Loveyapa’s title song and the hook step have been all over our Instagram feed. Promoted as a Gen-Z romance, the film is the Hindi adaptation of the 2022 Tamil film Love Today. It stars Junaid Khan, Khushi Kapoor, Ashutosh Rana, Grusha Kapoor and Kiku Sharda in pivotal roles. Loveyapa is directed by Advait Chandan and the film has been watched! Now the question is, is the film worth all the hype? The story brings a refreshing rom-com with some decent performances by the supporting cast, but the on-screen chemistry between Junaid Khan and Khushi Kapoor lacks big time. Also, since I watched the original, I couldn’t help but constantly draw parallels and feel disappointed with how Loveyapa failed to do justice! Read the review for more.
Plot
Gaurav and Banni are a cute lovey-dovey couple who are madly in love. They exude the energy of teenage lovers who are constantly on their phones, talking to each other and sharing love texts. They also have nicknames for each other like Gucci and Baani Boo. But life takes a U-turn for them when Baani’s father (Ashutosh Rana) asks the couple to exchange their phones for a day. That’s when the chaos starts. While the two initially hesitate to check their partner’s phone, they eventually end up doing it. Loveyapa progresses to show all the misunderstandings, fights and hate that are also exchanged between Baani and Gaurav.
While all this is happening, Gaurav’s mother played by Grusha Kapoor becomes the comic relief in the film. Kiku Sharda’s Anupam and Tanvika Parlikar’s Kiran are a couple who are about to get married in an arranged marriage step. However, things turn ugly for them when Kiran starts noticing Anupams’s shady behaviour with his phone and how he refuses to show it to her.
Loveyapa deals with themes like love, trust, partnership and some other important issues like trolling and deepfakes. I will not give out the spoilers!
Also Read: What To Watch From February 3 To February 9: Loveyapa, Thandel, Mrs, And More!
What’s Good?
Story
Loveyapa has an interesting story to narrate and it does not follow the usual plot of a rom-com. There is love, tension, comedy and some hard-hitting messages in the film which have been packaged well. The first half is more engaging because post-interval, the film becomes a little too preachy and melodramatic. When Baani and Gaurav exchange their phones and discover various hidden truths about each other’s lives after living in the delulu where their relationship was transparent as glass, one finds themselves invested in these revelations and their constant moments of surprises for the audience that keeps them hooked.
Comedy And Dialogues
The typical Delhi language and tone work for the film, but well, not for all the characters. Grusha Kapoor Gaurav’s mother is high-energy energy and she pulls off the role as effortlessly as possible. She is the loud, irritating mother and her jokes land perfectly.
The Animation
Well, for those of you who have not seen the original, the animations were a part of that too. In Loveyapa, it works as a plus point because it enhances the overall experience of watching this film even in its dullest moments.
Also Read: Junaid Khan Finally Opens Up About His Infamous Loveyapa Promotions Bag; Reveals What’s Inside!
Performance
Khushi Kapoor impresses as the naive, charming and clueless Baani Sharma. After The Archies, we finally get to see her range as an actor. She also shines in the emotional bits of the film. Khushi Kapoor is a delight to watch and is very comfortable in her character. She should explore more of it!
What Doesn’t Work?
Junaid Khan is not all bad but he is certainly very uncomfortable in the role of a romantic hero. This is so evident in his smile, laugh, typical romantic song moments and of course whenever Gaurav has to express his love to Baani. His dialogue delivery as a Delhi boy is not impressive either, and we have too many examples in the past which show that getting the Delhi accent right is also an art. However, Junaid Khan delivers a decent act in moments when Gaurav is mad about Baani not being honest in the relationship or when she confronts him about his lies!
The Original Film
Love Today was released in 2022 and the cast of this film made made scenes very convincing, unlike Loveyapa. The couple Uthaman and Nikhita in Love Today looked like a mismatched couple and it was easy to believe or understand Uthaman’s insecurities and it looked all so natural. Even in the scene, where Uthaman is unable to pick up the water barrel in front of Nikhita’s father, one gets to see his struggles of convincing the father who is very particular about the smallest details. But these nuances lack big time in Loveyapa. Even the parallel story of Kiran and Anupam falls flat and feels forced because the storytelling fails to incorporate their side of the story effectively. Ashutosh Rana’s character as the quirky, strict, and smart father does not have the same effect as that of Rangaraj Subbiah in the original.
There are many scenes in the remake that do not work because of the weird and forced expression by the lead actors. This is felt hard during the scene where Junaid’s Gaurav goes through all the irritating DM’s in Baani’s phone. The original was done so much better!
The Second Half
The film misses the mark in the second half. The drama and gyaan on relationships is too much to take and well, we are all aware about it. Anupam and Kiran’s story gets attention in the second half, however, I was disappointed to not feel any kind of connection with their story. Also, the themes that are dealt with in the second half are too surface-level and lack a sense of maturity.
Lack Of Chemistry
Okay, I did not feel any kind of love and chemistry between Khushi Kapoor and Junaid Khan. The two tried hard but it did not work for me. The was a lack of connection and it felt like they were just ticking the boxes to complete the scenes of the film.
Loveyapa: Refreshing Rom-Com But Junaid Khan, Khushi Kapoor Lack Chemistry!
Advait Chandan’s Loveyapa starring Junaid Khan and Khushi Kapoor has an interesting story that could potentially be a well-packaged rom-com but fails to become one because of the flawed storytelling and forced performances. The lack of chemistry and on-screen romance between the lead couple also adds to this. Some moments will tickle your funny bone but the melodrama might also hit a nerve. I would still prefer the original over the Bollywood version of this rom-com. Loveyapa hit the theatres on February 7!