Life is a tale of love and break-ups until one finds his/her soul mate. Debutant writer-director Sahil Sangha sets out to explore this aspect of life in his first film Love Breakups Zindagi. The film is produced by actors who are yet to establish themselves in the industry. Both Diya Mirza and Zayed Khan have often been part of multi-starrers with few successes here and there. So expectations are low when the lights go out and the film starts.

However, half an hour into the movie, the audience is taken by surprise as they watch one of the most warm and heartening first halfs in a long long time, probably since Nisha met Prem in Hum Aapke Hain Kaun (HAHK). However, HAHK turns into a long drawn Dil Chahta Hai in the second half of Love Breakups Zindagi.

Once again, a friend’s wedding becomes the breeding ground for love. Jai (Zayed Khan), Naina (Diya Mirza), Govind (Cyrus Sahukar) and Sheela (Tisca Chopra) meet at the larger than life seven-day Punjabi wedding of their friends Arjun (Satyadeep Mishra) and Gayatri (Auritra Ghosh). Both Naina and Jai were in relationships. However, all their lives will never be the same after the wedding.

It is but obvious that HAHK and DCH are Sangha’s favorite films since the film bears overt resemblances to them. But it seems to be a more restrained and natural HAHK and a little over done DCH. All said and done, the film has a heart and gels well with the audience. For a first timer, Sangha has done a brilliant job in the department of direction. The first half is endearing. The second half is where the problem arises. It is too slow paced only to end in the most predictable way.

The film shines due to its acting especially in the wedding scenes which have been executed very naturally. Zayed Khan has improved by leaps and bounds. He shows maturity in his acting; however, he is emotionally challenged. He continues to struggle with sentiments. Diya Mirza is a revelation and proves herself once again and slowly is proving out to be a dependable actor. She does falter in a couple of places. But on the whole, she rocks. She looks extremely pretty and her character makes her even more adorable. Cyrus underplays his part well while Tisca once again delivers her role with élan. After many months, Farida Jalal makes an appearance and as always, it is a pleasure to see her on screen. Umang Jain who plays the role of Diya’s boyfriend has given a notable performance and so does the rest of the crew. There are a couple of special appearances by Riteish Deshmukh, Shah Rukh Kan and Bomman Irani, each of them very well-thought and executed.

In terms of the techniques, Aseem Bajaj uses the camera well. There is nothing extraordinary about the cinematography, but the film looks good, especially the wedding scenes. In terms of editing, Rameshwar S Bhagat could have done better in the second half. The film is long, yet the audience will fall for it. The screenplay is again good in the first half and needs work in the latter part of the film. The film’s music is good. Salim and Suleiman do deliver melodious chartbusters. Their Rab Rakha is a pick of the lot.

Overall, LBZ is a good movie with a heart in the right place. A breeze that comes as a pleasant surprise. If it had been crisp, it would have been better. In spite of strong overtones of HAHK and DCH, it stands on its own feet. Surely a decent watch this weekend.

Verdict: A cute, sweet and lengthy entertainer