Pehla Pyaar Doosri BaarDirector: Anuj SainiCast: Sparsh, Alisha, Kunal, Sakshi, Tushar and SargunRating: 3 stars
Good looking people, catchy songs, scenic locations and cheesy dialogues. For decades, Indian cinema has relied on this tried and tested formula to tell rom coms, and audiences have rarely complained. Luv Ranjan, however, found his own spin on it 15 years ago, throwing in bickering friends and everyday lingo that made Pyaar Ka Punchnama and Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety big successes. Now comes Pehla Pyaar Doosri Baar, another attempt to revisit familiar territory. Does it have enough charm to make an old formula feel fresh?
What is the plot of Pehla Pyaar Doosri Baar?
Directed by Anuj Saini, the film follows three school friends- Shivi, Gautam and Vedant, who are now colleagues, all single and still searching for love. A school reunion brings with it a chance of finally confessing their feelings to their respective school crushes. But when it comes to matters of the heart, is a second chance all it takes or are some things best left in the past?
For starters, there is an ease to the way this roughly 2 hour 20 minute film begins. Luv Ranjan and Jehan Handa, who have written PPDB, keep things light and tap into what rarely fails: nostalgia. Here, it is the nostalgia of going back to school and meeting classmates you have long lost touch with. Set against the beautiful landscapes of Dehradun, the film is easy on the eyes.
The first half of PPDB is a breeze, largely thanks to the chemistry between its three leads. A few dips too surface along the way. But a major problem crops up soon: for all its easy charm, what is the film actually about? The characters go back to school, meet their respective crushes... and then what? The film seems unsure of where to go from there.
{{/usCountry}}The first half of PPDB is a breeze, largely thanks to the chemistry between its three leads. A few dips too surface along the way. But a major problem crops up soon: for all its easy charm, what is the film actually about? The characters go back to school, meet their respective crushes... and then what? The film seems unsure of where to go from there.
{{/usCountry}}The second half picks up the pace, and the film finally seems to find some direction. The climax works, wrapping things up on a fun note. The comedy lands more often than it misses, with a handful of sequences likely to draw genuine chuckles. Thankfully, the dialogues steer clear of recycled WhatsApp jokes, giving the humour a more natural feel. A major track feels hard to buy into- a man falling head over heels for a school crush he barely spoke to back in the day, expects her to call off her impending wedding years later, all within two days of the reunion! Nostalgia can make old memories feel special, but it cannot, by itself make a convincing love story.
The music by Rochak Kohli is very good, and helps the film a lot. The acting performances by the newcomers- Sparsh Walia, Sakshi Vaidya, Kunal Vaid, Alisha Chopra (as Gehna) and Tushar Chhibber (as Kabir) are good, and lift the wafer thin story. Sparsh's character reminds you of Kartik Aaryan from the first Pyaar Ka Punchnama.
The verdict
Overall, Pehla Pyaar Doosri Baar has its moments. Its characters are busy chasing the people they fancied in school, but the film never quite makes you root for these romances as much as it should. That said, watch it with your friends and the familiar setting might get you talking about the people you fancied and the confessions you never made. Your stories might just be better written than this one.
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