Lekar Hum Deewana Dil (2014)

The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

Ok... Let's be honest. It cannot be the best movie but is quite enjoyable. The movie has the potential to develop a great plot for future movies

If you're interested in the topic at hand, you should just watch it and judge yourself because the reviews have gone very biased by people that didn't even watch it and just hate (or love) the creator. I liked it, it was well written, narrated, and directed and it was about a topic that interests me.

There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

This is the very first time I am writing a review. I was very excited to watch this movie for a quite sometime, the trailers and the story and intrigued me a bit. I thought it would be a refreshing ROM-COM and by the Rep of Imtiaz Ali, I took it will be a well written and directed movie. The whole movie was just blew off the concept of love and friendship for me. After one drunk conversation with a good friend, the girl runs away and gets married because the girl was wanting to run away from marriage? What's the point here? One struggle, which was not even worth a real fight they hate each other and then fall in love again? Some scenes you are just like hey? what? seriously? no one does that! not even good friends fight for such petty issues these days. I lot could have been done, but it's a sheer waste of time and money. I suggest DO NOT GO FOR THIS MOVIE!

When a director is given the responsibility of launching a fresh pair with the hero coming from one of father-figure families of the Film Industry then he should at least try to deliver something fresh in the name of concept or treatment, to make the best of the opportunity given. But sadly, just opposite is the case with LEKAR HUM DEEWANA DIL, which clearly indicates its flawed vision when a Rahman song is first wasted in its opening credits only and further when its story progression keeps jumping from one plot to another like a blind frog not knowing where it should actually move towards in the dark room.So displaying a confused mindset, director Arif Ali refuses to take some risk adapting any novel concept for the debutants and begins with his own tribute to JAANE TU YA JAANE NA (2008) in the film's initial moments, followed by a mixture of ideas taken from his brother Imtiaz Ali's SOCHA NA THA (2005), JAB WE MET (2007) and even HIGHWAY (2014), quite casually. At first it also reminded me of Sachin's PREM DEEWANE released in 1992 featuring an eloping couple. But changing tracks, the director soon goes back to the ages old theme of post (love) marriage misunderstandings, seen in numerous movies ranging from Rajesh Khanna's AVISHKAAR(1974), Rakesh Roshan's PRIYATAMA (1977) & Shaad Ali's SAATHIYA (2002) to Shahrukh Khan's CHALTE CHALTE (2003), delivering a pretty routine, boring and childish film targeting the youth of the nation in particular.To give you a fair idea about the script's intelligence quotient, it has a father hitting his college going boy with a fist as if he has done a crime and then the boy also willing to hit his girlfriend in the same manner (showing his fist) like a maniac. Later a marriage counselor seems more disturbed than her patients sitting on the couch and wait, we also have an item song here right within the jungle hideout of Naxalites having some funny lyrics saying 'Mawaali Qawwali'. With no detailing given to the lead characters, they both remain hyper throughout the film with their constant yelling and look silly taking many crucial decisions of life just like that (including their hasty marriage). Having nothing in store to surprise you right till its easily predictable climax, LHDD actually makes you think that did nobody read this script in the Kapoor family at all before launching one of their own kids. Or it was just formality done by Karishma Kapoor as an elder sister accompanying Armaan on Kapil's Comedy Show contributing in the film's media promotion.In the music department A.R. Rahman comes up with an average score once again with very few enjoyable songs saving the soundtrack from becoming a complete non-performer and DOP tries his best to give it a rich look. However regarding the performances where Armaan should always thank his lucky stars and God gifted family for the golden opportunity given, there Deeksha can still hope for some more work ahead due to her satisfactory act much better than Armaan. Supporting cast remains a mix of average to forced performers revealing another aspect of the director's questionable mindset wherein he still thinks that a South Indian father always has to be the one with a dark complexion.Summing up, I would like to address the viewers here, who eventually would be spending both their money & time on such poor ventures made without any specific vision. And in clear words, if you really are willing to see some fabulous films made on this important subject of an affair, love marriage and the problems arising in its later years post the initial romantic phases. Then forget about any of these confusingly made films without any soul of their own and just go for the famous trilogy on marital discord by Basu Bhattacharya made in the 70s comprising of three beautiful films called ANUBHAV (1971), AAVISHKAR (1973) and GREH PRAVESH (1979).In other words, if today film-makers in Hindi Cinema are not giving you many worth watching films to learn from then all is not lost yet as there are much better movies made in the past to be explored essentially and some great visionary work being done in the regional cinema of the country too which remains hidden due to our own short vision and limited access. So stop being fooled by all these routine projects made to serve the demanding market packaged in an impressive style and move towards the actual cinema, which you all have been missing since long.

Lekar Hum Deewana Dil, a film by Arif Ali (Imtiaaz Ali's brother), turns out to be a juvenile movie. Movies viz. Bobby, Love Story, Betaab, Kayamat se Kayamat Taq, Saathiyan and many more in the yesteryears had the concept of elopement and getting married but were so sensibly handled that these movies turned out to be the blockbusters. Lekar Hum Deewana Dil fails to touch your heart with childish scenes. It has no elements of Romance. Rather, for major parts of the movie, the protagonists are shown to be fighting in a silly manner. Probably the director's attempt was to show that in love also, one has to be logical and practical. Arif also wanted to discuss whether the love can survive the challenges and the hard-core reality of life. Definitely, the movie could have been another great romantic movie, but somewhere the script, actors, performances …everything falls apart. I just wish, the movie was given a different and treatment so as to make this movie a good one to watch. The movie begins with Rahman's Khaleefa song as part of wedding celebration of "K" aka Karishma Sethi (debutant Deekhsa Seth). Dino aka Dinesh Nigam (Armaan Jain, another debutant and the latest entry from Kapoor clan) is there in the wedding house to elope with Karishma. Dino helps Karishma to elope with him and he is happy that he could save his good friend from an arranged marriage and Karishma is happy to get the support of Dino to escape from parental pressure of marriage. Both of them figure out, while they are drunk, that they are very good friends and so only perfect for each other. They feel that their match is decided in heaven and they decide to tie knot with each other. Dino and Karishma assumed that they would be able to retain their happiness forever and their lives would be roller-coaster for them, but they were far away from the reality.They had to run from one location to another, Mumbai to Goa to Nagpur to Raipur to save themselves from being caught. Ultimately they land up amongst Maoists in Dantwada. Blame-game begins between the two, when the harsh realities hit them.What happens thereafter? Do their families accept them back? Do they realize that they are happy together? How do the events unfold? Everything is very much predictable. The dialogues are very very mediocre. There is no warmth in the dialogues. Forced acronyms viz. atah.com (Apni Taqdeer Apne Haath), DMC (Dekho Magar Chuo Mat), Blunder.com (for some unexpected bad situations), AP (Aagyakari Putra) are used which does not seem to be funny at all.Let us not judge Armaan and Deeksha and write them off. Armaan takes efforts to be cool and Deeksha tries to look spontaneous / chirpy. But the plot, dialogues, music, dance moves…nothing has worked in their favour. Dev, elder brother of Dino (Sudeep Sahir) is noticeable. Rohini Hattangidi as judge and Gautami Kapoor as psychiatrist have justified their characters, rest of the cast is almost forgettable. AR Rahman's music fails to create any impact. An item song (rather a cabaret number) in Maoist camp seems so unreal and leaves you disgruntled.

Arif Ali brother of Imtiaz Ali debuts in this movie as a director and introduces the new pair of Armaan Jain (Grandson of Raj Kapoor ) and Deeksha Seth (Miss India Finalist)…..Arif who also is the writer of the movie is heavily influenced by his Brother Imtiaz Ali's movies like "Socha Na Tha", "Jab We Met" and even his recent "Highway". So as you guessed it right the story is of a young couple Dinesh a.k.a Dinoo (Armaan Jain) and Karishma (Deeksha Seth) who are utterly confused whether they are in love or are just good friends , but they decide to elope as Karishma is forced to marry a groom from a Shetty family. They get married and travel half way through India from Goa to Nagpur to Raipur to the forest of Bastar after which they realize that they are not compatible and call it quits and return home. They apply for divorce so the remaining plot surrounds whether they separate or they come together.The issue of the screenplay written by Arif Ali himself first is the length of 140 mins which was not required for a wafer thin plot, secondly the screenplay which just does not go anywhere. Till the end the lead pair looks confused and not sure and so does the audience. After the movie is over you feel confused whether the couple were really in love. The first half when they elope has some moments but in the second half it drags unnecessarily. Even when they elope there was no requirement of putting the Naxalite angle, other than for a song sequence which looks straight out of the 80's & 90's movie wherein there used to be a song in the villain's den. Arif wanted to target this movie for the youth but unfortunately it does not have any elements which may lure the youth.The lead pair of Armaan Jain and Deeksha Seth does not impress at all, especially Armaan who has a heavy hangover of his Uncle Randhir Kapoor style of acting and his dialogue delivery & Diction needs to be polished. Deeksha Seth looks completely confused throughout the movie and looks like "Alice in Wonderland" not knowing what is happening. The rest of the ensemble cast of Kumud Mishra, Sudeep Sahir, Anita Kulkarni, Rohini Hattangadi, Varun Badola, Gautami Kapoor try to put some sense through their performances but all in vain as the writing is so weak that they could not salvage.Arif Ali's direction does not create any impact as his writing; he just fails to get the lead pair to act. Arif has concentrated more on the portraying the cool quotient like the lingo and the look of the movie but fails miserably to set the love story properly the first requisite in a love story, only if the look could make a movie work….Well there are only two highlights of the movie which shines in this otherwise chaos is the cinematography by Laxman Utekar which captures right from the cool city life of Mumbai to the forests of Chattisgarh extremely well and beautifully. Second highlight is the music by A R Rahman, especially the peppy "Khalifa" and the ever so romantic "Allahada" which is written beautifully by Amitabh Bhattacharya."Le Kar Hum Deewana Dil" is pointless and does not make any sense as it misses the soul completely.