Producer: Karan and Hiroo Yash Johar

Writer, director: Tarun Mansukhani

Stars: Abhishek Bachchan, John Abraham, Priyanka Chopra, Bobby Deol

Creative Quotient

There are many firsts to this mainstream popcorn flick - it is the first time that a gay couple is made to look normal and not caricaturish, the first time that a traditional Indian mom accepts her son’s gay status and also the first time the hip, fashionable heroine bares her professional and personal insecurities admitting she’s ‘27, single and my job sucks!’. Wowee for those brave forays by young writer-director Mansukhani! Beyond that the screenplay nosedives into a humdrum saga of sex, lies and deceit. The film takes off on a high note as Shilpa Shetty gyrates uninhibitedly to the Shut up and bounce number and Kunal (John) in a darebare act flexes his muscles and get snap-happy as a fashion photographer who’s been hauled over the coals and has no roof on his head. Likewise Sameer (Abhishek), a male nurse, is hunting for a rented accommodation. They land up at fashion reporter Neha’s (Priyanka) apartment where she’s letting two rooms. They pretend to be a gay couple and life takes strange turns for the two as they both fall in love with their lovely landlady. Sameer and Kunal are urged to relate their love story and the fictitious romance that Sameer whips up is frothier than sundae and crisper than the popcorn you dig into while watching the movie. Clearly this is the funniest moment.

The writer brings in the third and the real man of her life Bobby Deol too early in the proceedings. He’s her new boss who’s commissioned her with the impossible task of launching an all-new look of their fashion magazine, Verve. How her roommates help her tide over the crisis and how she wins all the accolades and her boss’s heart makes for interesting viewing. Likewise Boman Irani’s over-the-top gay act as Neha’s boss and Kirron Kher’s concerned mama who eventually accepts her son’s (posed) gay relation.

From here on, the screenplay trundles off to a jealous lovers’ club track, everything gets mushy, emotional and tedious.

But, creatively, the writer breaks fresh grounds and that’s refreshing.

Technical Expertise
The sizzling Miami Beach, the hip styling by Aki Narula and Manish Malhotra and Ayananka Bose’s dazzling frames lend the film a high-gloss look. Abhishek Bachchan’s heartfelt act, John Abraham’s unabashed body flaunting and Priyanka Chopra’s touching mod-yet-vulnerable character add pizzazz to the narrative. Sushmita Mukherji’s tacky Sindhi prototype and Kirron Kher’s scary tantrik avatar do the damage.

Production designer Amrita Nakai’s backdrops are impressive. Editor Manna Sagar delivers some witty audio cuts especially in the scene where John and Abhishek speak over the phone to Bobby and his five-year-old son Veer. The VFX by Red Chillies is also worth a mention. Technically a high-end product! Easy on the eye with a funny feel, this is the young urban dream come true.

If only the director could have maintained the tempo and the spirit of the film in the second half, this could have been a film worth a repeat watch. Alas! That is not so. The film could also have done without the lip-to-lip smooch challenge that John and Abhishek take up!

Verdict
Of the three stars, Abhishek alone walks away with a big, bright star; second one is due to Priyanka and John for their convincing acts and final one to the debutant director for breaking new grounds in many ways.