It had been a longtime since I opined about a Bollywood movie, the reasons for which happens to be its duration and there was nothing that caught my attention or even the slightest bit of intrigue. So let me just a stretch a bit. Hasee Toh Phasee was something I initially turned my back on thinking its your usual romcom then I decided to give it a chance, just for Parineeti Chopra. It was anything BUT your usual romcom. There were indeed antiques of it from time to time but it was much more enjoyable thanks to the film's slightly artsy production. Unlike the typical Bollywood romcoms 'cheesy' had not been served hot from frame one but as I said there were scenes that constantly reminded you that you were indeed watching one.
Parineeti Chopra just steals the show. She'd already proved her talents with her debutante performance in Ladies Vs Ricky Behl and through out her career till date she has done nothing but racked up commendation. She never did really improve. Why? Coz there was no need for improvisation. She was doing the best, bringing her own brand of acting to whichever roles she played in. And in Hasee Toh Phasee's oddball, innocent Meeta, is the more diverse side of her acting we get to see. I haven't seen Sidharth Malhotra's Student of The Year so I had nothing to compare his performance to and I found it a good thing. I was in for Parineeti and I got served but what surprised me was Sidharth as well. Sidharth's Nikhil Bhardwaj, despite his cold steel looks, was convincingly acted out. Special mention goes to the strong supporting cast as well, be it Manoj Joshis performance as the subtle and loving father or Ada Sharma's ab initio knockout-turned-bitch. Brownie points goes to that uncredited actor who plays Nikhil's cousin who breaks out into weird Anu Malik acapellas and twitchy dance moves at the slightest excuse. Scenes with him and Nikhil's paranoid ex-cop dad (played by Sharath Saxena) had me in splits.
Vishal Dadlani's music had been spot on, catchy tunes further adorns the romance and festive visuals Be it the funky Shake it Like Shammy or the soothing Zehnaseeb, it goes perfectly in sync with it all. And of course it wouldn't be complete if I don't quote something on Drama Queen track and what more to add than its great to shake a leg.
Debutant Vinil Mathews' Hasee Toh Phasee is a modestly entertaining movie but not without flaws. A level of Bollywoodism in certain spots borders on mundane and had it not been there I would have loved it even more. Lets not forget that Hasee Toh Phasee becomes a bit tiresome towards the end what with it being victim to our usual chunk of Bollywood cheesiness. But a lot of heartfelt moments and earnest performances overshadows those, making it a pocket-sized enjoyable one time flick. And if it still doesn't sound appealing, watch it for Parineeti's efficaciously riveting performance.
