Break Ke Baad (2010)

A Brilliant Conflict

The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

I wanted to like it more than I actually did... But much of the humor totally escaped me and I walked out only mildly impressed.

Easily the biggest piece of Right wing non sense propaganda I ever saw.

...and the worst part is not only that BREAK KE BAAD is retelling such a clichéd tale but with poor execution and little to no direction. From the first five minutes you can already tell how the film is going to end but still the director probably assumed that its fresh and attractive cast, scenic locales, supposedly hip lingo and ambition could and would save his script. Sadly, he was wrong. The main leads (Imraan Khan and Deepika Padukone) end up looking foolish and wooden in their roles of lovebirds needing some space in their relationship, with a role reversal of the guy being the one who wants to settle down and the girl being the one who wants to find herself and defy society's norms. Sigh! It's all been done before and way, way better.

I watched Break Ke Baad without expectations and it neither surprised nor disappointed me. It was quite a watchable movie but way too ordinary to be memorable. The film follows the relationship of Abhay and Aaliya, their love, friendship and differences. At times the movie manages to work with its light nature and looks quite believable and fun, but at others it's also too subtle for the story it tells and lacks the power to convince and captivate. The story is very simple, and it could have been more interesting had the direction and the script been better handled. Here, the narrative style is a bit dark and plain, and it often seems like it was taken too seriously by the makers, which is odd considering the fact that it does not really have much substance. The film's music is quite okay although, like the film, it is nothing particularly special. The main lead Imran Khan and Deepika Padukone are well cast, and frankly enough they are not really challenged by some great roles to begin with, so don't expect much. Imran is okay. Deepika is better in a performance that is pretty nice and more impressive than his but never particularly impressive in and of itself. She is undeniably pretty and attractive and something about her in this film works and may improve her prospects in the film industry, but she is far from being a glowing talent (like Anushka Sharma, for example). To sum it up, Break Ke Baad is overall an ordinary feature which does have its moments but after all can be watched only once, at least according to me.

I don't go into bollywood romantic comedies expecting much. Some charm is enough to suffice and real characters are simply a bonus. But, no matter what your criteria consists of, Break Ke Baad is bound to let you down. The characters in this movie are so annoyingly prototypical that they might as well be made of cardboard with a pullstring dialogue. Deepika's character is uninventive and predictably loathsome. I'm not sure how the director/penman fooled themself into thinking she could be stretched thin over a two hour runtime. Khan was such a stereotypically crafted polar opposite of her that the movie might actually give a viewer whiplash. To be fair, in the second to last 30 minutes of this movie, I almost stopped punching myself in the balls for sticking past the interval. But, the ending was so ridiculous and insultingly far-fetched that it took away any sympathy I had for myself. I'm basically an idiot that wasted a full 2 hours thinking that it could somehow provide catharsis for the $20 I wasted on our tickets. Don't be that idiot, there are so many more productive things to do with your day, like trying to see how many cc's of activated charcoal you can hold down while juggling bowling pins.

With a rather simple plot, Break Ke Baad explores and examines the relationship between the lead pair Imran and Deepika. This fun, fresh, and light-hearted romcom contains some really nice themes and messages that are badly needed for today's times. In an age where break-ups are too common and used as an escape from life's troubles, a quick fix to a relationship going through a rough phase, or a convenient denial of one's own weaknesses, we end up losing and hurting our loved ones and well-wishers. It takes courage, patience, acceptance, and resilience to keep two people together. While we may not realize it in the pursuit of freedom and independence, it's these relationships that brings us the most contentment. The film doesn't downplay or discourage ambition; on the contrary, it does show it as necessary to developing oneself. However, one's means of achieving his/her goals should not be done through rebellious means or by despisement of others' attitudes, but rather by cooperating and understanding those who are closest to you. The film has a great starcast and direction as well as nice music.