There is no movie in recent times that has so casually presented love without really undermining or simplifying the complexity that comes with it.
I may go so far as calling it Woody Allen-ish, because one parallel that comes to mind is ‘Vicky Christina Barcelona’. Although VCB is far more intellectually stimulating with undertones and subtleties that LPNY cannot match but there is an overall similarity in the approach i.e. a simple breezy presentation without being melodramatic or didactic about anything.
The movie is made by a débutante women director 'Anuradha Menon’ (more popularly known as 'Lola Kutty’ of MTV) and and as they say for authors I guess its true for first time directors too-who also happen to be first time scriptwriters-that it has shades of their own self. At many points in the film the characters and conversations become so earthy that you wonder if its autobiographical.
The theme is quite simple and the format pretty much NOT overused.The movie is set in three cities London Paris and NewYork and is entirely based on conversations between the two protagonists-boy and girl- and how they meet and part and then meet again to finally unite. The USP of the movie is its refreshing lightness without being crappy, a reminder of Hrishikesh Mukherjee style of cinema.
The movie presents a very contemporary idea of love-how geographies sometimes determine your love life;how easily people move on, the cycle of break ups and patch ups and of course the confusion that comes with the freedom when YOU choose your partner.
The movie belongs largely to the script with the actors neither adding much value nor destroying it, however there are flashes where Ali Zafar stands out, especially the scene where he vents out against Aditi Roy Hyderi. The humour in the movie is intelligent and well placed and it keeps the conversations crisp.
The highpoint of the movie is of course its climax, where the movie suddenly veers from sweet conversations to sharp accusations, and Ali Zafar with his endearing 'not so Indian yet Punjabi accent’ carries it off well.
The climax despite being the most dramatic has a subtle profundity in it,that how easily love can hurt and heal. Love is the only emotion which comes with an incredible volatility and range, in a moment you can swerve from most romantic to most spiteful and then be totally forgiving about it; you cannot imagine being friends again with someone if you say something even half as harsh; this is the beauty of love and the movie very casually makes this point.
The music composed by Ali Zafar has an amateurish freshness.It is totally in sync with the tone of the movie.There is an earthiness in the songs, it seems as if you are singing impromptu. My favourite is ’ woh dekhne me seedhi saadi ladki…’
Note: My sincere apologies for one and a half year delay in reviewing this movie; I was busy producing babies.
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