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Harry (Shahrukh Khan) is a tourist guide, a man of few words with a roving eye and a painful secret. Sejal (Anushka Sharma) is a spoilt brat, an innocent and talkative Gujju girl. Audience seated comfortably.
Sejal is touring Europe with family when on the last day she loses her engagement ring. She skips returning to India with family and insists that their tour guide accompany her to retrace her tour path so she could find the ring, to placate an irate fiancee and family.
Harry the tour guide refuses to do so. When Sejal persists he warns the innocent girl about his ‘cheap’ character. Audience buckles up for a fun ride. Harry is arm twisted by his boss, who has been arm twisted by the rich girl, Sejal’s, father and he is forced to accompany her. Audience comfortably seated enjoying refreshments.
Bubby Sejal forces a grumpy Harry to treat her like his girlfriend. He is not interested. Despite which she persists against his wishes. Audience chokes on popcorn. Harry finally succumbs, and they cavort all around East Europe, even sleeping in the same room. Audience fidgets in seat as uptill now neither Harry nor Sejal’s motives are clear, not reasonable.
A painful hour, and some unbelievably amateurish twists later, the movie finally limps towards an unsatisfactory end. The audience realises that it has been taken for a royal ride.
The only thing that worked for me in the film was Anushka Sharma, whose Gujju accent and mannerisms I give top marks to. I am a huge Imtiaz Ali fan and look forward to his films. However, here beautiful locales do not make up for a script that seemed to be penned on the go.
At the end of the film all the audience wanted to know was, ‘Why oh why did Harry meet Sejal!’
‘…main bani teri Radha…aur iss film ko Mayuri star degi ek aur aadha!’
*M’s Rating Chart.
* I want my money back + a fully booked and paid 3 month trip to _________(please fill in a destination of choice)
** I don’t want my money back even though I didn’t like the movie, but director/producer may please pay for my popcorn/samosa/parking.
*** Time and money both well spent!
**** Loved it!
***** Whistle, clap, even smile at irritating neighbor-who-kept-talking-on-cell phone and extol virtues of the movie.
