Entertainment / Happy Ending: New Age Rom-Com

Happy Ending: New Age Rom-Com

Entertainment Nov 23, 2014

by Nidhi Shrivastava

Saif Ali Khan Steals The Show In This Comedy

Rating: 3/5

Starring: Saif Ali Khan, Preity Zinta, Govinda, Kalki Koelchin, Ranvir Shorey, and Ilena D’Cruz
Directed: Raj Nidimoru and Krishna D.K.,

Happy Ending (2014) stars Saif Ali Khan, Govinda, Illena D’Cruz, Kalki Koelchin and Ranvir Shorey with Preity Zinta and Kareena Kapoor Khan in cameo roles in this new age and upbeat romantic comedy.

Happy Ending is a decent attempt of a new age rom-com Bollywood film. Yudi Jaitely (Saif Ali Khan) plays a commitment-phobic writer who is riding high on success from a novel he has written half a decade ago.

Playing an overall “nice” guy, who is struggling to understand the concept of love, responsibility, and marriage, Saif Ali Khan’s character is quite similar to his earlier performances in films such as Salaam Namaste, Hum Tum, Love Aaj Kal, and Cocktail. Guiding him in a comical way is Yudi’s alter-ego Yodi (also played by Saif) who adds more humour to the film.

Things take a turn for the worst when his publishing company cuts his contract and signs on Aanchal Reddy (Illena D’Cruz) who is a rival writer penning love stories, she crudely does not believe in but writes because it sells to the masses.

Yudi struggles to revive his career, end the relationship with his obsessive and ditsy girlfriend, Vishaka (Kalki Koelchin) and his best friend, Montu (Ranvir Shorey) who is in dire need of a reality check. At this time, he meets superstar Armaan (Govinda) who wants Yudi to write a new-age romantic film. Inspired after a watching a Hollywood film, Armaan travels all the way from India to hire a scriptwriter to pen his next hit film. Through this writing process and spending time with Aanchal, Yudi tries to understand who he is and what it is that he actually wants.

Although, many films critics from Indian Express, The Hindu, and First Post have expressed their grievances with the film, I feel that this film draws attention to and speaks to the many current issues that today’s cosmopolitan youth in India and the South Asian Diaspora community faces.

For one, Aanchal’s character is unlike those of typical heroines as she is not interested in the fairy-tale romance but tries to question the concepts of gender equality in relationships. She is independent, intelligent, and open-minded about her relationships. Secondly, the film is about the lives of writers, which is another atypical profession within the Indian community.

Granted the idea that both Yudi and Aanchal are “successful” writers in the U.S. may seem a far-fetched idea for some, but it is refreshing to see the focus on protagonists trying more creative careers other than the stereotypical favourites of industrialists, businessman, doctors, and so on which has often been the case.

Lastly, the film also depicted inter-racial marriages between Yudi’s ex played by Preity Zinta’s character. Of course, Govinda’s performance is unforgettable and worth watching as he makes his comeback in Bollywood. His performance is remarkable and will leave you laughing. Saif Ali Khan, Ranvir Shorey, Kalki Koelchin, and Preity Zinta’s performances keep the story moving forward. However, Illena D’Cruz’s performance in my opinion was a little lackluster.

To sum up, the film is worth a watch once, if just to experience Bollywood’s new age rom-coms.

_{Featured Image: Eros}

Nidhi Shrivastava

Author

Nidhi Shrivastava (@shnidhi) is a Ph.D. candidate in the English department at Western University and works as an adjunct professor in at Sacred Heart University. She holds double masters in South Asian Studies and Women's Studies. Her research focuses on Hindi film cinema, censorship, the figure o...

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Happy Ending: New Age Rom-Com

by Nidhi Shrivastava

Saif Ali Khan Steals The Show In This Comedy

Nidhi Shrivastava

COMMENTS

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