pyaar me twist review

By Taran Adarsh, September 2, 2005 - 15:05 IST

The immensely likeable Hollywood flick YOURS, MINE AND OURS [1968; Lucille Ball, Henry Fonda] has inspired a number of film-makers across the globe to invent and reinvent the concept of mature romances/love stories.

It would be erroneous to state that BAGHBAN signaled the trend of mature romances in Bollywood. It did give an impetus to the trend and the courage to storytellers to base their stories around a 50 + man and woman. But the fact remains that the Hollywood flick [YOURS, MINE AND OURS] was the source of inspiration for Basu Chatterjee when he made KHATTA MEETHA [Ashok Kumar, Pearl Padamsee, Rakesh Roshan, Bindiya Goswami] way back in the 1970s.

Director Hriday Shetty also borrows the essence from YOURS, MINE AND OURS and narrates the story of two lonely adults who meet at a stage in life when they need a partner more for compatibility than anything else. The walk at the sunset of their lives has to be a memorable experience for them…

While most film-makers opt for an easy way out by attempting movies with a bunch of teenagers, it's nothing short of a challenge to attempt a mature love story. That in itself gives the film a shining edge over films of this genre. And when you team the BOBBY and SAAGAR pair [Rishi Kapoor, Dimple Kapadia] in pivotal roles, it only increases your curiosity in the project.

PYAAR MEIN TWIST works primarily due to two factors mainly: The pairing of Rishi-Dimple and [ii] A story you can identify with easily. After the forgettable PLAN, Hriday Shetty bounces back with a film that doesn't insult your intelligence, a film that actually leaves you with a positive feeling at the end of the show.

PYAAR MEIN TWIST tells the story of two individuals -- not remotely associated with one other -- who decide to spend the rest of their lives together and how their grown up kids find the entire situation offensive and disgusting.

She was a super mom-in-law, a super bhabhi, a super businesswoman. She could manage her family. She could manage her business. Till she met Yash Khurana [Rishi Kapoor] and then she could not manage her heart.

He was the best dad, the best boss, the best friend, the best tycoon. He could control destinies, he could control industries. Till he met Sheetal Arya [Dimple Kapadia] and then he had no control over his heart.

Their families could not understand, they were worried, they were angry. But for Sheetal and Yash, age was no bar…

Besides a seldom-attempted story, PYAAR MEIN TWIST interests you because it makes a sincere attempt to look at those who may've crossed their prime as far as age is concerned, but continue to be young at heart.

The narrative works primarily because the focus is on the elders [Rishi, Dimple], while the youngsters [Soha Ali Khan, Vikas Bhalla, Samir Dattani], even though they're a part of the film, are relegated to the backseat. It's not the usual boy meets girl saga, but about two mature individuals finding a soulmate at a latter stage in life.

But the film is not without its share of loose ends. The love story of Samir-Soha follows the routine path; they are used as mere props. Also, the first 35 minutes abound in songs, though there was really no need for them. The 'Do Dil' song, although very short in length, can easily be deleted. Also, the film can do with trimming in the second half.

But there are a number of well penned and executed scenes that camouflage the deficiencies --