PERFORMANCES SAVE THIS HALF-BAKED MUSH

Half Girlfriend

STARRING: Arjun Kapoor, Shraddha Kapoor, Seema Biswas, Rhea

Chakraborty, Anisa Butt and Vikrant Massey

DIRECTOR: Mohit Suri HHHHH

Adapted from Chetan Bhagat’s novel by the same name, director Mohit Suri’s film Half Girlfriend is a half-baked and clichéd romance pot-boiler that does not raise the bar.

Narrated in a non-linear and formulaic manner, the only endearing point in the film is the messages it passes on: face your difficulties and defeat your obstacles, or in other words, tenacity always triumphs.

Unfortunately, the film lacks depth and passion in terms of its mounting. While the performances are noteworthy, it is the direction and the script departments that fail to impress. The plot seems perfunctory and formulaic.

In this case, the tale pivots around Madhav Jha (Arjun Kapoor) the Prince of Simrao, Bihar. He goes to Delhi to study at St. Stephen’s College, an elite institution, on a sports quota as he plays basketball. The issue here is, he cannot speak English - his speech is soaked with heavy Bihari lingo. - and so he finds it difficult to cultivate friends.

Discouraged, he calls his mum who counsels him to find to find a reason to do what he is doing. Just then Madhav by happenstance sees a beautiful girl, Riya Somani (Shraddha Kapoor) playing basketball. This becomes his motive and raison d’etre for staying back in Delhi. What further ignites his keenness to befriend Riya is her faultless and fluent English.

How he woos her to the very end forms the crux of the tale.

While on the face of it, the scenes seem to be astutely crafted, it is the lack of maturity in handling emotions that surface blatantly, especially in the scene when Riya’s parents are fighting in the background and she sings the song, “Stay a little longer with me baby, won’t you stay a little longer.”

Also, the characters are poorly etched, making it difficult to relate to them. The dubbing is also an issue, especially in the scenes between Madhav and his Bihari roommates.

There are some straight faced guffaws by Madhav that make the film light and digestible.

The casting isn’t perfect, yet, Arjun Kapoor is brilliant as the slightly dim-witted, good hearted Bihari who speaks with an inconsistent accent. Shraddha Kapoor as his lady love delivers a spirited performance. But together their chemistry lacks intensity.

Apart from the duo, it is Vikrant Massey as Madhav’s roommate and wellwisher who makes his presence felt with a brilliant, razor-sharp performance. Seema Biswas as Madhav’s mother adds gravitas to her character but, it is Rhea Chakraborty and Anisa Butt who

On the other hand, Parineeti Chopra essays Bindu with dexterity yet she seems superficial and shallow, especially in the restaurant scene when she tells Abhimanyu about her boyfriend, Mathew. Her portrayal of the character lacks depth.

The rest of the supporting cast is natural and have their moments of onscreen glory. Technically, the film is wellmounted. The camera movements are fluid and the flow of the visuals seem uninterrupted with skilful and smooth editing. The songs naturally integrate into the narrative.

Overall, the film is interestingly told and is engaging, but the last scene, even though it talks about a happy ending, could unsettle the purist.

Troy Ribeiro

enhance the glamour factor.

The film, as expected, with its excellent production values, is all gloss and fluff but low on substance.

Troy Ribeiro