Zara Hatke Zara Bachke Review: Vicky Kaushal and Sara Ali Khan’s film is a fun ride slapped by a predictable plot

By Shachi Chaturvedi

Cast: Sara Ali Khan & Vicky Kaushal

Director: Laxman Utekar

Runtime: 132 minutes

Rating: 2.5/5

Synopsis

Zara Hatke Zara Bachke follows a couple who desire to live apart from their family and take advantage of the Indian government’s flagship programme, Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY).

Review

Saumya and Kapil, a much-in-love couple from Indore, decide to split, or, as I like to call it, a “fake divorce.” What drove these two lovers to split, and what happens when their lies become a noose around their necks? This is the plot of the film.

Set in the heart of Indore, the film focuses on the middle class and their modest little goal of owning a home. The film begins with the characters being introduced as they celebrate their three-year anniversary.

The director gives you a sense of Saumya and Kapil’s living situations right from the start. How they have guests at their house, which is a hindrance in their private lives, and how they are unable to buy a house due to high rates.

When it comes to star performances, Sara fits the middle-class woman role. Looking at her in a plain saree gives me the impression that she is from the middle class, brownie points for that. Hats off to the costume designer for remembering to include the sweater to complete her appearance.

When it comes to Vicky, our Punjabi Munda nails the indory dialect, and the best part is that the scriptwriter consciously chose to construct dialogues in a way that every middle-class audience member in the theatre could relate to them.

The film is primarily divided into two parts, the first of which has all of the comedy situations and is mostly about setting up the later part. Whereas the second half is all about confession and realisation.

Although the film has a very nice approach as it depicts the difficulties of a middle-class family, its plot constantly deteriorates as it progresses. There is a point in the film where you can nearly guess the climax, which I believe the scriptwriter should have worked on more.

Living in a joint family is fun, but it has its drawbacks, and coming from a similar household, I understand where the two youngsters are coming from. Although the script becomes formulaic, you never feel distant from the characters.

There are no unrealistic events in the film; it feels like a smooth journey with the daily ups and downs of life portrayed to you with a touch of a cute love story.

In terms of the film’s soundtrack and background score, the songs picked are good and will stick with you in the long run, but the placement of the songs is off. ‘Phir aur kya chahiye’ does not fit well in its current location, although the film as a whole has a strong soundtrack.

Moving on to the technical aspects of the film, the team has done something really unique in that they have focused on a fish aquarium throughout the film. When a problem arises, the p camera pans towards the tank, taking a close of it.

Conclusion

It is a well-made film which has its own shortcomings. You can give this one a try.