Hasee Toh Phasee (Dir.: Vinil Mathew; Cast: Parineeti Chopra, Sidharth Malhotra)
Nikhil (Sidharth Malhotra) is visiting a wedding when he falls in love with the bride’s sister, Karishma (Adah Sharma). Jump to seven years later: Nikhil and Karishma are engaged to be married in a week at the end of a seven-year courtship. Cue for Meeta (Parineeti Chopra) to enter the scene. She is introduced to Nikhil as a guest by Karishma, for whom Nikhil needs to find a hotel to stay. Nikhil recalls her from Karishma’s sister’s wedding seven years back, when they had met for a few minutes as Meeta was leaving for Goa. Meeta, though, does not seem to remember their meeting.
Though a romantic comedy/ drama, Hasee Toh Phasee has its share of twists and turns, so I will stop with the plot here. First-time director Vinil Mathew makes a poised debut with Hasee Toh Phasee, which boasts names like Karan Johar and Anurag Kashyap amongst its producers. In a way, Hasee Toh Phasee brings the best of both worlds: the sweetness and likeable cliche set-pieces of Karan Johar’s movies with the quirky characters and uncannily funny sequences characteristic of Anurag Kashyap. It is to Vinil Mathew’s credit that he weaves this elements together into a more-than-likeable whole. Anurag Kashyap is one of the names behind the dialogues and it shows. At the very beginning, an aide tells Nikhil as his gaze is fixed on Karishma, “Model hain, heroine banne wali hain, aapko bhi hero banna padega Sir!”, a comment seemed to be directed at not just Nikhil but Sidharth himself. But in Hasee Toh Phasee, he is very much the new-age hero. Polite, often to the point of being mistaken for spineless, committed to being committed at the cost of foregoing love, risking ambition for dignity yet sacrificing that very dignity at the altar of love – Nikhil is a fumbling bundle of charm, the epitome of the average guy. Sidharth Malhotra turns in a measured performance in an act that is sure to win him many fans. But his act is, of course, the foil to Parineeti’s Meeta.
To me, Parineeti is undoubtedly way ahead of her peers in the same generation. Her natural effusive acting and her seemingly unaffected portrayals mark her out as an actor with a lot of promise. In fact, I believe it is already time she tries something far more challenging, as the roles she is enacting right now appear to be child’s play for her. One can only hope for her to raise the bar higher and higher in the next few years.
Among the other actors, Manoj Joshi plays a brilliant cameo and Adah Sharma is okay in their respective bits.
The plot of Hasee Toh Phasee isn’t path-breaking, but has enough originality to keep things interesting. The film’s soundtrack receives special mention. A couple of dance numbers (excluding the end credits) and three melodious love ballads provide range, class and some delightful tunes.
In conclusion, Hasee Toh Phasee is a fun and entertaining watch, featuring assured performances from possible future stars of the mainstream industry.
