Title: Loveyapa
Director: Advait Chandan
Cast: Junaid Khan, Khushi Kapoor, Ashutosh Rana, Gaurav Sachdeva, and others
Where: In theatres near you
Rating: 3.5 stars
The internet remembers. It surely does! So do our ‘smart’ devices! A cursory glance at anybody’s browser history can reveal much more about their secretive, carefully- guarded sides than the spoken-words or even their actions can ever do. Director Advait Chandan puts to use the very concept of swapping the phones to explore a modern day love tale in his film ‘Loveyapa’ starring Junaid Khan and Khushi Kapoor in the lead roles. Add to the already chaotic mix (or mess) the commotion created by the Gen Z pair, with their lifestyle choices, easily found their way into what can aptly be termed as siyappa.
In the year gone by, director Muddasar Aziz dished out a delicious commotion of sorts where the basic premise remained the same. In the Akshay Kumar starrer ‘Khel Khel Mein’, a bunch of friends swap their phones for a night only to discover, to their utter disbelief, the carefully guarded secrets and insecurities about each other. Naturally, who you truly are is revealed by what you tend to hide the most. While in that film the quest was a collective un-masking, here in Loveyapa, the risque exercise is conducted between the two lovers when the girl’s father insists upon swapping their phones.
Baani Boo (Khushi) and Baboo (Junaid Khan) find each other on social media and love doesn’t take much time to bloom between the two twenty-something lovebirds. The two want to take their relationship to the next level. Bani’s father however has a wicked plan in his head, to exchange each other’s phone (the mischievous glint in Ashutosh Rana’s eyes is unmissable).
What kicks off thereafter is complete siyappa. From the steamy pictures emerging from the phone galleries, to one secretly carousing through the dating app (in spite of having a potential life partner) to stoking the ‘ex’ flames and not minding their advances–all things grey start tumbling out! This creates more confusion, not just in the lives of the said couple, but even the close ones and in their (love) life gets affected.
Guilty as charged, I haven’t seen the original (Tamil film Love Today), so it’s difficult to decode if this endeavour is an exact replica, but the roller coaster ride it offers is enough to keep you engaged if not thoroughly entertained.
Nobody is a villain here, but at the same time, nobody can deny the grey shades of their beings either. The underlying message highlights the fact that how we tend to make our lives complex and complicated in the name of entertainment, in order to seek thrills or even to appear cool. And yet, the love survives, it triumphs even, against all the odds. The universal sweetness of emotions that love encompasses outshines every obstacle in the way. And all this and more make for a surprisingly hatke and fun watch!
While the first half may seem frothy and frivolous, the emotional graph and the gravitas shown in the second half keep you hooked. ‘Loveyapa’ demands patience and an understanding to acknowledge how love evolves and how forgiveness remains the key in order to make love win eventually.
Junaid exudes simplicity and the boy next door easiness. He is pleasantly awkward and his comic timing is striking. Khushi looks in control in emotional scenes and she is pretty to look at in every frame. Kiku Sharda is his usual effortless self with his unmatched zest and superb comic timing.
All in all, Loveyapa is a fun-filled ride, but it also asks some key questions along the path. Are we paying a heavy price in our quest to become technologically sophisticated species? Will the innocence of love be hampered thanks to how we chase frivolity and the temptations of all things frothy? It does dish out some answers in the end and makes you find some on your own in a fun and an engaging way. Go for this Siyappa brimming with love and warmth!
