Almost Pyaar with DJ Mohabbat Review: Anurag Kashyap’s new-age romantic drama almost misses the mark due to a sluggish screenplay

By Shachi chaturvedi

Cast- Alaya F & Karan Mehta

Director- Anurag Kashyap

Rating- 2.5/5

Synopsis

A typical Anurag Kashyap-style flawed love story; Young people discovering themselves, finding love, seeking it, and being eager for it, as well as biases, predatory behaviour, homophobia, and an inability on the part of the older generation to comprehend.

Review

The plot revolves around four individuals, Harmeet, Ayesha, Amrita, and Yakub. Harmeet and Ayesha live in London, while Amrita and Yakub are Dalhousie residents. All four of these characters have separate stories to tell, yet they are all related in some way since both Aisha and Harmeet are look-alikes of Amrita and Yakub; They are all admirers of DJ Mohabbat, who performs concerts and radio broadcasts in which he talks about love. DJ Mohobbat is none other than Vicky Kaushal, who takes forward his Manmarziyaan character.
In the first story, Amirta, a Hindu girl, and Yakub, a Muslim teenager, leave together to attend a DJ Mohhabat concert, where Yakub develops emotions for Amrita. In this not-so-new story Anurag attempts to explain how stereotypical behaviour can turn a lovely tale into a terrible one.
The second story follows Ayesha, a Pakistani girl, and Harmeet (Karan), an Indian guy who resides in London. It demonstrates how infatuation encroaches on true love and where it eventually leads to a relationship.

This film will come as a surprise to Anurag Kashyap fans. Anurag is not a romantic film director. A director well-known for his gangster drama selects an excellent topic but fails to execute the idea with full efficiency.

This is not a narrative for the masses; the script caters to a certain audience. The mixed reactions after the screening made me realise how only a few people understand what Anurag is attempting to communicate.

In terms of character portrayals, Alaya F portrays both Aeysha and Amrita. These two characters are significantly distinct from one another, and Alaya has effectively distinguished between them. Her performance in this film demonstrated that she is a young woman with a lot of potentials.

Karan Mehta, the industry’s newcomer, hasn’t revealed much of himself yet, but his nuanced emotions and deep eyes complement his nature.

What draws my attention is the film’s ending when two separate worlds collide, and what happens next is up to you to determine. The movie has a classic Anurag Kashyap-style ending. There are many underlying-unfinished stories that make you want to learn more about the lives of those four people.

It is a rule not to assess Anurag Kashyap’s film after seeing the first half since the actual masala is always in the second half. Similarly, the first half of this film is rather slow, but the second half manages to give you shivers.

When it comes to film editing, the camera motions and perspectives are acceptable, but the storyline might have been stronger and more fascinating. The dialogues aren’t memorable enough. When it comes to the music, although it is not Amit Triwedi’s best album, I think it’s good and funky enough to make you smile.

Conclusion

As previously indicated, this is not a film for everyone. If you want to deep dive into a film, go ahead and watch it; otherwise, there’s no harm in skipping this one.