Aashiqui 2

I really wanted to like this movie. I love the music and that’s saying something because I’m not into Mahesh Bhatt’s brand of movies or music. What I do love is an old-fashioned romance. Pain and heartbreak are not given enough credit in movies these days. The intense passion from love “aaj kal” is entirely missing. Something that only Imtiaz Ali seems to care about these days.

Aashiqui 2 has nothing to do with the 90s Aashiqui. It has more to do with Abhimaan (1973) but let’s not get into Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s great film and distort the evaluation. Personally, I feel Mohit Suri must have really loved Rockstar (2011) and wished he could make something like it.

Rahul and Arohi are two singers. Rahul is way past the peak of his career and has reduced himself to a self-destructive alcoholic. Arohi is on the uphill climb, starting her journey to reach the peak. As a truly romantic filmmaker (Wong Kar Wai) said (in his film 2046): It’s no good meeting the right person too soon or too late. The protagonists of the film are definitely right for each other but the circumstances don’t fatefully agree.

After I came out of the film, I knew that the passion had been stirred, the music sounded great, the performances were adequate but there was something blatantly amiss and that something is a good screenplay. The story isn’t bad, just the way it is told is. Screenwriting has two aspects – action and dialogue. Action as in what the characters do and dialogue as in what the characters speak. As far as action is concerned, the script gets it somewhat right. The situations are in place but what are extremely out of place are the dialogues.

The dialogues in this movie are absolutely atrocious. They made me laugh, roll my eyes in disbelief, clench my fist in anger or just get plain old weirded out. People do NOT talk like this. Aditya Roy Kapur and Shraddha Kapoor strike good chemistry, they get the tone right but it’s not the fault of the actors if what they are speaking is lousy drivel and/ or idiotic hogwash.

There’s something wrong with this romance but all good love stories need to be wrong. The music works, Tum Hi Ho is undeniably a brilliant song. But I don’t go to the theater to listen to music; I go to watch a story. The story I saw didn’t move me, which is the least it could have done. Although the memory I have of it isn’t as bad as the actual film (which is mostly due to the music). I’m here to review the film, not my memory of it and for that I’ll have to stay my hand before I begin to baselessly call it a good one.

By now it is widely known that Aashiqui 2 has got absolutely nothing to do with Aashiqui, the 1990 meg-hit, and probably the only hit that the careers of Rahul Roy and Anu Agrawal were fortunate enough to witness. The new movie, directed by old hack Mohit Suri and penned by Vishesh Films’ prolific writer Shagufta Rafique, who is probably writing a script as I type this review, doesn’t have the substance in it to be adequately recommended.  It’s got an engaging, conflict-ridden story that could have been so much more, had it been written keeping in mind a definite structure and a better resolution.

Aditya Roy Kapur plays Rahul Jaykar, a sensation who once was, but now seeks refuge in the comfortable confines of Old Monk. Doing shady shows where he gets attacked by beer-cans, he happens to spot a talent called Aarohi, who he believes, is worth the nightingale’s title. He vows to initiate her into super-stardom and lives to fulfill that promise alright, but her growing popularity leaves him jilted and disconcerted adversely affecting the promising romance.

There are number of problems in the storytelling and much is to do with the primary characters. For one, we only know of RJ as a pop sensation but never see him at his peak. His eccentricities and lawless irreverence are coyly written so that we believe in his snobbery and bratty ways, inherited from the lost stardom. Secondly, his dramatic infatuation with Aarohi is not driven by what she really is, but by what she potentially could be. This is in direct contrast with what Arjit Singh has been crooning with all his might. RJ essentially sees the reflection (there’s a scene which quite literally “shows” you this) of his past in the future of Aarohi and wants to catapult her to those levels by playing mentor-cum-lover. What he doesn’t foresee is that this arrangement is perilous and definitely not sustainable keeping in mind societal norms and what with creepy journalists around (a hugely unrealistic portrayal of a kurta-wearing dude who starts abusing him)

Aashiqui, I feel is a very promising concept in itself, one that bears thematic semblance with Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s Abhimaan. Aashiqui, also, accidently I believe, deals with the male psyche and its incapacity in dealing with failure. To project this, we also see some terrific independent scenes, like when RJ steals money from Aarohi’s wallet, and she sees this, but doesn’t confront him or let him even know that she knows. But these are individual scenes written with the motive to stand out, and nothing ever comes together holistically as the film becomes repetitive, whimsical and even self-indulgent.

The music succumbs to monotonic repetitiveness and rings hackneyed after a while draining away all the emotions it could inspire. Roy Kapoor’s brooding intensity lends RJ with a complex personality, but is nowhere close to the jilted and neurotic personification of Jordan, by Ranbir Kapoor in Rockstar. Shradhha Kapoor tries. That’s enough.

Overall, the music and lyrics do not compensate for a disjointed screenplay and an arbitrary resolution which comes on the pretext of the guy leaving for a gym membership. The dialogues, most often, are unintentionally funny and this, although fun for the guilty-pleasure-seekers, takes away the seriousness from this somber exercise. Mahesh Bhatt plays an omnipresent father who is readily available to play agony-Papa over the phone. Insane, this Aashiqui 2.

What is most hazardous is Aashiqui’s obsessive-compulsive idea of love, which has shaped many people’s idea of love, some going as far as rejecting any love that isn’t obsessive-compulsive. They will, like RJ does, reinforce their beliefs and go ballistic crooning, “Meri zindaaaaagiii… ab tum hi ho…” but I hope they realize the tragic consequences of investing such psychotic faith in anybody.

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways. 
   

I love thee to the depth and breadth and height 
 

My alcoholic soul can reach, when the bottle’s out of sight 
   

For the endless boozing does tire me (and the audience). 
   

My apologies to Robert Browning, but Aashiqui 2 evokes the inner bad poet in you, the Devdas kind who has a death wish. Rahul is one such person. A once famous singer, he becomes an alcoholic at the top of his fame. Why? JLT. Some people like their booze. Then he bumps into Aarohi, a promising singer and decides to help her become a star. They fall in love along the way but does that make him give up the booze? No! She sticks by him through all the binges but does she think of a rehab clinic? No. She thinks if she pours the booze down the sink and then hangs around in a skimpy shirt it will get him off the stuff. But no! it doesn’t help matters and their love slides into an abyss of self pity and despair and then you just tear out your hair.

There are a couple of decent, intense scenes but there is just too much whiny weepy stuff going on that tires you out. Plus, the chemistry between the two leads doesn’t ever really build up to the level needed for them to make the sacrifices they do for each other. To make it worse, it all looks like acting. You can imagine the Director telling Shraddha Kapoor, “this is your big scene, let it rip!”  She is quite nice looking though and maybe a chirpier role will do her better justice. Aditya Roy Kapoor looks  cute as always and as the alcoholic ex -star is endearing but rather pointless.

The songs don’t make any impact on you which is a pity given that the movie is about singers.

I have no recollection of the earlier Ashiquie except Rahul Roy’s weird hairstyle, Anu Agarwals oomph and of course the songs.  This one has none of these to mark it as anything special. Best avoided.

While watching Aashiqui 2 I was reminded of Mahesh Bhatt’s Kaash. In that film Jackie Shroff plays one of his career best role of a has been star who turns to the bottle when his fortune and stardom slips away. In this film Rahul Jaykar ( Aditya Roy Kapur) is on the verge of losing his stardom as a popstar. He is an alcoholic but we never get to know what made him turn to alcohol. We only see him talking to his dad who appears to be a successful businessman in New York.  Destiny brings him to Goa where he sees and hears Aarohi (Shraddha Kapoor) sing in a bar. Suddenly, he finds a purpose in life.  His goal is to make Aarohi a star.  How alcohol becomes a problem for this perfect for each other lovers is what this film is about.

The big plus for the film is that both Aditya Roy Kapur and Shraddha Kapoor are extremely likeable and Mohit Suri gets the best out of them. Though the music is not a patch on the earlier Aashiqui  it is easy listening and flows well in the film. I liked the use of ro raha hoon main and tum hi ho.

The problem lies in the screenplay. Writer Shagufta Rafique uses age old devices to bring in the conflict like the hero getting affected by people talking behind his back or an animated journalist instigating him. What could have been a very good study of how alcohol breaks relationships turns into a cyclical pattern of the girl wanting to help the guy and the guy’s helpless situation and his descent into madness because of the conflicts in his head.  The dialogues separate the film from being rooted in reality.  This film needed a good dialogue writer which would have turned the weak screenplay into something commendable.  Even with its flaws this film is Mohit Suri’s best film since Woh Lamhe. With a better writer on board this director can truly rise above his current form.

Word of mouth – Aashiqui 2 is worth a watch just for the two leads. They won my heart with this one.

Rating - *** ( So-So)

Ticket Meter – worth 150 bucks

I loved this movie, completely familiy movie for all ages and no vulgarism and sexualism shown now a days in movies and music is just to die off for and actors Aditya and Shraddha did their best and I can just give 4.5 stars of 5. A must watch if you have been in love or understand love. So don't miss it and though end is tragic but goes well with the story and can inspire someone or many in real life. It is a complete paisa wasool movie