‘Bewakoofiyaan’ reeks of confused storytelling. The filmmakers seem to have lost the plot somewhere during the making of the film – Is the focus on recession and the impact it has on a nascent romantic relationship? Or is this just another love story that has its share of upheavals? Mohit Chaddha (Ayushmann Khurrana) is a marketing whiz in a stable relationship with Mayera Sehgal (Sonam Kapoor), a financial genius. The next imminent thing to do for this young couple is to get married and they need Mayera’s bureaucratic father, V K Sehgal’s (Rishi Kapoor) permission for that. Just when Mohit is trying to make a good impression, he loses his job, which would possibly further jeopardize his equation with his would-be father-in-law. Mohit Chaddha is a decent guy – in fact, quite an indulgent boyfriend. He is ready to apologise every time he snaps at his girlfriend, he realizes that his frustration is misplaced. He goes to great lengths to appease Mr Sehgal, who puts him on “probation” before he is even willing to consider giving consent to the marriage. Mohit makes every effort to find a new job, even though; he is a little particular about the right profile. However, in less than three months of being fired, he is completely broke. Wouldn’t you expect a marketing genius to be a little more circumspect about his finances? He seems to be on a splurging spree before he realizes that both the credit and debit limit have run out. Mayera is supposedly the successful career woman, who earns more than her boyfriend and makes no bones about paying his bills till he gets a job. As a supportive partner wouldn’t you spend quality time with your partner trying to help him through this professional crisis? Instead she is planning expensive distractions every day – an evening out at the discotheque, gold class movie tickets, passes for rock shows that are exorbitantly priced and the list goes on. Yes, she is offering to pay for them but how difficult is to for her to realize that sooner or later, the extravagance is going to pinch? Yes, she made a list of jobs that Mohit could apply for but that’s not enough.It’s ridiculous that she cribs about not having enough to splurge on new shoes when he doesn’t have money to pay his rent. Anyone who has lived through unemployment will tell you that it is one of the most difficult times to get through. You start doubting your own capabilities when you are repeatedly rejected at job interviews. What you need most then is the support and faith of your family and friends. It’s not enough to have someone who is ready to lend you money and plan diversions that you can’t afford in the first place. And this is where the film the film fails to ring true. The premise is superfluous and trying to show the female lead as a strong career person is mere tokenism. If she is really so ambitious, why does she turn down the Dubai opportunity without even giving it a serious thought? And when she eventually accepts it, it takes her a moment to drop it for the sake of LOVE? What about the ramifications it would have on her promising career? Surely, there is a way to balance your love life and your job? Mayera’s super ambitious father also has no problems with this professional harakiri? The main supporting character in this film is V K Sehgal (Rishi Kapoor). And you understand that he is protective father. You understand, as a retired IAS(Indian Administrative Services) official he has ample time and influence at his disposal to engage in Robert De Niro-esque (in Meet The Parents) investigations. What you don’t understand is why he expects his daughter’s boyfriend to comply with his every whim and fancy and that too in the middle of a working day since he hasn’t been told that out hero is jobless. There wasn’t a single moment of genuine emotion in this film. You feel for Ayushmann’s character but it remains superficial. The others, you really don’t care about. Recession and employment are real issues for people who have lived through that stage of uncertainty and insecurity. It’s the flippant execution of a real problem that just doesn’t work in ‘Bewakoofiyaan’.
Posted on: Thu, 03 Apr 2014 13:18:22 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015