Jun 22, 2011 04:50 PM
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(Updated Jun 25, 2011 02:42 PM)
Our film industry, till date, has come up with zillions of films projecting the woman as the sufferer and the man as a chauvinist pig. The naari suffers all form of injustice – physical, emotional, sexual – without raising any objection. Pyaar Ka Punchnama, however, is a film where the tables are turned. The girls are shown as ungli pe nachaoing the guys! The males are emotionally tortured, manipulated, blackmailed and at one point, one of the guys is physically assaulted too! And the guys, who with all their heart loved the girls, suffer it all…in silence, until the climax! And no, watching all this doesn’t get boring or over the top even for a moment. This ‘realistic’ film has lots of witty-hilarious situations to keep the interest going! Easily one of the finest romcoms of 2011 and of Bollywood!
The story of the movie: Rajat (Kartik Tiwari), Liquid (Divyendu Sharma) and Chaudhary (Raayo Bakhirtha) are bachelors who live together in Delhi-NCR. They are happy but are stuck with up boring jobs. Soon, they fall in love and assume their happiness will double now. Rajat falls for Neha (Nushra Bharucha) and they move in. Liquid meanwhile falls for Charu (Ishita Sharma), who has just joined his office. He proposes her and all hell breaks loose. Chaudhary comes across Ria (Sonalli Sehgall) at a friend’s party. She’s in a bad relationship and Chaudhary provides her the much needed shoulder to cry on and to vent out her feelings. Even after committing to Chaudhary, she is not able to forget her past. How these three guys get swindled and harassed is the crux of the film.
Pyaar Ka Punchnama works so well because it shows nothing but the truth. The lingo of the guys might seem little outrageous. But then this is the way youth converses today, isn’t it? Also, the way the guys let the girls manipulate them might seem little weird and fake to some. But the majority will surely identify with the goings-on. In fact, you’ll relate the characters to yourself or you must be knowing someone who’s like a particular character!
Comparions can also be drawn with Dil Toh Bachha Hai Ji (which also showed three roommates falling in love but end up feeling cheated) but Pyaar Ka Punchnama wins hands down again because of the ‘realistic’ factor. In DTBHJ, one could easily realize that Omi Vaidya is being used and you hardly feel any sympathy for him in the end when he gets dumped. In Pyaar Ka Punchnama, Liquid is shown in a similar situation although the goings-on seem very true to life. At many junctures, the audience feels the girl also has feelings for him. But when that does happen and Liquid breaks down, you feel like crying too! Rajat-Neha’s track has loads of humour and drama. The film is as long as 2.25 hours and at places, one does feel that the film is going off track, especially when Rajat’s family problems crop up. However, it had an important angle in the story which is later unveiled. The best moment obviously was Rajat venting out his anger in front of Chaudhary! Hilarious and record-breaking actually! More on that later! And not to forget, the scene where Ria makes Rajat cry…damn impactful! Chaudhary-Ria’s track too has its share of entertainment and tragedy.
However, the best part of the film was the guys! The film reaches a high whenever the focus is solely on them! They are shown boozing, swearing and their rooms are always messy. Yet, they are the ones with heart of gold and hence you’ll love them! In fact, in the climax wherein the guys find their ultimate happiness, you can’t stop smiling!
The makers did a great job by casting only newcomers as they don’t come up with any baggage of image. Divyendu Sharma steals the show as Liquid! One of the best debuts this year easily! Kartik Tiwari has the ultimate chocolate boy looks and is a topnotch performer. The scene where he recites a 4 minute long monologue proved that he’s a marvelous actor. And the scene was shot in a single take. This is surely record-breaking and I hope it gets the appreciation it deserves! Raayo Bakhirtha’s performance gets a bit overshadowed but he maintains a strong position. He conveys a lot through expressions and eyes. Even in the monologue scene, it’s Raayo’s expressions that made it all the more funny!
From the girls, Nushra Bharucha leaves a huge mark. Ishita Sharma too shines and delivers a terrific performance. Sonalli Sehgal too puts her best foot forward but again it gets obscured in front of the other two actresses whose roles were meatier. The rest of the actors – Varun (Padam Bhalla), Abhijeet and Ria’s parents – play their part well!
2 songs that rock are Ishq Na Kariyo Kakke (Clinton Cerejo) and K*tta (Hitesh Sonik). Sonik’s background score proves better than the songs, especially the crying dog’s sound! Sudhir K Chaudhary’s cinematography was flawless. The locales – be it streets of Delhi, the guys’ flat, Rajat-Ria’s pad, Charu’s room, Liquid’s office – looked fresh and lovely!
Luv Ranjan (writer-director) emerges as the winner. He has such a terrific hold over the script that it’s difficult to believe that this is first film. Also, the scenes, whether funny or serious, are deftly handled and he makes sure audiences don’t get bored even for a moment even though the film is 145 minutes long. And of course, kudos to him for coming up with such a brilliant take on today’s relationships where females seem to dominate more!
Some of the best scenes:
The initial 5 minutes
Liquid and Charu’s first meeting
Ria breaks down in front of Liquid and Chaudhary (damn funny!)
Liquid proposes Charu
Rajat scolded for not doing up the house
The intermission point
Rajat stops talking to Charu
Liquid takes Charu to beauty parlour
Liquid giving an interview on the phone
Liquid reprimanded by Charu in the office
Ria makes Rajat cry
The last 10 minutes
On the whole, Pyaar Ka Punchnama is a fabulous entertainer and a slice of life film. Without resorting to any clichés, it projects the bare truth and shift of power amongst genders in today’s society. It is not hard hitting as such but yet, I would say that the makers took a great risk with Pyaar Ka Punchnama as it could have easily turned offensive for the fairer sex who in turn would have shunned the film. Thankfully, nothing of that sort has happened and the film has been loved by all! In case you have missed, go for it! Entertainment guaranteed!
