Aashiqui 2 Review

Aashiqui back in 1990 managed to become a huge hit on the strength of it’s music alone. It wasn’t a classic and didn’t obviously warrant a sequel. Well, this film isn’t one, in the truest sense of the word. The Bhatt’s probably decided that it was time to milk the audience of some more of their money and started this franchise instead. The music and the clever marketing campaign has built up the hype, but let’s see analyse if the film is worth all the hype.

Story: The film deals with the fickle fallacy of fame. It is centered around a down in the dumps Rockstar called Rahul Jaykar or RJ (played by Aditya Roy Kapur) lying about in a bar in Goa wasting his talent and career, when he chances upon the bar singer Aarohi (Shraddha Kapoor). He decides to train Aarohi and they eventually end up falling for each other. Things get muddled up when the alpha male ego crops up in RJ. But Alas, inspite of having a pretty dramatic storyline (partly inspired by Abhimaan and partly inspired by Rockstar) things fall flat towards the end. All is certainly not well because it does not end well. That is a disappointment considering the premise had some potential.

Aashiqui 2 Movie Review

Direction: Mohit Suri returns to direction after a decent gap, by his standards, and disappoints. It was built up as an intense romantic saga and from where I come, intense romantic sagas need to be fluid and have uniformity inspite of the upheavals that take place in regards to the story. Another major drawback of the film is in the drivel they passed out as dialogues. Who talks like that in these times?

The cinematography is adequately appropriate for the tone of this film. The concert scenes are straight out of Rock On and Rockstar. And, that’s a compliment. They manage to clone the exuberant atmosphere of concerts pretty well. The editing is off the mark and you feel as if the film stretches out for a bit too long towards the end. Something which caught my eye was that it did not look or feel like a low budget film even though it was one! Special marks for the production design.

Music and Background Score: When you hear the songs of ‘Aashiqui’ still being played 23 years after its release, you know the makers had a task on their hands while creating the music for this one. I would say, the music redeems the film somewhat. Songs like ‘Tum Hi Ho,’ ‘Sun Raha Hai Na Tu’ and ‘Chahun Main’ are already scorching music charts all over the country. The legacy of the soundtrack, however, remains to be seen. The background score on the other hand, doesn’t match up the songs even though they are a continuation of the musical theme. A little more effort here would have have been appreciated.

Performances: For a film which is centered around just two people madly in love, you expect the actors playing the parts to do justice to their roles. Thankfully enough, both Shraddha Kapoor and Aditya Roy Kapur have gotten a lot better from their previous outings in front of the camera and that’s not to say they are great in this film. ARK plays the brooding, Devdas’ish RJ with a lot of restrained anger. The effort is visible in his performance and that’s not a compliment. He has improved a lot and should carry on doing whatever he’s been doing to carry on that journey. Shraddha Kapoor is adorable, charming and yet somehow isn’t a patch on the Kajols and Kareenas. She’d get better with age and experience. Also, the chemistry between her and Aditya isn’t as flawless as it’s meant to be.

Conclusion: Aashiqui 2 is neither a sequel nor a full blown love story. What it is, is a damp squib. If you liked the music, if you have a lot of time and money to spare, if you are out on a date then this film is for you. But if you don’t fulfill any of those requirements, then stay away. Watch ‘Iron Man 3’ or the classic ‘Abhimaan’ at home instead.

Box Office: Going by the opening the film has taken (40% which is fantastic for a film without stars) and theatres filled with lovestruck couples, the film should be a decent success. The demand for romantic dramas will take Aashiqui 2 across the finishing line.

Rating:

Aashqiui 2 Review by Zayden