Loveyapa review: Let’s address the elephant in the room first, yes the title ‘Loveyapa’ is an obvious spin on the slang which rhymes with it. Now, the question: is the film, that slang? Hmmm… it misses. Barely. (Also read: Mrs review: Sanya Malhotra doesn’t miss a beat in this hard-hitting watch about patriarchy vs ambitions)
Loveyapa is Aamir Khan’s attempt at introducing Junaid Khan to the big screen, opposite Sridevi’s younger daughter Khushi Kapoor. Both of them made their acting debut via OTT- Junaid in Maharaj, and Khushi in the forgettable The Archies. While he sailed through with decent reviews for a newcomer, she was trolled pretty hard. Does Loveyapa redeem them?
What’s the plot?
The story revolves around the quintessential Gen Z couple- Baani Sharma (Khushi) and Gaurav Sachdeva (Junaid), who are caught talking to each other on phone by her dad Atul (Ashutosh Rana). With their relationship exposed, he calls Gaurav for a meeting. Before saying a yes to him for getting married to Baani, he lays forth a condition: the couple has to exchange their unlocked phones for one night. If they survive it, they get to marry. Simple, right? Well, we wouldn’t have an entire film if it was.
Intriguing premise, agreed. Based on the 2022 Tamil film Love Today, the film opens with an ad for a mobile phone. I am not talking about the pre-film advertisements but an ENTIRE TITLE TRACK made to showcase a phone, complete with the specifications. As we move past that, the story seems breezy and relatable enough.
In a world where there’s options available for everything–from food to love– is it a bit much to expect loyalty? Moreover, why is communication a problem between couples despite staying connected 24/7 through smartphones?
Sneha Desai, credited for adapted screenplay and dialogues, gets the Punjabi lingo bang on, which leads to some genuinely funny moments, except the irritating ‘bhains ki aankh’ Gaurav keeps spouting. But everything isn’t rosy. You can’t stretch two things beyond a point- a rubber band and a story. Because one breaks, and the other tests your patience.
Loveyapa wants to cram a lot into its runtime- commentary on Gen-Z being obsessed with their phones, online trolling, deepfakes, body shaming, AI… it gets a bit too much to handle. While the first half is about the guy finding out about the girl’s undisclosed exes, the second half is about what she finds in her boyfriend’s phone. Ample scope for drama…. but the editing isn’t crisp, and by the time these two sort their trust issues, you wish they would call the wedding off and khatam this siyapa.
Performance report card
The leads here try hard. Really hard. Junaid’s deer-stuck-in-headlights expression is perpetual, as is Khushi’s 120-watt smile.
While she has improved by leaps and bounds since The Archies, Junaid’s performance feels like the camera was turned on as he was rehearsing the scenes on set. Romance on-screen doesn’t come naturally to him, but hey, it’s their first big screen outing. There’s certainly scope for improvement. Khushi specifically gets the hang of emotional scenes right.
Ashutosh Rana lends Loveyapa the much needed anchor so as to not drift far away. Fun fact: he has played a father to both Janhvi and now Khushi in their respective big screen outings, Dhadak and Loveyapa! There’s a certain charm he brings even when his character requires him to speak only in chaste Hindi. It could have easily become irritating, but this seasoned actor just doesn’t go wrong.
Grusha Kapoor as Gaurav’s mother gets good screen space, and she makes the most of it. It’s nice to see Kiku Sharda get a role which isn’t only about comic relief… but Aaditya Kulshreshth, who is endearingly called Kullu by fans, could have done with a better role.
Overall, Loveyapa is no Jaane Tu… Ya Jaane Na (Aamir’s nephew Imran’s debut), which has become a cult hit over the years, with immense repeat value. This film, on the other hand, is barely a one time watch, and that too only because there’s an acute dearth of good rom-coms.
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