Loveyapa Movie Review — Sucharita Tyagi
Bol chaal ki bashaaon mein kuch words hote hain, joh gale se nikalete nahi baahar, joh hone nahi chahiye, jinko agar koi meri general vicinity ya earshot mein dobara nahi bole toh I will be fine.
Some examples are hubby, panty….ugh, Loveyapa.
It’s not a word. It shouldn’t be a word. You cannot change my mind; don’t try.
Adapted from Pradeep Ranganathan’s Tamil film Love Today, Loveyapa, *is the story of two 24 year olds. Gaurav, pyaar se Gucci, and Baani, pyaar se Baani Boo. Gaurav is an IT developer, Baani…..works at an office. They’ve been dating a while and want to marry because it seems to be next obvious step. Not necessarily because either of them is ready for the commitment. The fault lines in the relationship begin to show, when Baani’s straight up INSANE father makes them exchange their mobile phones with each other, and they discover sides to their lives that were hitherto hidden.
Adapted by Sneha Desai (whose name you might recall from Laapata Ladies), Loveyapa ki aspiration hain family and modern love ke clashes ko rom-com mould mein daal kar dikhaayein, with a “message” at the end. Intention is clear, but the sermonising on the is so on the nose, it fixed my deviated septum. Moments of emotional honesty try to rear their cute little heads, only to be beaten down again by Ashutosh Rana playing the veena very aggressively, or Ashutosh Rana knowing how to reset a whole mobile phone but not aware of what a deep-fake is, Ashutosh Rana saying UPHAAS each time he makes a dad joke.
Points for creative marketing though, Loveyapa is upfront about its OnePlus sponsorship. The opening credits resemble a tech commercial more than an introduction to the film, pehle SCENE mein sales associate is explaining Snapdragon processors in casual dialogue. Other dialogue too, like “Papa ke saamne jhooth? Woh lie detector hain. Tu bhi kahaan Kareena se kam hai? Acting kar lena” sound like first drafts, humor and insight both lacking.
Khushi Kapoor and Junaid Khan are serviceable as the leads. Unfortunately after glimpsing the unavoidable promotional campaign on social media, the bar was very very low. Infact I wondered, as a huge fan of Advait Chandan’s Secret Superstar and his evident understanding of youth culture, if “cringe” was a marketing ploy in place DELIBERATELY to bring our expectations down to nil. Did they pull a fast oen over us? The montage of moments you see in the trailer that make you want to roll your eyes until your head hurts, actually make SENSE when they appear in the screenplay tbh.
Serviceable though, shouldn’t be where expectation stop. One can see an actor hidden beneath both these performers, lekin unfortunately despite MANY an angry outbursts, that artistry is yet to emerge. Nuance can be found in loud rom-coms as well, and there are so many open opportunities peppered throughout this relatable story. Eventually though loud and brazen attempt to be cool and youthful, only does a disservice to the generation dealing with the conflicts on the screen, making them look silly and foolish, not helping the reputation Gen Z already, unfairly deals with.
Junaid Khan makes attempts to channel a Pehla Nasha-like vibe, in one scene Aamir Khan shows up during a drive-in movie moment, contrasting the father-son against each other on the BIGGEST screen known to humanity, starkly only serving as a reminder that the Aamir Khan charisma jumps out so much stronger even from a screen WITHIN a screen! Junaid fares better when tasked with dramatic acting rather than rom-com antics, he can throw it down when needed.
Ashutosh Rana plays the patriarch, an insufferable human being. A man who refuses to give a delivery boy 2 extra rupees before testing him as some kind of moral victory, is a man whose daughters must plot to move away from. However Baani and her sister inexplicable don’t HATE their father, even when he has Bani’s roka unilaterally decided without her say. Theek hai, maybe she’s brainwashed into giving up her agency, but why the FILM is taking his side is inexplicable. Upbeat, comedic music that plays underneath is a bizarre choice, signalling ki stripping a woman of agency is light hearted entertainment.
Khushi Kapoor as an earnest Baani, when not defined by her father’s oppressive control or her boyfriend’s whims, left me wondering- what does her character really want? Beyond the context of the men around her, inner life toh bechaari ko explore karne mili hi nahi.
By the time Loveyapa devolves into a man-versus-man showdown over a woman’s life choices, you’re actively rooting for Gaurav and Baani to break up. I was toh mostly afraid they’ll get caught kissing in a Delhi pubic park — a more realistic concern than whether they’ll end up happily ever after.
So, on a scale of 1 to 10, Loveyapa is…..10 saal pehle I met my now life partner…eww who says life partner….i mean…..hubby….and I am SO thankful I’m not Gen Z looking for love in a 30 second attention span world now, where there are simultaneously too many options and not enough?
