User reviews

Brace yourself for one of the biggest Bollywood chick-flicks in recent history. Although I seriously doubt how many chicks will really like this movie!!!

First of all, I'm not sure if this movie was intended to be a parody of all the classic Bollywood love stories or that is just wanted to use the clichés for the entertainment factor. I cannot understand that when the lead pair is good looking young and reasonably talented, why would the director not put more effort into making an original love story? We have been subjected to Hollywood rip offs for so long.....but seriously Mr Director, Bollywood rip offs are in no way better!!! For heavens sake, let the classics remain classics. With the exception of the opening scenes of the film which revive memories of some of the hit love stories of the past (DDLJ, Dil Kehta Hai and Hum Tum), I didn't see the point of making any further reference to past movies. The director has tried to humorously incorporate all the clichés of the great Bollywood love stories and tried to give it a modern twist (as in Om Shanti Om)......but unfortunately, there is nothing new or "different" about this movie. It just didn't work.

Sonam is as cute as a button. She is surely one of the most beautiful actresses we have in our industry today. Her character however is silly and superficial. Imran is cool and can easily pass of for the playboy types but he seriously needs to learn how to emote. He does well in the scenes where he is supposed to be cool and funny but when the time comes for him to profess his love, he might as well be talking to a wall! I hope he takes some tips from his famous "maamu". I wish I could say that I loved the chemistry between the lead pair....but I would be lying through my teeth. And please, what was with Soman's loser BF always color coordinating his clothes with her?? Is that supposed to indicate the depth of love or something?? The trait of a good director is to put his/her point across without being ridiculous in the process!

The reason I gave this movie 5 stars (I am being extremely generous here) is because I think both Sonam and Imran look great and have the potential to be good actors, some of the humorous dialogues were original, the music of the film is hummable, Imran's fat friend was funny at times and the cinematography was generally good.

The title plays up on how unbelievable love stories can get, and despite its ripping apart the classical romantic films by Dharma Productions and Yash Raj films in the opening, and throughout the film, ultimately this one proves to be quite hypocritical in a sense that it too cannot come to grips with its battle against cliché, and falls prey to the tried, tested and tired formula of a romantic comedy. As the saying goes, if you can't beat them, join them.

However it has its youthful, eye candy cast added to its advantage as it plods through its rather meandering and cumbersome plot, involving J (Imran Khan), a production assistant who has worked on countless of romantic films by hotshot director Veer Kapoor (Samir Soni), and Simran (Sonam Kapoor), who is employed under the same production umbrella. To J, work means a constant rolling of the eyes because he just doesn't subscribe to nor see the appeal of formulaic romantic movies, even if his employer is the best in the business. And for Simran it's just the reverse, feeling privileged to be part of movie magic, as she expounds her own blissfully perfect relationship with fiancé Raj (Sammir Dattani).

So begins the clash of the believer and the non-believer, made worst when J is ordered to be working under Simran who is the new art director for Veer's upcoming love saga, Pyar Pyar Pyar, which I have to admit that writer-director Punit Malhotra managed to weave in a film in production within a film, that drew nice touches of parallels between J and Simran's developing love affair, until the final act which somehow had to conform to hammed up clichés. On one hand, I thought it was quite brilliant to get the audience engaged through two levels, one which is the reality the characters live in, and the other the ultra-hyped film reality which exists in Pyar Pyar Pyar, with extremely over the top performances and delivery used to elicit plenty of laughter, especially from fans of Bollywood romances.

We'd expect the usual clash of the opposites, where J the non-committal playboy unwittingly turns on his charm on the on-the-way-to-blissful-marriage Simran, who by the time the interval rolled by, is at odds with wanting to settle down with the man she thought will provide that level of stability through routine, or someone who's more of the livewire even if you started out hating the guts of the person? The story seems to play on the theme of close proximity having that big a role to play in demolishing stability, and like all nicely crafted clichés which you can see coming from a mile away, J and Simran inevitably fall in love, which takes one of them by surprise, leading to plot development reserved for after the interval.

If not for the young film starlets as the leads, it'll be quite hard to imagine how love can make them do silly things, with plenty of assumptions drawn up that the characters inevitably fall for. Nothing new gets added to the flavour of the story, and while it doesn't stand out, it also doesn't fall flat on its face as well, making this a simple, breezy romantic tale to sit through. Imran Khan pulls through his J quite effortlessly, since I suppose the easy-going, good natured guy is almost always easier to play as opposed to Sonam Kapoor's emotional Simran, who has ample opportunity to show her acting chops in what's only her third major role in her film career, compared to contemporary peers such as Ranbir Kapoor, or even Deepika Padukone.

Perhaps the only thread of interest here to sustain your attention will be the numerous film references from dialogues to sets and even downright spoofs, or if you're the incurable romantic, then yes, this film will be right up your alley.

I Hate Luv Storys is a humorous modern love story with all the flare and drama of a Bollywood classic. Jay and Simran have great chemistry and the development of their relationship captivates the audience. Although the premise of the movie is grander than grand, the two meet on the set of a Bollywood film and fall in and out of love with each other time and time again, the audience can relate to the ups and downs of their courtship. The songs are great to sing along to and the internal monologues of Jay and Simran give the characters more depth than is sometimes afforded in Bollywood. This film builds off of the Bollywood classic themes seen in films like Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge and Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak of a young couple willing to do whatever it takes to be together. However, unlike these films, the protagonists don't instantaneously fall in love and are often falling in and out of love with each other. The portrayal of love in I Hate Luv Storys is more natural and realistic than that seen in classic films. Additionally, the character of Veer, the director, has a style similar to KJo. Part of what makes this film to endearing is the Bollywoodiness of it all- the big dance numbers, the sets, the music, the drama. Since KJo is a producer of this film, we see his trademark over the top Bollywood style that film scholar Sangita Gopal says is more of the same, but brought to the extreme. This film is so fun because it is over the top!

Imran Khan looks deliciously cute. Sonam Kapoor serves rom com heroine goals. The music is phenomenal. The cinematography is top notch. Yes the story and characters are a bit cliche, but the treatment is fun and new.

This is a nice movie stop trying to judge someones acting, good effort by sonam kapoor and imran khan.love you guys ......dogs always bark.ignore them

...then don't bother.

First, the actors. Sonam Kapoor has the IQ of a paper bag. And that's when I'm drunk enough not to notice. It's so bad it actually shows anytime she's not flashing her perfect whites. First day in acting school: Don't make it look like you're acting. Looks like someone was absent. Imran Khan showed great promise in Jaane tu... Here he's a clichéd wannabe. The jokes are forced and everything else seems artificial. What the fungus, dude?

Second, the premise. Confused Boy + Girl. Confused Girl + Boy. And every single love story platitude thrown in the middle. That with the grating self promotional music everywhere. We get it, Mr. Johar, you're a fan. Of yourself.

Third, the bulls***. Do you really meet on strategically placed rocks every time you need to have a serious relationship talk? And Raj, are you FRIGGIN' BLIND? Also, why are beautiful women (read:Giselle) so irritating? Is there a law?

I'm a little sad that the quality of Indian Cinema has dropped to this level. I wish they'd start putting in a little more intelligence in their movies over simple polish. Would love to sit through a movie that didn't make me want to strangle defenseless rabbits in slow motion.

2 out of 10. 1 for the fat guy with the sexist humour.

If it were in 2021...it must have been a Netflix or Amazon prime webseries. This movie is good in its rom com genre and it's meant be like this.

The question arises "Why we're expecting a lot of story thing from a movie which is never made to impact a story." This was a new gen feel good RomCom movie with a bollywood touch. This film is meant to be cliche. So it's made more like a rom com teenager movie.

Even though it can be a one time weekend movie for you if you don't have anything to watch and if you're a music lover. This movie has the best songs from "Bahaara To Sadka Kiya" and much more.

This movie was something new in Bollywood. There're also similar movies of that time like "Anjaana Anjaani" "Dostana" n all. These supposed to be entertaining dramas nothing more than that.

So if you wanna relive the fresh air of bollywood you can watch this movie. You won't regret it.

To begin with I would like to mention all the young and energetic names associated with this movie. First of its reputed banner of Karan Johar, who himself is known as a Master of Love Stories. Secondly, it is directed by a debutant young director, Punit Malhotra, who is the nephew of famous fashion designer Manish Malhotra. And then it has the two most energetic & talented names, Imran Khan & Sonam Kapoor who look adorable as a couple on the screen. So obviously, one is forced to expect something new, fresh and novel in terms of content from a talented ensemble like this.

But shockingly, what is served is neither something new nor it has any kind of fresh or innovative treatment given by the director to captivate his audience. Very unexpectedly the film is as predictable as the night coming after the day. In straight words, the only USP of the movie is its fresh paring of the lead actors and thats it.

Before the intermission, the proceedings are cute and the sequences are fine but you simply keep watching them only because you are expecting something new to unfold on the screen any moment. But nothing happens of that sort and post interval the film moves on to the same ages old path of realizing the mistakes and returning to the lady love as usual. However the director does throw few funny one liner dialogues and some comic sequences to give you the much required relief at regular intervals. But that's really not enough for the hungry viewers who were expecting a lot from this big movie.

Talking about the storyline, you can easily guess it by only looking at its various posters for a while. The plot of hatred (within a young couple working together) getting converted into love is known to the Indian Viewers as Rice in their daily meals.

Interestingly, both Imran Khan and Sonam Kapoor have only few releases to their credits till now and they are also known for their extremely choosy nature and rejection of scripts after their recent flops. But I simply couldn't understand that out of all the scripts being offered to them, why did they choose this particular one, which was only a rehashed version of many other HIT Love stories of the past and had nothing of its own as original. May be the director also convinced his producers on the basis of some new kind of treatment he had in mind for the over-used plot. But unfortunately, the fresh treatment is not visible on the screen in any frame and he completely misses the big opportunity given to him by the makers.

Coming to the other aspects of the film, it no doubt excels in its technical departments namely in its Styling, Cinematography, Production Values and the Soundtrack. But sadly, everything else takes a back seat if you have nothing to offer as far as the main content of the movie goes.

Imran Khan looks fine in both aspects of his character but again why did he agree to do a role quite similar to the one he had already done in "Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na". Sonam looks amazing on the screen and has a fresh magnetic power in her beauty. She performs well in her role of a Set Designer, but with not a single HIT in her career till now, she got to be extra cautious to choose her future projects after IHLS. Samir Soni, who plays a Bollywood director in the movie (resembling Sanjay Leela Bhansal's persona) is OK. Samir Dattani underplays it well playing Sonam's boyfriend. Aamir Ali as the HERO is impressive but Pooja Ghai as the HEROINE doesn't get enough lines or scenes. Ketaki Dave & Anju Mahendru too have nothing much to do in the screenplay. But out of the entire supporting cast, Bruna Abdullah and Kavin Dave (of "Sprite Commercial" fame) truly stand out. In reality, the most enjoyable scenes of the movie are the ones featuring Kavin Dave as Imran's friend.

Musically, IHLS holds the merit with few good numbers composed by Vishal-Shekhar, out of which the Title Track is surely the best. The Background score also proves its presence in the movie smartly.

Another engaging aspect of IHLS is that throughout its entire screenplay, the characters keep pointing towards some big names in a taunting way. The movie starts with the actual film clipping of the Three Khans and there are continuous references to Sanjay Leela Bhansali and his movies such as "Saawariya" & "Devdas". May be the writers were following the real life story of Sonam Kapoor and Ranbir Kapoor, who did actually worked as assistant directors to Sanjay Leela Bhansali, at the start of their careers. A particular scene also talks about Aamir Khan and his "Lagaan", along with a dialogue pointing towards his forthcoming home production "Peepli Live". And there are paintings and dance sequences used in the movie, similar to Karan Johar's "Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham".

But here the strange paradox is that even after sarcastically talking about all the big names and Hit movies in his film, the director Puneet Malhotra, himself comes out with a product which is quite mediocre in execution and content in comparison to all. In other words, a debutant director like him should have essentially worked on his own project first to prove his caliber, before making mockery of some reputed names of the Industry.

To sum up, if you can appreciate love stories made with the same seen before familiar moves and if you really rate the star-cast more important than the movie itself, then you may like IHLS. But for me it's a project which had some great potential only before its release. Sharing a common theme with the 2009 release "I Hate Valentine's Day", it comprises of only one visual treat and that's Sonam Kapoor alone.

Man! This movie was so boring. The best part about it was the trailer. It went downhill from there. For a movie trying to be a spoof on love stories, it bombed by stating how much it hates luv stories ... constantly! It just drags, the film should have been half its size. The main problem is that nothing happens! They keep repeating the same point over and over again. Also there was no real chemistry between the lead pair.

There were a few funny dialogues but not enough to save the film. Imran Khan delivers his dialogues really well (except for a couple of scenes where I thought he actually wanted to laugh). Sonam should hang up her acting hat. She wouldn't know how to say a sentence with emotion if it came and bit her in the you know where.

Best advice: stay at home. watch it when it comes on TV, so that you can change the channel, when you see Imran doing the same thing for the 237th time.

i hate luv storys is an amazing film in its own right...it is a special film not because its something new or untold of..but because of its treatment of the age old clichés.. to start with..imran khan hasn't looked this good in a film since a longgg time...sonam kapoor as always is a beholder's delight...and the rest of the crew looks good too....the new director impresses..so does the music by vishal-shekhar...

this is a quintessential love story which would make you nostalgic and at the end of it you would wish if only there was more... a nice simple romantic film...which is thoroughly enjoyable..its pleasant to watch amidst all the humdrum....

for me this film roxxx...a simple movie like this now n then doesn't hurt...in fact i love to burn the midnight oil for films like these.. a perfect 10/10

I remembered it when i first saw this movie I was only 10...and at that time I totally love this movie and both the actors and find it alot interesting....so my heart is little biased in this review...the movie is shot on beautiful locationa with chart Buster music album...the story is of a boy Jai (Imran khan) who is far to away from love...met a girl(sonam kapoor) who is having everything perfect in life along with her perfect match for Boyfriend...girl initially hate Jai's lifestyle and thoughts...and jai usually irritate her with her perfect choices....on other side they both work together on art designing of a film...after that movie is all about how both realise what love is and for whom... Imran has nail the chocolatey boy character and has given a fine performance Sonam looks beautiful and pretty and she also has done a good job other supporting cast has also done a great job...there are lots of comedy scenes with each supporting characters and they are hilarious music is the plus point of the movie... party song to emotional song are well placed along with Bahara song in Shreya voice is just love story is quite similar to each rom-com movies of Bollywood but still it is interesting although second half was looked too filmy... first half is totally laugh riot with great punches direction by Punit is decent...as he maintains this youth target love story to be watched with family too...he has beautifully built the chemistry between the leads and also relationship with other starcasts...in short he has done his job well cinematography is brilliant as eye-catching locations can be seen in whole movie So in short I totally love this movie at that time and still I watch it and always enjoyed watching it as i have grown up I would give it 6 stars but still my heart remains the same as it was at 10 so one more star to this rom-com

I watched this movie, coz I knew it was partly shot in NZ, and the actors gave interviews when they came here to shoot.... I didn't have ANY expectations at all, as I had only seen Sonam in "Sawariya" and never seem Imran in anything! I agree to a point with some who say that the movie played on Clichés, but we have to realize that this is deliberate.

The thing is.... this movie is trying to say the same thing those melodramas did, but with a lot less embellishments and in a more straightforward sense. It does not ALWAYS succeed in this, but it did not have any of the over dramatized love scenes or nauseating dialogue of some old movies. Instead, it tried to tell us that falling in love is ALWAYS somewhat dramatic, but try to break it down to a more believable level. Lets be honest... who here has not got drunk and called someone you liked? or made a fool of yourself falling for a co-worker etc? It's believable. The two characters had differing beliefs, but find common ground while working together and they start to rely on each others company without even realising it. Love creeps up on them and Simran being an incurable romantic accepts and understand this first, but Jay does not. It takes her extricating herself from his life, for him to realize how important she had become to him, and his journey to this realisation is painful for him. (We realize that his dislike of love and relationships does not just come from a superficial level, but from his parents failed relationship that contributes to his cynicism).

As for the actors….Imran was a BABE, could not take my eyes off him.... and Sonam was sooo pretty. They lit up the screen; the chemistry was electric in some scenes. I disagree with those who say that it was not there? Where were you? They were hot, and never hotter than in those scenes in Queenstown! LOVED them! There was a natural, un-tried chemistry between them that was really enjoyable to watch. You can totally believe them just hanging out on a set, in bars and coffee shops.

I found the character Kunal hilarious, he had the BEST lines in the movie and even Giselle was very funny! The perfect BF wearing the same colour…..? Maybe a bit overdone, but it was trying to make a point of how hard he was trying and how badly he was failing. Mr Wrong NEVER tries so hard, but this is what makes him so lovable.

The music was good. My favourite songs being "Sadka Kiya", "Bin Tere",& "Jub Mila Tu".

Favourite line in the movie…. (After a drunken night out on the town with Jay) Simran: "That's it? Jay: "Aur Kya karna chati ho? (Tanslates- "what more to you want to do?")

I give this movie chops for irreverent humour!

I loved Imran and Sonam together in this movie. It was a great pairing. Good luck to you both!

Seriously am I the only one who saw "I Hate Luv Storys" was a blatant copy of their own clan "Dil Toh Pagal Hain"? My Lord, allow me to present my case. The boy runs away from anything that is anything close to the word love. The boy and girl get to know each other on a creative project (musical/ movie set). The girl is already engaged to a fly-in- the-ointment and contemplating her decision with each passing reel. While in IHLS the cupid pierces the girls heart first as opposed to DTPH where the boy is blessed with illumination. So the verdict is clear, if you have missed the bus in 1997 then here is "I Hate Luv Storys" for you. Looks as good as new, completely refurbished and re-branded.

Sonam Kapoor:: Yes, she is the diva personified for the youth of today. Calling her character "Simran"? And Sammir Dattani "Raj"? Adi/Karan - there should be a tax for licking your own noses and never- ending innuendos to "Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge" & "Kuch Kuch Hota Hain".

Imran Khan:: Playing a quirky character doesn't come quite naturally for Imran, especially if you were to compare it with Shah Rukh in DTPH. This movie would be better remembered for Sonam Kapoor than Imran Khan.

Sammir Dattani:: Pity that he has stopped to such low level to accept such fun-poking characters. His counter-part in the 1997 version ie. Akshay Kumar got a decent/ dignified/ memorable role.

Since it comes from Johar/ Chopra camp, music is given due importance and the album has quite a few memorable/ hummable numbers from the house of Vishal-Shekhar. "Bin Tere" is wonderfully rendered by Sunidhi Chauhan/ Shafqat Amanat Ali (noteworthy is choice of word "khalish"). "Sadka Kiya", another favorite of mine has some good stanzas backed with vocals from Mahalakshmi Iyer. "Bahaara" sung by Shreya is very soothing.

No stone was left unturned by the marketing department (read that blaring in public).

Before the release , i thought this movie would change the way the people look at Bollywood romantic comedies. But I'm hugely disappointed when saw this movie in theater!

Music is very good but spoils the story flow, background scores by Salim-Sulaiman are stunning sometimes and sloppy sometimes, they are like background scores for action movies. They borrowed a few scenes from other movies for fun and they did they same with the original story line too.

On the other hand it is a very funny movie, sometimes make you clap,shout,jump out of the seat. Some stunning visuals. Even if it is a short movie, gives you a lengthy feeling.

You enjoy while you watch and after you come out you think "what did i just see?"

**Could have been better**

'I hate luv story' seems like to make an attempt to make a cool film but it fails certainly. It has the same old story with no exceptions. A boring story can sometimes be compensated by good performances but it is not the case with IHLS. I was waiting for the film but it disappointed me. Some scenes specially seems like to be shot in a hurry. Scenes where Imran proposes Sonal were executed badly. Dialogue delivery was below average. Direction was average. I think Imran took it more casually as he can do better for sure. Sonal's acting was OK. With all these negative points, there were a few good comic dialogs and some good songs. That is it. Overall an average flick. I can say I hate I hate love stories.

I HATE LUV STORYS – CATCH IT ( B+ ) I Hate Luv Storys, is as simple as water. There is no story at all and the whole movie is rest upon the awesome chemistry of Imran Khan and Sonam Kapoor. I wised if the writers and directors would have though about some good twist and turns in the movie to give it a different look but sadly they didn't. The ending was too perfect and seems in hurry there should have been some thing huge and dramatic in the end. Nonetheless the whole movie works well and I never felt boredom. Imran Khan is Adorable and looks really cute. He acted quite well though sometimes he needed to be more emotional but it didn't came across on him. Sonam Kapoor looks drop dead gorgeous; she is truly the soul of the movie. She acted really well and looks picture perfect in every single shot. The chemistry between Imran and Sonam is Awesome; I would love to see them again together for sure. Bruna Abdullah looks Hot. Watch it; it's a delightful experience which never goes over the top.

It was a much awaited film and I personally know lot of people who were waiting for its release. The movie had it all to make it a hit - Karan's direction, Imran as hero, Sonam as heroine, few good songs, the media hype before release and some great previews by likes of Taran Adarsh... but, it simply falls flat on its face due to poor execution of an ordinary story.

There is lack of depth in the movie across key areas as acting, dialogue delivery, screenplay and direction. I am really confused whether Karan was trying to make a formula film (and failed) or, a different film (and, still failed).

I Hate Luv Storys is not even worth spending on its DVD, leave alone spending money on ticket for a show at theatre. The lucky ones who have waited to read a review and plan accordingly should simply wait till a channel like Colours or Sony premiere it on TV as the movie is worth only that.

Its a good time pass movie.. First half is full of comedy but second half starts with Indian Drama...

Kavin Dave has acted very well... Sonam Kapoor is OK but in some scenes she looks pretty.

There is a lot of comedy in the movie and it is worth watching.

I am giving 8/10 because this movie made me laugh....

Don't go after the name... its an Indian movie so it was sure that it would have a happy ending where hero and heroine will fall in love...

"No One Hates Luv Storys"... They may be jealous :P

Here is a review from Rediff: it's Imran and Sonam's collective persona and their free-flowing chemistry that makes all the difference. Although the pair deserve better than an amateurishly written romance to scoop out their terrific potential as a combination. I Hate Luv Storys is, at best, a promising even if imperfect indication of things to come in the direction.

No surprises here, just fill in the blanks. This movie follows the prototype 2000s rom-com. Overall it was okay. Definitely one of sonam's better performances. Imran is in a repeat role, but pulls it off well. Samir soni is really good. There are a few plot holes and it seems like the story takes off before we even realize it has started. There are some beautiful locales featured. The highlight of this film is really the songs. The soundtrack remains so popular. Not really much else to say about this one. Definitely not a must see, but if rom-coms are your thing you might want to check this one out.

I'll be totally honest here. This film's not at all worth it. It's a clichéd story where the hero doesn't believe in "love" and ends up falling in love. Obviously "aal izz well" in the end. Same scenes, attempts at showing that this movie's different but ends up being the same, repetitive thing, the direction is fine but predictable. Score is average. Acting is too average. Throughout the movie I was smsing the three people I'd come with to watch the movie, telling them what was going to happen the next minute and how everything would be resolved, and not surprisingly, I turned out to always be right! The typical bollywood-coincidences are irritating. The pretext of "fate" to justify all events is just... ENOUGH. Grow up, Bollywood. Love stories are not all that they're shown to be. In India, if you run away one day before marriage, your family kills you. They don't accept you. It's so outrageous. Ends up being the same thing it is.

The movie itself brilliantly sums up what my final verdict is... I Hate Love Stories.

It's been several months since we've seen anything frothy and fun from Dharma Productions and Karan Johar. Karan attempted achieving cinematic maturity with his "Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna" and "My Name is Khan", but, frankly, his earlier "K" movies were a lot more fun: "Kuch Kuch Hota Hai" and "Kabhie Khushi Kabhi Gham", mainly because they had Shah Rukh and Kajol in unadulterated romantic mode. Over the past couple of years, Karan Johar has shrewdly mentored new, younger talent, and produced a number of maiden efforts for debutant directors: the charmingly silly "Dostana", the pitch-perfect "Wake Up Sid!" ("Wake Up Sid!" and "Luck By Chance" are the BEST debuts in recent Hindi film history), and the slick "Kurban".

Similarly, "I Hate Luv Storys" boasts a freshly minted director, Punit Malhotra, nephew of Manish Malhotra, the designer who has kept Hindi film heroines in sequins and chiffons for over a decade. The new film put me off with its gimmicky misspelled title, but I enjoyed watching Sonam Kapoor in "Delhi-6" and Imran Khan in "Jaane Tu…ya Jaane Na", so I trooped off to catch it on opening day in North America.

For a film whose protagonist claims to be anti-romantic clichés as defined in Hindi masala films, it certainly takes a lot of artistic license with reality of the kind that you and I experience most of the time. Simran, the leading lady, is a movie art director who works for the most successful director of formulaic Hindi blockbuster love stories, while mono-lettered J (for Jayant Dhingra– but that's not hip)—the self-styled "cool dude" hero—is an Assistant Director, with aspirations of directing "real" cinema real soon but marking time with this job.

In a twist I've never seen in my film work, the director of the film within the film dispatches his A.D. to work as props buyer for the art director. Hmmm: usually, it's folks with the demonstrated skills and most appropriate experience or sensibilities that are assigned such jobs. Very rarely—if ever—does one come across such inter-departmental transfers. But I'm quibbling: if this didn't happen, just how would Simran and J get to spend much time with each other, given that they are chalk and cheese and their initial meetings are anything but felicitous? His best attempts at irony are construed by her as abrasiveness: how cute is that! Simran and J spend the rest of the movie making sporadic stabs at playing Art Director and A.D/Props Buyer, whenever they are not surreptitiously sneaking longing looks at each other, which is pretty much ALL the time.

Of course, Simran is the ultimate "girly" girl and has a perfect fiancé (a drip, actually—throughout the movie he wears shirts that match his girlfriend's clothes) named Raj. If you miss the reference to the 90s hit "Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge", don't worry. Punit Malhotra and his writers will clobber you over the head with the filmi references till you beg for mercy or whimper "Bachao!". The film within the film appears to be a pastiche of all the films from the Yashraj and Dharma Productions oeuvre in recent memory. Lines, songs, and entire scenes are lifted, parodied, and cannibalized to emphasize how unoriginal and creatively lazy Hindi films are capable of being, and are, most of the time.

There is some deliciously nonsensical business like the prima donna director demanding exactly four drops (no more, no less) of rain falling on his leading lady's dewy cheek. Too-cool-for-school A.D. J rolls his eyes and—to the director's delight—squirts exactly four drops out of a squeeze bottle. The goofy swaggering oversexed hero of the film within the film has all the stereotypical traits of movie leading men, but surprisingly ends up giving J a sound bit of advice. What's lovely is that both of them are tipsy, and we're never sure if the guy has unexpected depth or it was merely the alcohol talking.

The shifts between poking derisive fun at Hindi formula films and then ferociously tugging at the heart strings using those same filmi tropes aren't smooth. So one never knows if we're meant to scorn Hindi films for their cliché-ridden story lines, or sympathetically swoon with our young lovers once close proximity and raging hormones do their job. I got the feeling we weren't meant to question the jarring shifts in tone, but just go along for the ride: this is still a Hindi film, yaar, despite its hip pretensions to being otherwise.

Sonam Kapoor has an endearing coltish elegance, is long and lithe, wears clothes well, and the camera never tires of caressing her. Likewise, Imran Khan is leading man-lean and has melting cocker spaniel eyes. In the face of such adorability, it would be totally Scrooge-like to find fault with the movie. The film is slick with the lush production values we've come to expect and demand of Yashraj/Dharma Productions fare. The music is decent, and the locations (New Zealand for the songs this time around) are gorgeous. So, ardent lovers of Hindi masala films, you won't be denied your fix!