The night before Friday, I contemplated whether I should go watch ‘Zara Hatke Zara Bachke’ in theatres, starring Vicky Kaushal and Sara Ali Khan. Luckily, my dilemma ended when P decided to treat me to a solo movie date to see this film directed by Laxman Utekar. Whew! It had been a while since I went to the cinema alone, and as luck would have it, Vicky Kaushal and Sara Ali Khan were the leads. So, without further ado, let me share my ‘Zara Hatke Zara Bachke’ review.
Read On!
Zara Hatke Zara Bachke Storyline
A lower-middle-class couple, Kapil and Soumya, are head over heels in love with each other even after two years of marriage. Kapil, an Indori Pandit family guy, marries Soumya, a Punjabi girl. Kapil is a yoga instructor, who is ‘kanjoos’ in every way possible while Soumya is a teacher at a coaching centre. As the cliché goes, they face issues due to their different backgrounds. Adding to the drama, they live in a small home with five other people, including Kapil’s parents, maternal uncle, aunt, and their child. Naturally, they have no privacy.
Amidst all the family drama, Soumya dreams of having a sweet and small love nest, a home of their own away from everyone. She’s willing to do whatever it takes to fulfill this dream. From negotiating for a discount with a builder to exploring government housing schemes, Soumya convinces Kapil to go the extra mile every time in search of a new home. Due to his love for Soumya, Kapil doesn’t say no to anything.
However, in their pursuit of securing a new home at a lower cost, Kapil and Soumya’s love is tested in ways that may seem relatable yet bizarre. One fine day, they decide to divorce each other leaving everyone guessing the reason behind it. While pursuing the divorce, the love-hate relationship they share and what follows after it, makes up most of the plot of the film.
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What Works In Vicky Kaushal And Sara Ali Khan’s Zara Hatke Zara Bachke
Okay, for starters, the trailer of Zara Hatke Zara Bachke did leave me curious about why such a lovey-dovey couple would suddenly divorce each other. And, that was one of the reasons why I wanted to the film, besides Vicky and Sara. And for it, full points to the makers as well as director Laxman Utekar. My curiosity is met with a cute romantic tale ft Kapil and Soumya in the first half of the film, which has all the elements of a quintessential Bollywood love story.
Sara Ali Khan as Soumya seems quite real. She lives in the real world most of the time and her love for Kapil also seems genuine. In one scene, when she’s dining out with Kapil, Soumya outlines the reasons why she fell for him and it will certainly make you blush. She flirts, romances and dotes on Kapil and we can clearly feel the romance part of a rom-com here.
Vicky, on the other hand, as Kapil adds both romance and a bit of laughter to Soumya’s life and the film. Let’s just establish one fact here, Vicky is the SOUL of Zara Hatke Zara Bachke. The ease with which this talented actor transforms into Kapil, a middle-class ‘Indore ka Ladka’, will leave you impressed.
On top of that, Vicky’s ability to make even the cheesiest lines land will certainly leave the ladies cheering for him. He is the loving, caring, doting husband every girl wants. And, the added bonus is his sense of humour and ability to be naive. And, together, Sara and Vicky as Soumya and Kapil bring to life the romance on-screen which we hoped to see. Brownie points to the makers for giving us this cute on-screen pairing.
Among the supporting cast, Rakesh Bedi and Sushmita Mukherjee playing Soumya’s parents manage to leave you laughing in certain moments. The moment between Rakesh Bedi and Vicky in the car after the news of divorce is broken to Soumya’s parents is really funny. Inaamulhaq, who plays the dubious government agent, also manages to evoke laughter in his scenes and does his job well.
Sharib Hashmi’s character, Daroga, who is introduced in the second half gives an emotional depth to Kapil and Soumya’s pursuit of a home. Like always, he manages to elevate the bad writing with his performance. Even though his talent is wasted in a role like this, Sharib knows his fans love him and he ain’t gonna disappoint them. In one scene where Kapil-Soumya and Daroga & his family are shown discussing home, the makers show subtly draw a parallel between two different couples. They very smartly show these two couples belonging to different strata of society and what home means to each of them.
Another thing that works for Zara Hatke Zara Bachke is the music. In a film that is 132 minutes long, there are well-timed 3 songs composed by Sachin-Jigar. They help move Kapil and Soumya’s story forward and also are decent enough. The lyrics by Amitabh Bhattacharya lend a feeling of piousness to Sachin-Jigar’s tunes and Kapil and Soumya’s love story. I enjoyed both ‘Phir Aur Kya Chahiye’ and ‘Tere Vaaste’ for the music and the cute chemistry between Sara and Vicky. Besides this, the basic premise of the story showcasing the struggle of a loving lower-middle class couple to own a home in an urban setting and the challenges thereof doesn’t seem dragged.
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What Doesn’t Work At All:
While Zara Hatke Zara Bachke has its high points primarily due to the lead actors and music, the low points are there too due to the technicalities. For starters, the first half definitely establishes momentum with light-hearted comedy amid Kapil and Soumya’s love-hate charade leading up to the divorce. But, it fizzles out soon as the second half commences and forgets to make you laugh. The writing by Maitrey Bajpai, Ramiz Ilham Khan and Laxman Utekar falls flat in the second half. It almost seems like they had begun on a very good note, but lost the plot after the interval.
Adding to this feeling of confusion between the first and second half is the abruptly done editing. The poor editing in the film leads to a loss of crispness in the screenplay, resulting in certain parts feeling abrupt and disconnected. But, one of the biggest problems of this Laxman Utekar rom-com is the lack of a comedy element. No doubt the first half has a decent share of funny moments, but the makers resort to using overacting as a way of making the audience chuckle and it doesn’t really land. Kapil’s lawyer friend’s antics in the court didn’t make me laugh but cringe, just like the judge in those scenes.
And, in the second half, the laughs are few and melodrama is plenty. While Vicky and Sara display different emotions during the course of being Kapil and Soumya, the laughter element is left to the whims of the supporting cast in the film. This is where Zara Hatke Zara Bachke falters the most due to direction and writing.
Prinkled’s Final Verdict:
Zara Hatke Zara Bachke intends to be an easy-breezy rom-com and for a certain part, it does the job well. But, somewhere along the way, the writers and director lost the plot and leave the audience waiting for those wow moments. As much as I love Bollywood romcoms, I have to say this one lacked in the comic bit. While Vicky Kaushal and Sara Ali Khan put their best foot forward, the screenplay and the shoddy editing seemed to have played the spoiled sport. Spending almost three hours with Vicky Kaushal aka Kapil didn’t bother me. However, if you ask me about the other things, they couldn’t hold my attention or interest for long.
So, should you watch it? Well, if you’ve got nothing else to do and what to gawk at Vicky Kaushal and swoon at Sara Ali Khan’s cuteness, you may book yourself a ticket for this flick. Else, wait up and watch it on OTT!
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