College life is synonymous with fun, studies, extra-curricular activities, friendships, pranks and not to forget romance. Not all have the courage to express their love. And so they resort to hiding behind a different identity, someone prettier or more popular. The story is no different. We saw it in Saajan, in YRF’s Mujhse Dosti Karoge and now it is Mujhse Fraandship Karoge. Just that this romance hides behind computer screens.

Rahul (Nishant Dahiya) is a college rock star who has ensnared the hearts of all the women in his audience. And this charm also works on the man-hating Priety Sen (Saba Azad) who loves his music and lyrics. However, Priety fans this attraction when her hot room-mate Malavika (Tara D’Souza) receives a friend request from Rahul. She chats with Rahul as Malavika. On the other side, Rahul’s writer friend Vishal Bhatt (Saqib Saleem) uses his friend’s image and FB id to get to know Malavika better. Priety as Malavika and Vishal as Rahul hit it off online, while in reality they can’t stand each other. In trying to keep up the pretences, both of them make Rahul and Malavika meet with little understanding that the two would actually connect on their very first date. Thus, the friend request sets off a complicated love story hidden behind the screen of social networking sites.

The story is not new, but Director Nupur Ashtana deals with clichés in a manner that makes you miss a lot of them. The love-hate concept has been done to death. But the use of current technology works well for the target audience. The screenplay and story avoid redundancy and boredom. Except towards the end, the film moves fast. Facebook’s features have been used very intelligently to make a statement. It brings the story closer to those who are hooked on to this platform.

The same whacky and tacky dialogues have been tweaked and timed well to evoke smiles and chuckles. It is more suited to the current generation that is straightforward and sarcastic. Some of them are very well written and executed, especially Vishal’s lines.

For debutants, the entire cast is pretty good. It is heartening to see 21 year-olds playing 21. Saba who plays Priety does have certain standard expressions which she could work on. Saqib is certainly a good find. There are a couple of scenes where the two of them falter and overact but overall they are not bad at all. Tara is noticeable and not just for her looks. Nishant has good screen presence but even in his limited role, he falls short of good.

Technically, the film is as good as expected. The cinematography and editing makes the film look bright and beautiful as is the trademark of all YRF films. The scenes where Vishal and Priety are juxtaposed in the same screen grab attention. The last sequence alone is long drawn though, technically the use of pictures and animation is commendable.

Raghu Dixit’s music is passable. ‘Dheaon dheaon’ is a catchy composition with really complicated lyrics. But it may work. All the other tracks make a good listen. Aadil Shaikh’s choreography is ordinary but suits the occasion.

Overall, this Y Films’ production tells an ordinary story to a gen Y audience in the current backdrop of social networking on mobiles. College students and those just out of college would surely be able to relate to it.  So, if you are bored this weekend with nothing much to do, watch it with your friends. Or wait for the DVD prints.

Verdict: An Ordinary Film done well!