Gori Tere Pyaar Mein

Hindi (U/A) ¬¬¬

Director: Punit Malhotra

Cast: Imran Khan, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Anupam Kher, Nizhalgal Ravi





It has become symptomatic of Hindi films to reveal most of the story in the trailers. Sure, it may make the film easier to digest, but it also kills the appetite. That’s the malaise second-time director Punit Malhotra suffers from. Even the posters make it amply clear that the protagonist will have to win his girl in a rural setting! Under such circumstances, Malhotra resorts to the next best thing: getting the audience engaged in the “how”. And succeeds to an extent too. That’s why Gori Tere Pyaar Mein manages to work, but just so.



Throughout the first half, we have near-sanctimonious activist Dia (Kareena Kapoor Khan) falling in love and then breaking up with US-returned Bangalore-resident Tamilian architect Sriram (Imran Khan) who seems to have missed the entire lesson on business ethics). The story is told as Sriram readies for an arranged marriage with Vasudha – an otherwise gorgeous Shraddha Kapoor in a cameo so wooden it makes Sriram’s pet crab seem animated.



The crab’s death and Vasudha’s “wisdom” make Sriram realise he still loves Dia, but she has gone to a remote village on the Madhya Pradesh-Gujarat border. Therefore, so must he. And he has to woo her by helping make the villagers’ life easier. Reminiscent? If not, Malhotra’s use of Lagaan’s songs and Swades’ visual templates help reinforce the formula.



Kareena Kapoor is still screechy in parts, with nary a sign of the acting prowess that runs in her family. Imran Khan is chocolaty, funny, and a total letdown in the serious scenes. The “sweetness” may explain why the goons of the district collector (Anupam Kher hamming it up a bit) spare his face while rolling him over. The rest of the cast rarely gets the chance to shine.



As for the other departments, the songs are eminently forgettable (including a real “bummer”), and the cinematography is no eye-candy either. The dialogues sparkle for the most part. The screenplay, though not pedestrian, is no gem either. What stay with you after the credits are the build-up and the climax. They alone push the review up a star, but again, only just!



