The makers of 'Half Girlfriend' have finally unveiled the trailer of the film and it didn't impress us completely. Though, the visuals, locations and the music are fantastic, the lead pair doesn't succeed to pack a punch for reasons more than one.
To begin with, we have Arjun Kapoor aka Madhav Jha, who's a boy from a Bihar village, facing a personal interview to get admitted to St Stephens college. He tries to answer the question asked to him in a forced Bihari accent. He soon admits that he wants to answer in Hindi because if he continues speaking in English he'll take the entire time till evening to finish his answer.
Madhav crosses paths with the most beautiful and stylish girl studying in the Delhi college - Riya Somani (played by Shraddha Kapoor) who's a basketball player. What happens next is quite predictable. The village boy falls for the high society girl but knows that he can never fit into her "English medium world" no matter how hard he tries.
And then the inevitable question "hum apke hain kaun" is dropped by Madhav. However, what's slightly different here is that the girl in question i.e., Riya Somani says she can be his Half Girlfriend. Madhav's friend (played by Vikrant Massey) explains the term 'Half Girlfriend' for him, describing him as, "Dost se thoda sa zyaada, boyfriend se kaafi kum."
The two get separated and then how Madhav keeps running in the lanes and by-lanes of NYC to get Riya back in the hope that she doesn't remain just his half girlfriend forever, is what the rest of the trailer is about. This pretty much sums up the plot of the Chetan Bhagat novel on which the film is based as well.
There are a few things that don't work,for the trailer. To begin with, Arjun Kapoor's half-baked Bihari accent is poles apart from his body language and styling. Mohit Suri had the liberty to make changes in the characterization and traits of Madhav's character but he chose not to (for reasons best known to him). We feel Madhav's character could have connected with the masses better without the put-on accent.
The plot is pretty predictable, for the ones who've read the novel as well as for those who haven't. Shraddha Kapoor does impress in the shots on the basketball court but apart from that, she appears to be just a pretty face on screen. May be we'll get to see her side of the story in another trailer before the release of the film.
The only saving grace is Vikrant Massey, who nails his act (along with the accent) and the striking music of the film. We hope the movie manages to surprise us pleasantly, unlike the trailer.
Watch the Half Girlfriend trailer right here:
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