The last time actors Yami Gautam and Pulkit Samrat came together for a romantic film ‘Sanam Re’, it didn’t turn out to a Box Office success; and by the looks of it, their second project together too doesn’t appear any different. ‘Junooniyat’ is more like a 90s romantic saga that tries desperately to work well in today’s times.
Directed by Vivek Agnihotri, the film revolves around the love story of an army officer and a typical Punjabi girl from Amritsar. The story unfolds the same way it did in the clichéd films of the 90s, where a girl meets a boy during an accident, gets involved in a spat and eventually fall for each other. The story, however, takes an ugly turn when the family finds out about their secret relationship. Whether they unite or not forms the heart of the story.
Samrat, as Jahaan Bakshi tries to play a dedicated army officer who loves his motherland more than his life. While he tries hard to fit in the character, you’ll often find yourself distracted by his over-dramatic tone dialogues. On the other hand, Gautam as a chirpy, full-of-life young girl, has nothing much to offer except look gorgeous throughout the film. Gulshan Devaiah has a short role in the second half which he manages to pull off convincingly.
Amidst all the chaos, the only thing that only thing that happens in this film is the chemistry they share, which again isn’t convincing enough to make the film work. While the off-screen dating rumours of Samrat and Gautam are rife, their on-screen chemistry needs a lot of hard work. However, there are some scenes that are performed with such innocence that they’ll remind you of your first teenage love.
The plot is so predictable that it’s not just the next twist, but also the dialogues that you’d be able to guess quite easily. He film rides solely on the clichéd twists and turns. Sequences wherein the actors try to raise the bar with their performances, the script pulls it down.
Out of the many done-to-death concepts in this film, the notable ones include the family’s resistance to their daughter marrying an army officer and the big fat Punjabi wedding. There are several cliched dialogues like, "Dil de rahi hu Captain, toddna mat" to "Aisi koi paheli nahi jo maine suljhayi nahi", which take you back to those sad films that survived only on melodrama.
To the film’s credit, the picturesque Himalayan locales have been explored beautifully. Yami’s on-screen persona works well for this one.
Go for this film only if you’re a die-hard fan of either Gautam or Samrat; else give this one a miss.
Rating: 1.5/5
Comments
0 comment