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AJAB PREM KI GHAZAB KAHANI MOVIE REVIEW
Review by : Harish V
Starring: Ranbir Kapoor, Katrina Kaif, Upen Patel, Darshan Jariwala, Asrani, Salman Khan, Govind Namdeo, Smita Jaykar, Navneet Nishan, Mithilesh Chaturvedi, Zakir Hussain, Jagdeep
Direction: Rajkumar Santoshi
Music: Pritam ChakrabortyMendonca
Production: Tips Music Films
Rajkumar Santoshi can be termed as the most unpredictable director in Bollywood. He has given us some masterpieces like The Legend of Bhagat Singh, Lajja, Damini, Ghayal, Andaaz Apna Apna but has also served us disasters like Family, Halla Bol and Barsaat. Now with 'Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani', Santoshi wants to taste success once more in the comedy genre. With the in-form Ranbir Kapoor, the lucky mascot Katrina Kaif , impressive promos and exquisite music, the movie had hit written all over it. But Rajkumar had other plans.

With over the top pranks and over the top emotions, one needed a central strong plot to drive it home. But APKGK suffers there. It’s the age old story of boy meets girl. Boy secretly loves the girl only to find out that the girl loves another person. The hero sacrifices his love but ends up
  Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani
saving her life. Finally all is well when the girl realizes hero's true love and goes for him and dumps her premi. With such an outdated story you at-least expect the treatment to be new but the director who seemed to be heavily hung-over with his last comedy Andaaz Apna Apna fails to do so.

The promos promised a ‘laugh a minute’ riot but Santoshi ends up sprinkling some really funny slapstick around a romantic drama. The act three, which needs to be the strongest, ends up as a victim of unintentional humor. The movie suffers from continuity problem, and also loses pace in the second half while the first just whooshes past. Flashes of brilliance are evident in scenes like, when Ranbir goes for work for the first time, or when Ranbir confuses his father by putting on Katrina's top, or when Ranbir faces Salman Khan or when Ranbir stages Upen's suicide to get the approval from Upen's politician father, but it only manages to be a tasty dessert after a half cooked meal.

But the meal would not have been even bearable if not for the inspiring performance of Ranbir Kapoor as Prem Chopra. The talented young actor takes on a mountain and with his naughty eyes and boyish charms woos everyone with a towering performance. His performance in the party scene when he saves Katrina from a bad date is an exquisite example of how brilliant this young lad really is. Katrina Kaif overacts but is still likeable and looks gorgeous as ever. Upen Patel's face is as stiff as his six pack. The sooner he takes his acting classes as seriously as his gym classes the better for us. Darshan Jariwala as Ranbir's father does his job without much hassle. Smita Jaykar impresses especially in the scene when she tries to seduce her husband to save Ranbir and Katrina. Others in the cast have little to do and don’t make much of an impact.

Cinematography by Thiru needs special mention as the movie looks very rich. Thiru's work especially in 'Tu Jaane na' is brilliant. Action by Tinu Verma is over the top and he tries really hard to find our funny bone but fails to do so. Pritam's songs are a big boon to the movie which beautifully camouflage the improper placement of them. Art by Nitesh Roy is brilliant, half the time we are unable to figure out which is real and which is made up. Editing by Steven H. Bernard is decent but there is no flow in the transition which affects the movie especially in the second half.

Overall the movie is a desperate attempt by a director to come up with an in-trend film and relive past glory. The lone battler Ranbir with ample help from Thiru and Pritam tries desperately to save the sinking ship but when the captain thinks it to be a submarine there is little they can do, isn't it?

Verdict: Nothing Ghazab about this Kahani..

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