Is Gori Tere Pyaar Mein worth seeing? Short answer: Yes. The long answer, is also yes. Though its not going to challenge you or make your uncomfortable or leave you gobsmacked, Gori Tere Pyaar Mein is definitely worth your entertainment rupee. The film begins with our 'No do, no care' hero Sri Ram Venket (Imran Khan) the son of a wealthy Bangalore builder. Of course the family decides to fix their son the way countless desi parents vow to...marriage. The very arranged meeting and engaging with Vasudha, (Shraddha Kapoor) with close-ups of banana leaves and teak furniture, are framed with both wit and sophistication. Yep, there are a bumper crop of Punjus playing at Tamil Iyers in this film. Through their engagement and flashbacks we meet his first love Dia Sharma, (Kareena Kapoor), a feisty fighter for those who cannot defend themselves. She does everything, fighting for parks, for children, for sex workers. Dia has left her Delhi home and is matter-of-factly introduced to our hero as being much older. The second half of the film ends up in a small village in Gujarat. Where Tamil is used for humour and confusion in the first half, Gujarati has its turn later. Astoundingly there are not foreign shoots or even foreign dream sequences. Gori Tere Pyaar Mein, writer-director Punit Malhotra's first film I Hate Luv Stories did very well at the box office. I didn't see that film, but Mr. Malhotra's became best known for being his leading lady Sonal Kapoor's boyfriend, which may have been a step up from being known as fashion designer Manish Malhotra's nephew. I think judging by the deft handling and American sitcom type setups of this film, Mr. Malhotra will soon be best known as himself. Imran Khan has become the desi version of Hugh Grant. He usually manages to elevate rom-com material. This is his second film with Kareena Kapoor and the second film where Ms. Kapoor is a rabble rouser. Both Mr. Khan and Ms. Kapoor are pros and this role required no stretching for either one. They essentially played appealing characters which they probably are in real life. Shradha Kapoor is lovely but she too had no scope to do much. The songs particularly "Shake That Tooh," have already hit the airwaves are being played at weddings this winter. Dharma gloss is evident in every frame and costume, but it does not overpower, just makes us understand that our protagonists are upper middle class. Thankfully, the giant homes with spiral staircases have been retired. The cinematography is bright and polished. The story by Punit Malhotra and television writer Arshad Sayed presents the rom-com scenario in quite a fresh light. The writers also played around with structure to make the film more interesting, though it took away some of the 'will they,' 'won't they' element required by successful rom-coms. Punit Malhotra's direction is deft with supporting characters in both cities and villages used to build the humour. Anupam Kher brings life to the villain who is funnily menacing. A lesser actor would have had trouble walking the fine line. I'm just curious whether building a bridge was actually part of the filming budget or whether they found a village where a bridge was being built. The situations of helping society are woven throughout the story in a way never seen before in a Hindi film. That is impressive as the weakness of most Bollywood rom-coms, was that characters did nothing but fall in love. Love is not enough, it is never enough. The lover too needs to be worthy. Gori Tere Pyaar Mein delves into the aspect of being worthy of love in humorous manner, but the stakes are never that high. That is the film's strength and why it will stay on your mind longer than the average glossy entertainer.
