Opening Doorz

By Martin D’Souza | Opening Doorz Editorial | December 09, 2016

Rating: 2 / 5

The essence: Befikre could have been a bolder film. It had three spunky actors but was let down by a poor script.

Aditya Chopra returns for his fourth film as a director: the plot still revolves around love. In 2008, he gave us the successful Anushka Sharma debut film, Rab Ne Bana De Jodi which also had Shah Rukh Khan in it. Eight years later, Chopra comes up with another love story, this time based in Paris and he goes on and on about that particular relationship even though we know where the film is headed.

The end was really surprising, uncalled for, like the senseless 80s ending. There could have been more dignity shown in a relationship that is about to be sanctified. If this was a slapstick comedy, the ending could have been justified!

Dharam (Ranveer Singh), a Delhi boy, lands up in Paris to help out his friend who is running a night club. On the first day itself, he runs into Shyra (Vaani Kapoor) an Indian, born and brought up in Paris. She is a free-spirited girl, who has had many break-ups. She falls for Dharam’s charm and then decides that ‘one night’ was more than enough for her. But Dharam pursues her and she moves out of her parents’ home to ‘live-in’ with him. After a year of a ‘live-in’ relationship she storms out. However, they still remain friends.

With Shyra out of his life, Dharam continues his garam ways, behaving like the typical male in his 20s, high on testosterone. Chopra, on his part leaves, no stone unturned to ensure that the movie is smothered with French kisses. At the start of the film, as the credits roll, I counted almost 15, then gave up. Then, Dharam and Shyra have a competition of sorts, or so it seems, on screen. That, I guess, was to show the free-spirited part of the film.

And the free spirit is there in plenty as Ranveer’s character is fleshed out in the beginning along with Vaani’s. But once that is done, Chopra continues in the same vein bringing no maturity or novelty to the story.

This film, at best, is a good show-reel for Vaani, Ranveer and the guy who comes in later to propose to Vaani. He almost steals the show from these two, but for the silly end scene.

Befikre is light in between, affording some good laughs. Ranveer is in his elements making the best of whatever the script has to offer, stripping, dancing, smooching, singing. You name it, he does it with aplomb. Vaani (almost unrecognizable from her Shudh Desi Romance days), on her part, gets to show her lean and mean body time and again. At times she is stiff, at times fluid but at all times she emotes well, giving her character a Hollywoodish feel.

Befikre could have been a bolder film. It had three spunky actors but was let down by a poor script.

CREDITS
Producer: Aditya Chopra
Director: Aditya Chopra
Star Cast: Vaani Kapoor, Ranveer Singh