You just cannot go wrong with a meet-cute love story. Hindi cinema has thrived on countless such films- boy meets girl, sparks fly, there is love, banter, heartbreak, and they come back together again for a kiss. The end. (Also read: Badass Ravikumar review: Come, fall in love with Himesh Reshammiya’s brainrot version of ‘Himesh’s Got Talent')
But turns out, things can indeed go wrong in some cases. Horribly wrong. Bobby Aur Rishi Ki Love Story is a shining example of how not to make a romance.
It starts with the director (also the writer here)- Kunal Kohli. He has either lost his touch after the much-loved Hum Tum- or had to direct Bobby Aur Rishi Ki Love Story at gunpoint. Nothing else explains why he has no control over what is happening here. Editors are Sanjay Sankla and Pratul Gaikwad, and two people here couldn't do one job. There is nothing much to work with.
The film revolves around two young adults Rishi (Vardhan Puri) and Bobby (filmmaker Shekhar Kapur’s daughter Kaveri in her debut), who meet abroad. They are singing songs within an hour of meeting, getting into random mock fights which are supposed to be funny… sample this: ‘I am not impotent, she is ugly’ says Rishi, with the both of them pretending to be husband-wife in front of two English girls. Then they start squealing and running on the streets. It would have been easier for the viewers if the makers had written ‘LAUGH’ on the screen so at least people knew where the comedy is in this rom-com.
{{/usCountry}}The film revolves around two young adults Rishi (Vardhan Puri) and Bobby (filmmaker Shekhar Kapur’s daughter Kaveri in her debut), who meet abroad. They are singing songs within an hour of meeting, getting into random mock fights which are supposed to be funny… sample this: ‘I am not impotent, she is ugly’ says Rishi, with the both of them pretending to be husband-wife in front of two English girls. Then they start squealing and running on the streets. It would have been easier for the viewers if the makers had written ‘LAUGH’ on the screen so at least people knew where the comedy is in this rom-com.
{{/usCountry}}Anyway, the day has barely come to an end and the two are telling each other their secrets. Rishi asks seriously ‘Are we meant to be together, are we soulmates?’ while Bobby remarks ‘Main ek aur heartbreak ke liye ready nahi hoon. Hum ek doosre ke liye hamesha special rahenge voh important hai’.
If you haven’t given up on the film by this point, claps for you. The rest of the story is them going their separate ways and meeting again.
Let alone any chemistry between Bobby and Rishi, the actors here barely act. Vardhan tries hard to mimic Raj’s character from Dilwale Dulhania Le Jaayenge- but this is no DDLJ, and he is no Shah Rukh Khan. If anything, he is irritating.
Kaveri doesn’t have it in her when it comes to acting. The screen presence is dull, and she isn’t able to emote a character who is apprehensive about falling in love, after getting her fingers burnt before. There is no pain in her eyes, no happiness on her face. How this film got greenlit, despite the below average performances, is a bigger mystery than 'Melody itni chocolatey kyun hai?'
Kunal, the director, has lost the plot. It is unbelievable that someone who got romance so on point with Hum Tum and even Fanaa, couldn’t give us at least a passable romance here. Maybe it was just Saif Ali Khan and Rani Mukerji’s brilliance which had elevated his previous work.
It’s criminal to have multiple music composers (AR Rahman being one of them!) and not be able to give one memorable piece. I suspect this film was an experiment for everyone involved- they could write, sing, act, direct however they wanted. Except… experiments are reserved for laboratories under supervision, and not for public consumption.
Overall, Bobby Aur Rishi Ki Love Story is a big misfire. A major streamer like Disney+ Hotstar agreeing to release this makes one question things.
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