Luka Chuppi

Director Laxman Utekar gets a lot of things right in Luka Chuppi (Hide and Seek), a comedy drama that only gets better as you consume the narrative of a young couple as they try out the infamous life-in lifestyle for a few weeks before deciding to exchange vows. The conflict in the film, which is set in Mathura, Uttar Pradesh, strikes a severe resemblance with real-life happenings in the state and elsewhere in India where live-in relationships are considered against the Hindu nationalist culture, Muslims are not shook hands with because they do not support the construction of Ram Mandir, and romance is generally seen as a sin. I enjoyed watching the narrative where writer Rohan Shankar referenced these real-life issues all too often to make the slightly exaggerated plot interesting. Of course, there are a few unrealistic threads sewn into this drama, but for a film that promises to keep you entertained with abundant humor, Luka Chuppi scores big. Everyone in the cast, notably Kriti Sanon, Karthik Aryan, and Pankaj Tripathi, do a wonderful job and bring out the best in the good writing that has gone into making this film. I sincerely recommend Luka Chuppi as a cool afternoon watch. TN.

My Rating : 5/10

Great little Bollywood rom-com when you want to watch something easy and light-hearted.

Pankaj Tripathi is so perfect in this role. Kriti Sanon and Karthik Aaryan give good performances and look like a good on-screen pair.

Nice one team!

'Luka Chuppi' is a situational comedy from the word go. And the situation in question is live-in relationships. What starts as a news story for a local reporter Guddu, turns into his own love story with hilarious complications. But peddling along are a host of other societal issues like misogyny, gender inequality, caste bias and moral policing that are tackled in a funny and harmless way. However, there is hardly a dull moment in the film that never takes itself too seriously.

As a debutante, director Laxman Utekar does a fine job of throwing in a bunch of quirky characters in unusual situations. Starting with the film's hero Kartik Aaryan, who looks way too polished for his small-town character, but along the way, you soon start rooting for him. Whether he is covering a story or running for cover himself - Kartik exudes an endearing charm that is relatable. Ditto for Kriti. With all her prettiness and poise, she portrays the character of a girl-next-door without being over-the-top. However, the funny thing is, the two stand out as the only gorgeous couple in the entire town, what with the perfect touch of makeup and hairdo at all times. Their chemistry is not exactly crackling, but quite easy going, which works well for the narrative.

While Aparshakti Khurana plays the supportive friend Abbas adequately well, there is a very noticeable lack of enough comic punches in his dialogues. Pankaj Tripathi, a regular in this genre, is largely wasted in a role that could have been etched out far more elaborately. The rest of the actors, get ample chance to contribute generously. Be it the eccentric members of Guddu's joint family or Rashmi's politician dad, who uses his clout to rally against inconsequential issues.

But what really makes 'Luka Chuppi' an entertaining watch is the nuanced writing by Rohan Ghoge and its execution. The first half is swift and packed with funny moments that end in an unpredictable twist. The second half too, is marked by quite a few laugh-out-loud moments. At some point, the humour becomes repetitive, but it's the short run-time that comes to the film's rescue. Film's two most popular songs (Coca-Cola & Poster) are thrown in at the end, during the credit roll.

Overall, 'Luka Chuppi' is a fun ride that never gets too preachy or uncomfortable for the family audience. It's a clean entertainer with a message that's not too loud, but clear, for sure.

The movie is only about one topic, living relationship. Great Chemistry between kartik and kriti.

The movie starts with a statement from a superstar that he is living in a live-in relationship, the opposition of which is then taken up by right-wing political parties as their election motto, and this same topic pops up in almost every second conversation in the film, no matter what the original dialogue is about. This makes the whole movie feel like a heavily scripted low class drama. The only thing that's keeping it afloat is a good performance by the actress. Karthik Aryan, on the other hand, fails to impress with his sad, always dejected but suddenly excited character, as he did with his previous films. What really sinks this film for me, however, is the forced humor spread throughout the movie which might appeal to the mass audience but actually has very little weight in terms of real comedy. All in all, a film to skip, in my opinion. It's only two hours, but feels like much more, especially when you are sitting in there wondering what people around you are laughing and cheering about.