Review on "Yeh Jaawani Hai Deewani"

Cast: Ranbir Kapoor, Deepika Padukone, Aditya Roy Kapur, Kalki Koechlin

Direction:Ayan Mukerji

Rating:****

‘Yeh Jaawani Hai Deewani’ is a frothy romance, bubbling with infectious effervescence and palpable energy. Karan Johar has trained his disciples well; Ayan Mukerji definitely knows how to competently weave an urban love story, complete with exotic locales, a colourful Bollywood wedding,dollops of mush, a dash of melodrama and loads of fun.

Kabir Thapar aka Bunny (Ranbir Kapoor) was lured more by wanderlust than by any of the other girls he compulsively flirted with.Naina Talwar (Deepika Padukone) was the complete opposite; a topper all her life and now a med student, like most nerds she had completely missed out on the fun element in her life. After a chance encounter with her school classmate, the wild Aditi (Kalki Koechlin), Naina impulsively decides to make a trip to Manali. While the four (Ranbir, Deepika, Kalki and Aditya) forge a strong bond during the trip, they separate knowing that at that moment they are headed towards an uncertain future.

Ayan explores the notion of ‘love’ in ‘Yeh JaawaniHai Deewani’. What do you do when you realize that you are desperately in love with someone but both of you want completely different things from life? Surely falling in love doesn’t mean complete submission of your individual dreams and aspirations? There is always a middle ground or like our hero says, there is always a right time to seize the moment. The director very clearly underlines the limitations of love too, while some stories have a realistic chance of working out, there are others where the notion of friends as lovers however appealing doesn’t necessarily translate into a happy relationship.

The film’s unusual take on friendships, especially Ranbir and Aditya’s bromance, much like Farhan and Hrithik’s veiled resentment in ‘Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara’ (2011), makes for an interesting sub-plot. While Aditi(Kalki) is quick to overlook her friend’s flaws, Avi (Aditya) is less forgiving. There’s a subtle hint that all is not right between the two bestfriends, there’s a slight allusion that it might be triggered by jealousy but as the plot unfolds, you realize that their friendship is far deep-rooted to be effected by such superficial differences.

Ayan Mukerji achieves a fine balance, never going overboard with the emotional parts nor preachy with relationships fundas. Even when there’s a longish monologue by Bunny, he breaks the monotony by making a wisecrack. Ranbir portrays the subtleties well, like someone in the audience said,his charming presence is enough to demand a repeated watch. He is ably supported by rest of the cast, Deepika, Kalki and especially Aditya, are apt in their respective roles.

‘Yeh Jaawani Hai Deewani’ has the audience’s pulse from the very beginning,from Madhuri’s peppy Ghagra number till the emotional scenes that leave you moist eyed. The dialogues are witty and the humour is smart. I honestly can’t think of any reason why you shouldn’t watch this movie.