I Hate Luv Storys Film Review Story

Confession time! I’ve hated Bollywood love stories. The panoramic shots of a swashbuckling, mandolin wielding hero and a sari clad heroine dancing in slow motion against the backdrop of heavenly Swiss Alps inspired more slumber in me than a valium does. And - forgive me - those Karvachauth sequences when the heroine looks at the moon through the sieve and the dapperly hero steps in the frame just in the nick of time to consolidate her faith that theirs is janam janam ka saath have unfailingly resulted in me digging my head deep in popcorn buckets. Well, that was then. Now, I’m nearly a convert - thanks to Punit Malhotra’s debut film I Hate Luv Storys, which is - pardon the cliché - a hatke romantic saga.

Malhotra sifts mush out of romance and instead of giving us a fairytale love story of epic proportions, expansive sweep and overblown emotions, he simply gives us an every-day date flick which you can relate to and definitely enjoy with or without your girlfriend or boyfriend. Going further, Malhotra even cocks a snook at the syrupy love stories that Bollywood’s mush factory keeps churning out with clockwork consistency, not sparing in the process even the likes of Karan Johar (the film’s producer) and Sanjay Leela Bhansali.

Jay (Imran Khan) hates love stories. The cool dude’s attraction towards fairer sex doesn’t go beyond flirtatious friendships or one night stands. Love, for him, doesn’t exist. So we can understand his plight when he has to work under Veer (Samir Soni), the flamboyant filmmaker known for making melodramatic romantic movies, the kind I spoke of earlier. To make matters worse, Jay is made an assistant to production designer Simran (Sonam Kapoor) who loves filmi love stories and even has a fiancée named Raj (Sammir Dattani).

Simran thinks her love story with Raj is just perfect; but Jay, the cynic that he is, thinks otherwise and keeps reminding her of Raj’s ‘fugly’ shirts and sugar-sweet overtures of love that are found only in films, not in real. The constant banter between Jay and Simran gives way to friendship, and before she knows it, Simran is in love with him. But the cool dude is blissfully unaware of her feelings. Will this love-atheist ever believe in the power of cupid’s arrow? Will Jay discover love?

I Hate Luv Storys keeps no pretension of imparting deep gyan on the matters of the heart; nor does it tell a unique romantic tale that sends your heart pumping on the double. No. The story is simple, and quite predictable at that. And if you expect to see the clichés like a hero rushing to the airport to meet the heroine, or him bending down on his knees and proposing her with a bouquet of flowers, or - worse - closing his eyes and seeing her face, then you’re right. I Hate Luv Storys has it all. But it’s been presented in a way that doesn’t make you cringe in your seat.

Full points to director Punit Malhotra who makes a confident debut with a film that’s sprinkled with humour from start to end. The first half, littered with the antics of the irrevocably flippant Jay, just whizzes by. The second half drags a bit and the story comes to a standstill when the setting shifts to New Zealand. Admittedly, the film’s climax too isn’t as moving as one would have liked it to be. But no complaints. Overall, the movie rocks.

Imran Khan shines as the carefree Jay whose life goes for a toss after he falls prey to what he hated most - love. There’s a laudable ease in Imran’s performance and no overt attempt at underplaying his character, which works to the movie’s advantage. Sonam Kapoor is excellent as the dreamy eyed Simran who can be vulnerable when in love, and stoic when jilted. Samir Soni is delightful playing the over-expressive filmmaker who loves his mom and, of course, the magic of romance. Sammir Dattani performs well his part of an unexciting, goody-goody lover who doesn’t forget sending his girlfriend white flowers, of all colours.

The slack second half and average songs apart, I Hate Luv Storys is an enjoyable experience with a few touching romantic moments that won’t make anyone dig their heads into popcorn.

Go for it.

Rating: 3 stars out of 5