So, here is my review for an offbeat Bollywood romantic comedy by the name of Qarib Qarib Singlle directed by Tanuja Chandra.
I say 'offbeat' only because it does not conform to the escapist, fantasy fare that Bollywood romances usually are. In fact, the strength of QQS is that it is rooted in reality and its characters are the average everyday people you would meet. The protagonist Jaya is a single career woman whose soldier husband is no more. She is constantly being egged on by friends to start dating and shed her single status.
She finally puts up her profile on an online dating site and is inundated with lewd messages from weirdos. But one message catches her eye. From a poet named Yogi. Jaya is amused and slightly bewildered by a man who insists on telling her about his ex-girlfriends on their first date. Yogi turns out to be a charming and eccentric character and she finds herself going on a road trip with him, ostensibly to meet his exes. Charming, quirky incidents follow and through it all the poles-apart Jaya and Yogi fall in love with each other.
While it was watchable -- thanks mainly to stellar performances by Irrfan Khan and Parvathy -- I'm confused as to why exactly Jaya would agree to go on a road trip with a man she has just met and that too to meet his ex girlfriends! There is a lame effort to explain this, in the third act of the film, but it comes too late and doesn't quite work.
Have you seen the film? Do share your thoughts in the comment box below.
Hi Mam,
ReplyDeletePlease share your thoughts about the structural points of the movie. Majorly from a screenwriting perspective. It'd be interesting to know that what you think about it. Also, about the possibility of making into a novel. :)
Thank you for reading my review and your request. Structurally, it works, in the sense the plot moves along at a quick pace and it doesn't drag. However, I felt Yogi's character was not developed well. For instance, I didn't get a sense of what makes him tick. And how does a poet live so grandly (he asserts at one point that money is not a problem). It would make an interesting novel as the structure of a novel provides more scope to delve into characters and their motivations. Hope this helps! :)
ReplyDeleteWill try to watch this movie. Seems a good one.
ReplyDeleteBut even I wonder why would a girl go for road trip to meets ones exs :)
I know, right!? Thanks for reading, Ranjana! :)
DeleteMany times these elements are used so skillfully as to be hardly recognized by the majority of the movie going public, but to the trained eye, these elements are obvious.solarmovies
ReplyDelete