Apr 28, 2013 09:37 AM
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It had been a while since Bollywood came up with a passionate love story. Aashiqui 2 neatly fills the void and provides some exceptional romantic and intimate moments that are sure to leave a lasting impression on the viewers. Unfortunately, the film has its share of glitches but the execution and characters overpower the minuses.
The story of the movie: Rahul Jaykar (Aditya Roy Kapoor) is a star singer whose popularity over the years has taken a beating owing to his reckless-violent behavior and dependency on alcohol. One day, after creating furore in his show in Goa, he decides to spend the night in solitude and bumps into Aarohi Shirke (Shraddha Kapoor), a singer in a bar performing to one of Rahul’s hit song. Rahul is enchanted by Aarohi, who he believes can sing his songs better than him. He decides to take her under his wings, mentor her and transform her into a superstar. He persuades her to try her luck in Mumbai. As luck would have it, she becomes a singing sensation, with a section of media and industry calling her the ‘nightingale of India’! However, her almost overnight success dents her relations with Rahul whose popularity and stardom is slowly fading into oblivion.
The first thing that crosses one’s mind while watching Aashiqui 2 is that it doesn’t look like a ‘Vishesh Films’ product. The setting, the mood, the music, the feel…everything is atypical of the Bhatt films churned out in the last 10-12 years, most of which were adult themed flicks. Besides the plot, the major strength of the film is its lead characters and the selfless love they profess for each other. During the intermission point, when one assumes the guy would behave in a stereotypical manner, driven by jealousy, one is in for a surprise in the second half as the character shows his generous side that turns out to be fresh and damn impressive. The girl might have behaved in a typical manner but again, the dialogues and situations don’t allow the typical elements to seep in. An attempt is made to come up with something different and the makers succeed in the same to an extent.
The film begins well with Aditya’s entry (although the beer can-throwing scene doesn’t make much of a sense). Things get better when Aditya bumps into Shraddha and the way he pursues her is sweet. The misunderstanding that creeps in was well treated and the film remains more or less steady till the intermission. Things unfortunately go on a downhill in the second half or rather during the intermission point itself; the latter which was just not convincing. The dramatic portions in second half fail to create a desired impact at places. Also, the skyline as visible from the hospital, Aditya’s home and Mahesh Thakur’s office is a city in foreign country and definitely not Mumbai. This was easily avoidable. At a crucial scene, Shraddha is heard talking although her lips don’t even move, thus killing the impact of that scene to an extent. The scene involving a journalist in the climax was stupid and just didn’t seem convincing even a bit. And lastly, believe it or not, music is soulful but the songs on the whole aren’t memorable enough. More on that later!
Aditya Roy Kapoor surprises with his outstanding and award-winning performance. He was good in Action Relayy and Guzaarish but what we saw of Aditya in these films wasn’t even a fraction of his talent. It’s in Aashiqui 2 where he proves his worth and comes out with flying colours. Hats off! Shraddha Kapoor too maintains a strong position and performs a challenging role with ease and élan. Her performance gets better in the second half and particularly in the climax. Again, it’s in Aashiqui 2 that one realizes her acting prowess. Hope both pick up well etched characters as their performances in Aashiqui 2 will be considered as a yardstick and audiences won’t settle down with anything less than that in their future ventures!
Shaad Randhawa (Vivek) is great and it was a pleasure to see him after a hiatus! Mahesh Thakur is adorable. Salil Acharya was decent in his short negative role. The actors who play Shraddha’s parents and her Goan boss and friend perform well too.
Music is melodious but songs overall fail to make a mark. Only songs that work are Tum Hi Ho and Chahun Main Ya Na and Sunn Raha. Tum Hi Ho however stands out and in the days to come, will be probably the only memorable song of the lot. Background score is decent. Sets are alright but Vishnu Rao’s cinematography is appealing. Shagufta Rafique comes up with a great plot and most importantly, brilliant characters too. Dialogues are sharp and touch heart at places. Mohit Suri surprises with his sound direction as he was mostly associated with drama-action-sexual films. With Aashiqui 2, he proves his worth and that he can effectively change genres. Having said that, his execution could had been better. The storyline of Aashiqui 2 is remotely similar to Mohit’s Woh Lamhe and the latter had a gripping execution that made a lasting impact. In case of Aashiqui 2, only few scenes manage to do that…not the film as a whole. Nevertheless, a great attempt!
Some of the best scenes:
Rahul’s conversation with Vivek after the Goa show
Rahul meets Aarohi
Rahul and Aarohi in the bar
Misunderstandings between Rahul and Aarohi
Rahul professes his love for Aarohi in the studio
The song ‘Tum Hi Ho’
Aarohi lets Rahul steal (beautiful scene!)
Rahul-Aarohi talk across the door
The climax
On the whole, Aashiqui 2 has its share of loose ends but the film has its moments that will surely be lapped up by the audiences. Aditya Roy Kapur and Shraddha Kapoor deliver award winning performances and prove their real worth with this film. Definitely, a film that’s worth watching at least once and that too with your loved one!
