Aarohi and Arjun have bumped into each other time and again - in true Dilwale Dulhania Le Jaayenge style, he’s even helped her board a running train, but due to some or the other reason, the two fail to know the real people they are. D K Punj wants to build a school on the land opposite the gurukul and wants Aarohi’s father to help him out. He knows it’s difficult to make the ‘idealist’ old man agree to it but Punj, being a hardcore businessman, knows how to manipulate things and get things done. Helping him is a rich and famous couple, the Mittals and their wayward son.
Aarohi and her sisters in the meanwhile take pride in their father’s modest achievements and ensure that they don’t tarnish his image.
The story is being narrated by Arjun, many many years later inside a prison to a lawyer (Rakshanda Khan) who wants to fight his case and free him. It’s with her that he’s sharing his love story.
Where Bandini lacks in slow pace, Kitani Mohabbat Hai falters in its performances, especially that of the lead couple. Both lack the spunk, the chemistry and simply fail to connect. We think after Prerna and Anurag and Karan and Nandini (in Kasauti Zindagi Kay and Kutumb, Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi), none of Ekta Kapoor’s young couples have managed to whip up the same magic. Aarohi and Arjun look lifeless and stiff, their romance or whatever that’s shown between them is vapid to say the least.
The story is a mish-mash of several Hindi films like Veer Zaara and Taal to name a couple. A love story even if it starts on a wrong footing works only if the lead players are magical. Sadly, Kitani Mohabbat Hai fails on that count. Luckily, the rest of the cast, especially the actors playing D K Punj, the professor and the haughty, Mrs Mittal save the show with their experience and acting chops.
As for the rest of the enterprise, all we can say is Uff Yeh Mohabbat!
Verdict:
Typical Balaji fare