Director: Laxman Utekar
Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Sara Ali Khan, Inaamulhaq, Sharib Hashmi, Rakesh Bedi, Sushmita Mukherjee
Where to watch: Theatres
Rating: 2.5 stars
Once in a while comes a film that takes a slice of life approach to a real-world issue that plagues ordinary people and infuses it with the right amount of comedy, farce, melodrama, and entertainment. This makes it a delicious dish that is both enjoyable and makes you ponder. Laxman Utekar tries to follow that approach in his directorial debut Zara Hatke Zara Bachke but alas falls quite short. The end result is a film that has its heart in the right place but the rest of the organs reorganised beyond recognition. It is a film with potential but sadly, you don’t get marks for trying.
Zara Hatke Zara Bachke is the story of a middle-class married copule in Indore – Kapil and Saumya (Vicky Kaushal and Sara Ali Khan). In their bid to book their dream house, they embark on a hilarious and convoluted plan – to get a divorce so that Saumya (as a single woman) can get one for cheap in a government scheme. But it all comes crashing on their heads when their families learn about their fake-real divorce.
The film follows a style of storytelling made popular in the recent years by films like Badhaai Ho and Luka Chhupi, where the story is set in the familiar surroundings of a tier-2 city with the backdrop serving as a character in itself. The small town milieu and the simplicity of production design is meant to evoke feelings of familiarity and relatibility in the audiences. In that regard, Zara Hatke Zara Bachke succeeds. The film is seeped in the world of Indore, bever feeling superficial and never looking fake. This is probably the biggest upside whenever a cinematographer turns director – you are assured of a good-looking film at the least.
The actors look the part as well. Vicky’s Kapil is the quintessential small-town smart Alec. He walks, talks, and breathes the role effortlessly. It helps that he adopts the dialect so effortlessly and the costume designer makes sure he looks the part with his bright t-shirts tucked into his jeans. In fact, the costume design from Sheetal Sharma is on point for all the characters. The subtle change in the loudness of colours in Sara’s sarees and suits post the ‘divorce’ is well thought. The clothes the characters wear bring to life the ambience of Indore.
But the story and presentation does the film no favours. The story is straightforward but riddled with rather questionable sequences. At one stage, it descends into being a collection of gags reminiscent of 90s’ comedies. Another drawback in the storytelling is the escessive dependence on loud background score and sound effects to convey comedy. The film forces the audience to notice that something funny is happening. The entire vibe is of TV sitcoms from the ‘90s. All that is missing is a laughter track. The film lacks the freshness that this genre requires.
The characters’ arc, too, isn’t very convincing with both Kapil and Saumya descending into the toxic category by the second half, using people close to them and manipulating their emotions without two thoughts. It makes for cheap comedy maybe but does not make the characters any likable. What works for the film is Vicky and Sara’s chemistry. The actors make Kapil and Saumya’s love and dreams believable, which carries the film on its back.
The performances somewhat salvage the show. Vicky Kaushal, in particular, is very natural as Kapil, acing the dialect, the look, and the mind of a small-town boy just trying to give his wife the best life he can with his limited means. In the dramatic portions of the film, the actor shines bright. It is definitely a great step-up from Govinda Naam Mera just a few months ago. Sara Ali Khan tries hard too and almost nails Saumya, the ‘Punjaban outsider’ in the household. Surprisingly, where she falters is in her Punjabi diction and lack of depth in some of the emotional scenes.
Among the supporting cast, the scene-stealers are Rakesh Bedi and Sushmita Mukherjee as Saumya’s effervescent parents. There is not a dull moment with those two on screen and how maybe Sara can take lessons from how well Sushmita managed the Punjabi twang in her lines. Another notable mention is Kanupriya Pandit as Kapil’s acidic Deepa mami. In a role that was clearly over the top, the actress manages to bring her own flavour, making the role memorable.
Zara Hatke Zara Bachke is entertaining in parts and frustrating in others. It takes a strong premise and some strong performers but never fully utilises either. The film sags, drags, and crawls towards the end when the melodrama overpowers the narrative, stretching it longer than it should be. But it is watchable, even it largely for Vicky’s performance and the simpleness of the plot.
