It’s stupid, and it wears you down!

We all are aware of the moolah that gets pumped into the launch pads of some star sons and daughters, and, so, the socalled wellargued defence that Bollywood biggies offer on the nepotism debate has always sounded rather weak. Despite many of them being untalented, we have to put up with them simply because they have a famous parent or relative help push them through the door.

Pitted against this week’s other release, the racy thriller Andhadhun, the Abhiraj K Minawala directed film Loveyatri gets released after an Ahmedabad-based outfit moved the Gujarat High Court seeking a ridiculous ban on its original title, Loveratri, claiming that its title and contents hurt the sentiments of Hindus.

Does it help to change the title? Despite all the calculated buzz, that this Salman Khan and his family produced romantic drama would get viewers to trot out to see it over the weekend sounds like wishful thinking.

Set against the backdrop of Navratri in Vadodara, the film has Sushrut (Aayush Sharma) — fondly called Susu by his family and friends — as a garba dance teacher, who has no interest in classroom studies. When the London-based Manisha/Michelle shows up in his city during the nine-day festival, Susu sets his eyes on her and is floored. She, too, looks drawn towards him, much to her father, Sameer Patel’s (Ronit Roy) annoyance. The rest of the 139-minute film is so predictable that one could walk out midway and still get the drift: a fleeting shared moment between the boy and girl during the garba dance moments; a spin on his scooty round the city; one missed opportunity; two loyal friends Pratik Gandhi and Sajeel Parakh, and a maternal uncle Rasik (Ram Kapoor) chipping in with their help and support and the mandatory misunderstanding that leads to decisions that send their lives in completely different directions.