GOOD STORY

Review: Mehboob Bawa

HALF GIRLFRIEND. Directed by Mohit Suri.With Arjun Kapoor, Shraddha Kapoor,Vikrant Massey, Rhea Chakraborty,Anisa Butt and Seema Biswas. At Ster – Kinekor, Cavendish. DIRECTOR Mohit Suri’s latest film is based on the novel Half Girlfriend written by Indian author Chetan Bhagat.

The film is buoyed by strong lead performances and a terrific soundtrack, always a hallmark of Suri’s films.

But after a strong start, the second half of the film takes a dip due to an indifferent screenplay.

Madhav is an awkward, but endearing young man from a small town in Bihar who comes to study at a prestigious college in Delhi. He struggles to speak English which is the lingua franca adopted at the college, but qualifies through his basketball skills.

Here he meets Riya, also a skilled basketball player. They are opposites from a social perspective.

She comes from a wealthy family, is extremely proficient in English, but has commitment issues due to her parental conflicts.

Madhav is smitten and while Riya expresses a deep interest in him, she is unable to commit to being his girlfriend. She suggests she become his half girlfriend.

But as the relationship progresses it’s obvious he wants more. When he is denied, things go awry and they go their separate ways. Years later they reconnect and share a strong relationship only to move apart again.

Madhav is intent on finding her and travels to New York, bent on making things right. The film is told in a flashback, and at times there are flashbacks within that scenario.

Arjun Kapoor and Shraddha Kapoor play their parts well and the screenplay quickly sets up their characters and backgrounds.

Vikrant Massey, as Arjun’s best friend Shailesh, is a revelation and provides the film’s best performance. It’s great to see veteran actress Seema Biswas, of Bandit Queen fame, back on screen, as Madhav’s mother.

Vishnu Rao’s cinematography is excellent and the soundtrack by a multitude of composers has blockbuster written all over it.

The visual effects are a hit and miss affair. Some effects showing the New York skyline look good, but others in street scenes are really bad.

The first half will remind you of your school days; that first crush, the shy boy who falls in love with the most popular girl. We know these people and the proceedings are generally entertaining. One really feels for their situations.

But the post interval portions come across as contrived and laboured.

Although the story raises serious social issues as part of an important sub plot, Tushar Hiranandani’s screenplay glosses over it to allow the love story to take centre stage. Madhav takes up the cudgels on behalf of young girls in his home town who cannot attend school.

The point is, he only does so after leaving college. It’s all too convenient. The problem has been there for years.

His mother, who is a school principal, while obviously wanting the best for her son, attacks Riya for being a divorcee. Being a single mother, wouldn’t she identify with Riya’s plight?

When Madhav tries to make a move on Riya and she denies him, politely, he gets into a fit of rage hurting her.

When she leaves his room, the male students’ response imply that Madhav got his way and Riya is made to feel sluttish.

While the intention here may be to show that the negative status quo still exists, the execution doesn’t give the desired effect.

Suri is a talented director who excels in drawing good performances from his cast, for the most part.

Here he is let down by a screenplay that gives some characters questionable motivation.

The conclusion suffers from poor writing choices and slow pacing.

There are some good scenes to enjoy, but the sum of the parts do not equal the whole.

Vishnu Rao’s cinematography is excellent and the soundtrack by a multitude of composers has blockbuster written all over it