BEWAKOOFIYAAN MOVIE REVIEW

Most of our Bollywood romance flicks end with the ‘happily ever after’ visual of the lead pair walking away hand in hand. The way such films differ from each other is in the conflict which is portrayed. Bewakoofiyaan is another quintessential Bollywood rom-com where the conflict element is brought about by recession which hits the aviation industry hard and costs the lover Mohit his job. Mohit also has to deal with his girlfriend Mayera’s demanding and annoying dad who is a retired government official and has a lot of time to kill. There is the mandatory break-up, patch-up routine as well, in this flick.

The film just about works thanks to some endearing moments which are strewn across. Sonam Kapoor gets to be the ‘fashionista’ that she is in real life and plays a well-off urban working girl who is obsessed with shopping high-end brands and living the good life with her hard earned money. She is gorgeous and carries off her business-class attires in style. We also get to see her stunning hot bod in a bikini and other figure hugging clothes. But, her performance is artificial and she pales alongside the naturally charming Ayushmann Khurrana. Ayushmann in fact looks a bit young to be paired opposite Sonam. He makes a mark in the scenes after losing his job and when he starts feeling the heat thanks to peer pressure, desperation and financial insecurities.

Rishi Kapoor’s confidence in the frame is evident and his presence is overpowering. His role as the irritating father who is forever looking to put down his prospective son-in-law brings about the required effect in us. The film has substantial chunk of screen time devoted to the bonding between Rishi and Ayushmann as the latter helps the former in getting a post-retirement job, even as he is grappling with his unemployment.

There are some interesting side characters in the movie like the kid at the coffee shop, the Sardar colleague of Rishi Kapoor who comes up with some interesting observations and also the young maid at Rishi’s household.

Yash Raj Films have made this film with normal means and haven’t splurged on anything extravagant, unlike their big recent outings like Dhoom 3 and Gunday. The action shifts to Dubai for a wee bit towards the end, but otherwise it is all about Delhi and its surroundings.

The film features some hum-worthy tracks like Bewakoofiyaan and Gulcharrey by Raghu Dixit. But seeing the lead pair indulge in song and dance sequences when the hero is without a job is questionable.

Despite a running time of just under 2 hours, with a really short first half, you do feel some lags in the movie. The film never shifts gear and meanders to the finish line. It is good old-fashioned cinematic drama that spices up the movie to an extent. 

Though seeing the movie wouldn’t kill you, it isn’t anything out of the ordinary too. This time, it is just an average outing for YRF.