Strained Relations
Film: Hamari Adhuri Kahani
Cast: Emraan Hashmi, Vidya Balaan, Rajkummar Rao
Directed by: Mohit suri
Duration: 2 hrs 8 mins
Rating: *
Hamari Adhuri Kahaani which is supposedly based on the
lives of Mahesh Bhatt’s parents, offers the most harrowing times at the cinema.
We don’t know for sure what exactly happened to the people in real life,
whether they actually suffered so much, but with this film, the audience
certainly has. It is the kind of cinema that might prompt a teetotaler to go out
and have a peg – a Patiala preferably.
With the story written by Bhatt himself, there are some
absolutely cringe worthy and archaic dialogues by Shagufta Rafique who is a
regular in the Bhatt camp. The story is about two men in love with one woman and
all three are miserable. Told in flashback, we have a single mother Vasudha
(Vidya Balan) whose specialty is arranging flowers in a starred hotel. Her
husband Hari (Rajkummar Rao) is missing from the scene and it turns out that he
has become a ‘terrorist’ in the naxal area. He is the kind of guy who forced
her to tattoo his name on her wrist because of their “saat janam ka rishta.” It is obvious that she has had enough of him
in this janam itself but won't say so and suffer in silence.
Enter Aarav Ruparel (Emraan Hashmi), owner of more than a
hundred luxury hotels around the world. Impressed with her floral and other
skills, he offers her a job in Dubai. One thing leads to another and after a
couple of depressing Jeet Ganguly / Arijit Singh songs and skirmishes, they
fall in love. At one point, she even takes her bag and starts walking in the
lonesome desert as if to save taxi fare to the airport. But just as things are
about to look rosy for Ms. Floral, expectedly, her naxalite husband makes a
comeback.
Not quite sure where there is more turmoil, in your head or
on screen, as you watch watching the drama unfold.
The scenes look synthetic and you don’t feel sympathy to any
of the characters either. But it is the painful dialogues (and words like miliqiyat, kaaynat) that take the cake. Aarav
sounds more like a poet, not a particularly good one I would like to add
hastily, than a rich entrepreneur. “Yeh phool humse kuch keh rahe hain” he
declares stopping in his tracks as he is about to board a flight in a rush. A
cop goes out of his way to help the lovers, why? “Kyonki kaaynaat bhi sachche pyaar karne waalon ko milaane ki koshish karti hai.” Move over Paulo Coelho, we have our very own one here. ?
The only silver lining was Rajkummar Rao’s acting, he gives it
his best shot. Vidya Balan is a fine actress but here, she has the
lets-be-done-with-this-and-move-on look.
The one word to describe Hamari Adhuri Kahani is, avoidable.
Published in The Navhind Times on 14th June 2015
