Movie: Happy Ending
Director: Raj Nidimoru and Krishna D.K.
Cast: Saif Ali Khan, Illena D’Cruz, Govinda, Ravir shorey, Kalki Koechlin, Preity Zinta
Genre: Rom-Com
There exist broadly 5 kinds of films that any Bollywood-freak would be familiar with. a) Romantic film; b) Action- Thriller film; c) Comic film; d) Art film and lastly the lesser found, but found enough e) No-sense Film. Today’s release ‘Happy Ending’ falls in this last category. A movie with no head or a tail, a storyline that didn’t exist, with characters hopping around from one scene to another. Sometimes I feel like copying Arnab Goswami and screaming, “Why Bollywood, why? The nation demands an answer.”
Yudi (Saif Ali Khan) is a one-time hit writer. He is a playboy, freaks out at the very mention of the ‘L’ word and is commitment phobic because he believes there can never be any ‘Happy Endings’. But now his books are being sold for $1 in book sales and his market value is captured by a new romantic novelist Aanchal Reddy (Illena D’Cruz). Yudi shares his ‘gam’ with his best friend Montu (Ranvir Shorey) who himself is knee-deep in wife-troubles.
When Yudi runs the risk of bankruptcy, his agent introduces him to Armaan, a Bollywood star, who wants Yudi to write a ‘kickass’ script for him. Yudi’s alter ego Yogi (seemingly a Haryanvi hybrid) advises him to take up the job and guides him how to write a romantic ‘ishtory’. So now some random things happen and Yudi befriends Aanchal and then some more random things happen in the second half, slowly veering the movie towards a predictable end.
Basically there is a beginning and there is an end, and then there is alot of nothingness in between!
Yudi’s character is well played out by Saif who is his usual goody self in the movie. However Yogi, Yudi’s alter ego could have been better sketched and made more interesting. Right now he is just a Yudi twin with a beard and a fading Haryanvi accent. Kalki Koechlin’s role is the worst in terms of character placement. Though she does a fabulous job as an annoying girlfriend but the story would have been the same with or without her presence.
Gorgeous Illena D’Cruz gives a fine performance with whatever she was given to play with. She justifies her character to the last word and is a delight to watch on screen. But Ranvir Shorey steals the show with his impeccable comic timing. He will have you cracking up at his every antic and dialogue. For me watching him was the only worth for the money spent on the movie. Preity Zinta and Govinda keep popping in for a few scenes and do a decent job. So now you must be wondering, if the actors are fine and then their acting is also fine, then what the hell is my problem with the movie?
STORYLINE!!!! which did not exist.
From one scene to another you will be groping your way through the dark because most often than not, they are disconnected and unnecessarily squeezed in. The play boy has to fall in love one day, and but of course he will fall for the play girl. Then he has a mild guilt trip about being at the receiving end of the line of broken hearts which (by the way) he started and all that jazz. To sum it up, Happy Ending is an indigestible concoction of ‘Bachna ae Haseeno’ and ‘No strings attached’.
Boy! was I happy that the movie ended? Oh yes, so for me it was a happy ending after all. The ball in your court, so Happy Deciding.
My verdict: **
