharth Roy-Kapoor play the supporting roles credibly.

·         Pritam’s music is catchy and Badtameez Dil rocks!

What’s not?

·         Ayan Mukherjee’s story and direction are as clichéd as they could be. The film follows the modern rom-com conventions to a tee, without showing any novelty.

·         The first half drags considerably.

·         The characters and situations are sketchy.

·         The romance gets sidelined for most of the parts and is not explained or explored well!

·         Haven’t we already seen too many ‘Outside world versus My India’ comparisons and lavish wedding party extravaganzas? Aren’t they passé?

Verdict

Yeh Jawani Hai Deewani is a none-too-intelligent, none-too-novel modern rom-com with all-too-predictable characters and storyline. But that major flaw is successfully overcome through its top-notch production values, catchy music and more than anything else, the engaging performances. Ranbir and Deepika look good together and if the early box-office reports are any indicator, then the masses seem to have already given a big thumbs-up to the pairing!