First Look: Hasee Toh Phasee

I always thought, if ever the stars aligned just slightly, and Anurag Kashyap (Phantom Productions) and Karan Johar (Dharma Productions) did a film collaboration, I’d jump at the chance to see what they decided to come up with but honestly, I never believed that day would come. For, even with their contributions in last year’s Hindi film industry anniversary project Bombay Talkies, their genres are usually poles apart, as well as, their film ideologies. So when I read they were working together again, this time on the same film, I was elated but very surprised by the genre— rom-com.

Don’t get me wrong, I love a decent rom-com (clearly) but to date all my favorites from Kashyap have either been darker comedies or human pieces, whereas I don’t think I’ve enjoyed a rom-com from Johar since I Hate Luv Storys and that’s not saying much. But the inkling that somehow these two men can come together and possibly bring the best of themselves to the screen, has me terribly hopeful and intrigued.

Hasee Toh Phasee (She Smiles, She’s Snared!) is a rom-com we’ve seen for it sounds like a mesh of all we know and love about comedic love stories— hijinks, misunderstandings, attraction and more hijinks.

Synopsis: The film is a comedy drama and a love triangle,  about a middle class working man who fall for his fiancée’s younger sister.

**for official spoilery synopsis click here.

Cast: Parineeti Chopra, Sidharth Malhotra, Adah Sharma

Said to be inspired by 90’s film Aaina, this venture is the wacky story of Meeka and Nikhil, who meet as strangers at a wedding, then over the course of ten years, meet again as prospective in-laws, when Nikhil is roped into lodging his fiancée’s rebellious sister.

This film seems to throw in everything from family pressures for the drama to co-habitation to create the comedy, therefore what we must rely on for the romance is two well written, well paired characters.

I’ll be honest and say, I don’t usually like romantic comedies to surround sticky situations, especially those involving familial interference/disapproval or on-going relationships, for two single people coming together is hard enough and creating such obstacles is harder to resolve for the typical Shakespearean ending we all know and love (most times). However, if I learned anything from Mere Brother Ki Dulhan, even something as cloudy as “I’m in love with my sibling’s fiancé” can be played for laughs in ways that are both witty, endearing, and logical, without too many long-lasting hardships.

Right now, I’m loving the title of the film and I can’t wait to see how it translates to action. I find the best romantic comedies are ones that predicate the central romance on friendship and one way to create friendship is a common ground or understanding and from what I’ve read, Meeta and Nikhil may very well have that. What I love about a good rom-com is the idea of the ever sought for “soulmate” myth constantly being toyed and wringed out, then reshaped into a concept us normal humans can relate to.

Hasee Toh Phasee dares to laugh its way to love Feb. 7, 2014.