Almost Pyaar with DJ Mohabbat

My Rating : 7/10

After 2018's excellent Manmarziyaan Anurag Kashyap takes on a much more wilder take on love with 'Almost Pyaar with DJ Mohabbat'. The usual dark ingredients are all there which we have come to love about him - controversial themes, political awareness, rebellion for mainstream, and to top it off - Amit Trivedi's beautiful soundtrack weaving it altogether in a nice tasty tapestry of a coup d'état of Bollywood and box office.

It is exactly as one would expect it - going over risqué territory without taking itself too seriously. Kashyap knows he's not aiming to make another 'Gangs' or 'Gulaal' - this is a bit more pretentious but on purpose and it works well I reckon.

The theory, history and culture of film is loosely discounted more or less - the viewer isn't expected to look for something transcendental, existential or spiritual for that matter. The script aptly responds to the talent of the newcomers and the style and poetics of the world created by the director. It's taken seven years for this to be taken from three to two-dimensions.

The final crescendo is the director casting off his known ingredients into a modern crucible, and transmutating into perhaps his rendition of Generation Z love - The climax shows the characters preparing for the proverbial kill in all its vulpine forms - a form of power play that the director hopes in a culture of paranoia, nihilism and misogyny can be recovered through that four-letter word in English. No, not that one, the other one.

Distinctively Kashyap!

Anurag Kashyap is known for his intense love stories, and "Almost Pyar with DJ Mohabbat" is no exception. The film explores the complexities of underdeveloped love stories, where the protagonists are oblivious to the consequences of their emotions, leading to a tragic ending. Kashyap beautifully and delicately portrays the caste divide and inequality between the two lovers, highlighting the challenges faced by individuals in a society that is divided by these issues.

However, the film lacks character development, leaving some viewers perplexed by the characters' decisions. The intended audience may be more mature and able to relate to the characters on a deeper level, but for others, it may be difficult to understand their motivations. Despite this, the film's nuanced approach to depicting the struggles of the characters adds depth and complexity to the story, making it worth watching and reflecting on the themes presented.

In "Almost Pyar with DJ Mohabbat," the parallel worlds of the characters are portrayed beautifully, with Yaqub, a Muslim man, falling deeply in love with Amrita, a Hindu woman, in the hills of India. Their relationship is complicated by their different backgrounds and the societal pressure placed upon them. Meanwhile, the wannabe music producer finds himself in a difficult situation when a girl becomes obsessed with him.

Overall, "Almost Pyar with DJ Mohabbat" is a thought-provoking film that delves into the complexities of love and societal issues in India. Although the character development could have been stronger, the film's nuanced approach to portraying the struggles of the characters adds depth and complexity to the story. It's a film that is definitely worth watching and pondering upon.

Almost Pyaar with DJ Mohabbat (2023) : Movie Review -

Anurag Kashyap finally enters a full-fledged romantic zone with "Almost Pyaar with DJ Mohabbat," starring Alaya F and Karan mehta. The director has his own maverick theories of filmmaking, and I believe that he never cared about the box office. He has directed almost one and a half dozen films and is yet to deliver a single box office hit. His biggest hit gets an 'Average' verdict at the box office, but wait, we can't talk about the box office when we are discussing Anurag Kashyap. The man lives in his own world of films, which is highly intellectual, and I, as a quality cinema lover, adore him for that. There have been many directors in Russian cinema, Italian cinema, Turkish cinema, and nowadays, Korean cinema, but when it comes to Bollywood, I mean the current days of Bollywood, there's no one of his calibre. But somewhere down the line, I see the quality of his film decreasing, and it is hurting that true cinema buff in me. The Kashyap of Black Friday is lost nowadays, and when you see Almost Pyaar with DJ Mohabbat, you'll agree more. It is unbearable for such a maverick and unique director to go down like this.

Almost Pyaar with DJ Mohabbat is a set of two modern-day love stories, and as you see in the trailer, there are double roles. It's not a generation gap like "Love Aaj Kal," but these are two stories running at the same time. Recently, Telugu cinema came up with an astounding masterpiece called "C/o Kancharapalem" (2018), which had multiple love stories linked with each other. Kashyap's film attempts a similar theme with a double role formula. Remember those old Bollywood films where one of the lovers is killed and then the love story will rise again with a lookalike? Kaho Naa Pyaar Hai, for instance. Here we have a love-jihad angle sown into the modern age love stories of Harmeet-Aisha and Yakub-Amrita (played by Karan Mehta and Alaya F). One story is set in London, while the other one is set in Dalhousie, India. As expected, both stories are linked to each other, but how and why is all you have to find out in the film. It's not difficult, to be honest, but it's not effective either.

Anurag Kashyap's writing is outdated for this one, and I pinched myself twice before writing this. His doing remakes of Spanish films was okay for me if he was writing an original piece of this low quality. So many conflicts and turnarounds, but not a single clear motive. Just like Amrita's dialogue: "What are we doing? Just wandering. We have no plans, no money, and no Purpose!" Here, Anurag has less money and zero idea of what he is doing. The film lacks originality, creativity, common sense, and ethical values that are needed in "Mohabbat bhari pyaari love story". It is for the social media generation, which is immature and eager to fall in love and run away without any plans. It could have added a message there, like Nagraj Manjule's Sairat did, even though it ended up glorifying honour killing in the regional districts. Almost Pyaar with DJ Mohabbat sees no improvement whatsoever in its narrative. It just comes, goes, and ends without any impact. One question to filmmakers: why do you have to make fun of law and order and the media in almost every film for no reason? See how law and media are misused and put down in the film.

Talking about performances, the film is balanced from both sides, negative and positive. Alaya F would look mature when it came to crying scenes and heavy emotional scenes, but would look like a kid or an intern while delivering normal dialogue. Karan Mehta has a long way to go, and this performance surely made me believe that. It's pretty shocking that both actors got double roles, which means so much versatility, and yet failed to make gold out of it. Vicky Kushal has an extended cameo, and how sexy does he look! He plays DJ Mohabbat, and what intellectual monologues he throws at you! You are going to be flat. The supporting cast is fine with no one playing any big roles, as everyone gets their small piece of cake.

Amit Trivedi has spread his magic again in "Almost Pyaar with DJ Mohabbat. He knows the pulse of the young generation and delivers a social media-friendly music album. "Ghanghor Connection," "Netflix and Chill," "Duniya," "Maintenance," and "Mohabbat Se Kranti" are bonafide Spotify hits. Sadly, the visualisation is weak. In a couple of songs, you'll not see the faces of dancers, and one or two songs appear at the wrong time, so let us consider them a waste. By golly, what the heck was that "Maintenance" song there for? Completely out of context. The lyrics are crispy, though. The cinematography is strictly average, and the editing lacks tight grip. Anurag Kashyap's direction is far below his own high standard. It's a red card for him, I guess. Overall, Almost Pyaar with DJ Mohabbat is almost a waste of your two hours and a couple hundred bucks you'd like to spend. Modern love can be far more intelligent and unique. This isn't just that.

RATING - 4/10*

The film "Almost Pyaar with DJ Mohabbat" touches on various contemporary issues such as love jihad, same-sex marriage, patriarchy, and dysfunctional families. However, the director, Anurag Kashyap, fails to effectively deliver the message to the audience due to trying to address too many topics at once. The music by Amit Trivedi, who is known for his work in Kashyap's previous films, lacks the usual charm he brings to his music, although it may still connect with the younger generation. "Almost Pyaar with DJ Mohabbat" is a niche film that requires the viewer to engage deeply with the drama, but it is still worth watching for its strong performances and pulsating soundtrack.

Disgusting movie name ever. I recently watched the film "Almost Pyaar with DJ Mohabbat," which was a complete waste of time. The plot was so convoluted that following what was happening half the time was impossible. The characters were poorly developed and lacked depth, making it hard to care about their fates.

The acting was also incredibly subpar. The actors seemed to go through the motions without emotion or conviction. The clunky and unrealistic dialogue made the whole experience feel incredibly forced and artificial.

The special effects were laughably bad, and the soundtrack was so generic that I couldn't even remember a single song. The cinematography was unremarkable, and the film was not visually interesting or captivating.

Overall, "Almost Pyaar with DJ Mohabbat" is a film that should be avoided at all costs. It's a poorly written, badly acted, and executed movie mess. Save your time and money and watch something else instead.