Movie Review: Bewakoofiyaan

NEW DELHI: Nupur Asthana’s “Bewakoofiyaan” deals with money, its effects on modern-day relationships, and how couples deal with societal pressures.

But the treatment of the film is quite outdated. There are autocratic fathers who don’t trust their daughters, and grown men who are out of a job but splurge on vacations and designer clothes.

None of the lead characters invite your sympathy or attention — whether it is Mayera (Sonam Kapoor), a spoilt, petulant girl who thinks her boyfriend’s credit card limit is a sign of growth; Mayera’s loud, blustering father (Rishi Kapoor) who doesn’t think twice before spying on the boyfriend; or Mohit Chaddha (Ayushmann Khurrana), the boyfriend in question.

The problems in their lives seem self-created (Mohit runs up heavy credit card bills even when he is unemployed, and Mayera insists that he lie to her father about losing his job), and as a result, the humour falls flat. Except, of course, when it is unintentional.

You cannot help but laugh out loud when Mayera’s boss tells her that a Dubai job she had earlier declined has been offered to someone else, but she still stands a chance if she reaches Dubai before the other guy.

“Go there today and work your magic for a week, so that when he arrives, they won’t give him the job but offer it to you instead,” he tells Mayera. If writer Habib Faisal had the faintest idea about how the corporate world or even the real world worked, this should never have been written.

The conflict in the film is centred around Mohit losing his job at an airline and how it affects his relationship with his girlfriend and her father, who judges everyone by how much money they earn and their clout.

In trying to keep up with the lie that he is still gainfully employed, both Mohit and Mayera struggle to keep up the facade and protect their relationship.

What could have been an interesting film about the times we live in, turns out to be an insipid romance that neither engages nor entertains. The actors seem unable to rise above their stunted roles and the situations aren’t funny enough.

Just like money can’t buy you love, a great idea cannot buy you a good film. Avoid this one.