Hasee Toh Phasee Review: A family entertainer!

Dharma Productions’ first release of the year is a romantic comedy directed by ad-filmmaker Vinil Mathew who turns feature-film-director with Hasee Toh Phasee starring Sidharth Malhotra and Parineeti Chopra. The casting is fresh, the promos were received well by the urban audience and the music album had a couple of good songs – all of which helped generate a decent amount of pre-release buzz.

Story: Hasee Toh Phasee is about Nikhil (Sidharth) and Meeta (Parineeti). Nikhil is ambitious, mischievous and in a committed relationship with Meeta’s sister Karishma (Adah Sharma). On the other hand, Meeta is a mis-fit in her family and has been living in a different country all by herself.

They bump into each other during Nikhil’s pre-wedding celebrations. At around the same time, Meeta decides to return home but is asked to stay away by Karishma, who asks Nikhil to find her a place to stay – far away from her family. Nikhil is unable to find a decent place for Meeta and decides to let Meeta live with his parents in his own house.

Soon, the two fall in love. But Nikhil is all set to marry Karishma in less than a week! What happens next? Watch the movie to find out!

In his very first outing as director, Vinil Mathew deserves credit for filling the film with enough moments to keep you entertained throughout, even though the film is a predictable rom-com. The first half is a little slow, but the second more than makes up for it.

We loved several scenes in the film, here are 5 of them:

  • The first scene when Nikhil bumps into Meeta. When they meet again, years later and Meeta fails to recognise him.
  • The Anu Malik – Indian Idol scene is super funny. Both Parineeti and Anil Mange are outstanding here.
  • The scene where Meeta reunites with her father will make you cry.
  • Another scene, where Parineeti urinates, also deserves a special mention. It’s brilliantly written, directed and performed.
  • When Nikhil and Meeta are stuck in the car.. when she wants to see her dad and he takes her there.. Heck, we loved every scene that the two shared!

The monsoon of Mumbai is beautifully captured in Hasee Toh Phasee, credit to the cinematographer. The production design is top notch. The editing should have been crisper, especially in the first half. The costume design goes well for the characters that the actors play. The music is soft and soothing to the ear – you will love Zehnaseeb.

Performances: Parineeti Chopra is hands-down the star of Hasee Toh Phasee. From the moment she appears on screen, you fall in love with her.  It’s hard to think of any other actress in the industry, who could have pulled-off a character as difficult as Meeta. An award-deserving performance and by far her best too. Sidharth Malhotra has come a long way since his first film, but still looks a little camera conscious in a few scenes. He has terrific screen presence, looks good in every frame and gives the character of Nikhil his all.

The supporting cast can make a huge difference and Hasee Toh Phasee proved just that. Every character is perfectly cast. Adah Sharma looks pretty and acts well. Sharat Saxena is outstanding as Nikhil’s father, Manoj Joshi who plays Parineeti’s father is equally good. Anil Mange provides comic relief and is terrific in every scene. Sameer Khakhar and the rest of the cast play their characters to perfection. Kudos to all those involved in the casting process.

Overall, Hasee Toh Phasee is a refreshing rom-com with fabulous performances. In fact, the film has it all – emotion, comedy and romance. But if we had to pick just one reason why Hasee Toh Phasee is an absolute must-watch, then it has to be Parineeti Chopra, who is quickly emerging as one of the best and most natural actresses in the industry. In the league of Kajol, Madhuri Dixit and Rani Mukherji!

Hasee Toh Phasee is also a clean film that can be watched and enjoyed with the entire family. Go for it, you won’t be disappointing!

Positives:

  • Parineeti Chopra!
  • Chemistry between Sidharth and Parineeti
  • Every character in the film is loveable
  • Supporting cast have done a fantastic job
  • Vinil Mathew’s direction
  • Couple of good songs – Zehnaseeb and Ishq Bulava
  • Terrific second half

Negatives:

  • First-half feels a little stretched
  • Predictable ending

Rating: ★★★★☆

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32 Comments

  • will there ever be a film made by a big maker which indicine will not like??? very unlikely…will any film by a big maker get any bashing by indicine .. again very unlikely.. indicine believes that films are above 3 star rating and what they like forms the basis of movie viewership .. and movie goers who are a wayward lot merely keep rooting for the film from the boundary ropes .. ohh better still they just happen to be the cheerleaders…indicine believes that nothing is bad in this world and people like me are bad who want to see only quality non remake original stuff which gets me a poor rating and nonpublication of my comments ,,sometimes total removal too…

  • Watched it…really good film…parineeti character is so different and performs so brilliantly…it’s not like your typical rom-com…really enjoyable

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