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Ek Deewane Ki Deewaniyat review: This boring Harshvardhan Rane, Sonam Bajwa film is tailor-made only for Instagram reels
Ek Deewane Ki Deewaniyat review: The whole point of the film is to end up as an Instagram reel for jilted lovers to clip and plaster across their feeds.
It took me a long time to figure out the point of a film like Ek Deewane Ki Deewaniyat. And then, amid one of the endlessly meaningless dialogues disguised as poetry, it hit me: the whole point was for a line, a scene, to end up as an Instagram reel for jilted lovers to clip and plaster across their feeds.
Diwali this year promised a box office clash, with a horror-comedy like Thamma and the romantic drama Deewaniyat. After sitting through both, it’s clear which one really delivers the screams. Hint: not Thamma.
The premise
Directed by Milap Milan Zaveri, the story revolves around Vikramaditya Bhonsle, a politician (Harshvardhan Rane) who sees Adaa (Sonam Bajwa), a popular actor, and immediately falls in love. He wants her to marry him at any cost. Thus begins a mishmash of Tere Naam and Raanjhanaa. There is nothing more to the story, trust me.
After refusing his proposal, Adaa is thrown out of films, her personal life goes for a toss, yet the story still tries to pass it off as his 'passionate love' or Deewaniyat. From the first few scenes, the film makes it clear how unrealistic it is. Adaa is a superstar, yet she lives in a middle-class house. She walks around with zero security, and the day her one servant is on leave, she has to do her chores herself. If Adaa were a real person, she would be a producer’s dream amid any entourage cost debate.
Meanwhile, a high-profile politician like Vikram, walks around with only a bouncer/friend, played by Shaad Randhawa. Anyone can hit Vikram at any time.
Screenplay borders on ridiculousness
The screenplay, by Mushtaq Sheikh and Milap Zaveri, borders on ridiculousness when the story in the second half becomes about Adaa making a public declaration: she will sleep with anyone who kills Vikram. I am not making this up.
The first half is Harshvardhan walking around in slow motion while Sonam maintains one expression. Let’s not mistake this for a passionate love story, as the final scene tries to convince us. The second half is repetitive and reminds me of the song 'I hate you like I love you.'
In the performance department, Harshvardhan is nothing like his green-flag character in Sanam Teri Kasam. He tries to elevate a couple of scenes, but never quite convinces. Sonam too puts in effort, but when the screenplay has nothing to offer, you need someone of Manoj Bajpayee’s calibre to gloss over the faults.
The music, credited to Kaushik-Guddu, Kunaal Vermaa, Rajat Nagpal, Rahul Mishra, and DH Chetas, is nice in places, but there is too much of it. The background score is deafening.
To sum it up, Ek Deewane Ki Deewaniyat tries to pass off absurdity as passion, and Instagram-ready moments as storytelling. If you're looking for a genuine romance or coherent cinema, keep walking.
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