Movie Review : Break ke baad

Rating : Below Average (2.8/5)
Genre : Romance
Year : 2010
Running time : 2 hours
Director : Danish Aslam
Cast : Deepika Padukone, Imran Khan, Sharmila Tagore, Lilette Dubey, Navin Nischol
Kid rating : PG

BREAK KE BAAD : LACKS SPARKLE!

There are things in life which are like fine wine; they only get better with time. Unfortunately Kunal Kohli’s films are not like that. His work, although it isn’t regressing, isn’t getting better either. His productions are still stuck in a time warp where characters speak in pithy, punchy dialogue (every time they open their mouths !), and are lost forever in a cloud of self-angst and deep-sounding psycho-babble. Where’s a shrink when you need one ?

Anyway, “Break ke baad” is about a guy, Abhay Gulati (Imran Khan) and a girl Aaliya (Deepika Padukone), both seemingly in love with each other. But trouble is near, because the girl wants to get away, and take a break from the relationship. He, of course, isn’t ready to let go . . .

Aliya is a rebel without a cause, a very privileged rebel I night add. She is supposedly scarred by memories of a bad Daddy, and lives with her beautiful mom Ayesha (Sharmila Tagore). Deepika as Aaliya overdoes it with the harrumping expressions and the over-arching impatience. Imran plays Abhay, an annoyingly cloying boyfriend, who’s apparently more mature than the flighty Miss Aaliya. He, however, can’t seem to emote.

Aaliya wants to explore, and spread her wings. Abhay, on the other hand, is cautious, can’t seem to find his passion or breakout of his Dad’s business. Now, while you’d think that the differing personalities would make for an interesting film, you’d be wrong. Yes, the characters are interesting, but are so inconsistently developed, that I could not feel much sympathy for either one of them. Then there is the mother figure for the motherless Abhay, a bua (father’s sister) played by the charming Lilette Dubey, spouting words of wisdom about love and life. And there’s the lovely Sharmila Tagore, as the mother who only wants the best for her thoughtless daughter.

While Aslam’s direction was adequate, the story was weak – more of an exercise in been there-done that nothingness. The film had very little “masala” and lots of inane dialogue. The film did get a little better after the interval, but really it was 2 hours of he said-she said, and then they said some more. The lead pair didn’t seem to sparkle, or inspire any dewy-eyed moments. The good : the music is great; I liked almost all of the songs. Also, (whew !) there were no cheesy cartoon characters in this film.

The film is shot in Delhi, and Australia, where apparently beach-side cabins come cheap, and are rented out by quirky owners with hearts of gold. Also, this beachy shack where Abhay and Aaliya hole up, seemed rather familiar – was it the same one that Saif and Preiti stay in in Salaam-Namaste (is Australia really that small or has Bollywood leased the place for the next decade?) ?

This film tries to be the next, big, new age romance. But in it’s trying to be hot and happening, and edgily thoughtful at the same time, it loses it’s way, becoming instead a war of words between two under-developed characters. It was 2 hours long, but felt much longer.

Kidwise – The film is free of cheap innuendo but has many references to adult situations/sex/getting laid. Every second word is “sexy”.