Luka Chhupi Is A Mediocre Rom-Com At Its Best, And A Really Dated Attempt At Its Worst

When we saw Kartik Aaryan nailing it in Pyaar Ka Punchnama 1 and 2 and more recently Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety , there was a part of us that was worried that he would be good only in romantic comedies. Luka Chhupi somewhat confirms our doubts.

Directed by Laxman Utekar, Luka Chhupi is a really mediocre rom-com at its best and a really dated effort at its worst.

The only thing that seems to work for the film are the light-hearted comic moments and the gags, but apart from that there is nothing that makes the film any different from watching a stand-up comedy show.

The screenplay is incredibly shoddy and apart from the gags, it does not seem like much effort has gone into writing anything else. Throughout the film, especially in the second half the screenplay is incredibly disjointed and the film fails to commit to any one theme entirely and keeps scurrying from one scene to another.

First of all, the film’s commentary on living relationship is a little dated and even the small-town backdrop fails to justify it. Then there is an unnecessary Hindu-Muslim ‘bhaichaara’ angle that seems entirely forced. Aparshakti Khurrana as Abbas is a wonderful talent wasted in the film as Abbas who is playing the hero’s best friend stereotype vehemently. The attempt seems almost juvenile.

Talking about the casting, Kartik has a screen presence and Kriti is simply too gorgeous to believe. But for a romantic comedy, the chemistry between the two is as underwhelming as it gets. Also, it does not help that for the most part I was worried about the jaw-pain Kartik must have gone through given he has his pearly whites out for almost the entire first half and has a look of cute confusion on his face throughout the second half and that is pretty much it. The usually dependable Pankaj Tripathi and Vinay Pathak are also playing to the stereotypes and for the first time on screen Pankaj Tripathi looks unconvincing doing physical comedy. Other cast members also do not leave a any impression due to half-hearted writing and character development.

To sum it up, Luka Chhupi is not a bad film and the genuinely funny jokes make it a fairly watchable experience, but we would have lost out on nothing if this film was not made.