Bollywood has very few of these: romantic comedies. Primarily because filmmakers have this tremendous predisposition with melodrama - whether it is required or not is another matter. But APBKDH sticks to its themes of romance and comedy right till the end.
Every romantic comedy has to have a built-in hindrance that will stop the couple from living happily ever after till the penultimate reel, sometimes even the penultimate shot. You know that before the credits roll. But what you look forward to is journey to that moment, which will hopefully be an enjoyable and entertaining one. In APBKDH, this journey is a very enjoyable one.
Om Puri gives a phenomenally humorous performance as the protagonist of the film - yup he is THE MAIN character of the film. I guess it is a great testimonial to the fact that if you are a professionally trained actor, you can do a wider range of work, something that our so-called stars are oblivious to. Priyanshu impresses once again after Tum Bin that he has a great screen presence and his comedic timing with Om Puri is quite good. Saakshi has to look good and mouth her limited lines competently which she does very well. She definitely looks ravishing throughout the film and is very comfortable on the screen.
Anubhav Sinha's talent lies in giving the supporting characters some substance rather than present them as mere caricatures. In that sense, Fairda Jalal does a good job. Nikhil-Vinay's score though not as good as Tum Bin, is still listenable and goes well with the film. What I was impressed about the film was Sinha and Dabral's script which never hammers your sensibilities at any point but has you smiling, giggling or somberly staring with moistened eyes. Sinha never drives the point home. He subtly suggests them with a common sense and intelligence that seems foreign to mainstream Bollywood.
So, I guess now we know that Tum Bin was not a streaky fluky effort from a novice. It was the first film from someone who knows his craft well. 8/10.
