Hamari Adhuri Kahani

What works:

1. The core story - though on the surface, it seems to be a cliché around love, sacrifice and longing, it has it's soul in the right place.

2. Great performances by Vidya Balan and Rajkumar Rao.

Where it fails:

1. Fist half is too weak. Too many intertwined sub-plots and connected stories take long to setup the premise.

2. Lack of attention to obvious details: Majority of the story is in flashback, set 21 years back from today, which means it's set in 1994. Yet you get to see Samsung mobiles with front facing cameras, characters taking and sharing selfies, and worst of the lot, mobile internet and lightening fast internet in the midst of a jungle which can send a video file through in 5 secs!

Overall, a lost opportunity to create a good evergreen movie due to silly mistakes and gaps in script-writing....

From the trailers and songs , most of the movie is sorta guessed at. A sad / tragic love story , the question remains it has been handled well by the scriptwriters , the director etc.

The answer is a resounding yes. This is Mohit Suri's forte and he has elicited a fantastic performance from Emraan , Vidya. In particular this is Emraan's movie , his eyes speak volumes in his scenes.

The music is well placed.

The characters are not black or white , but grey, with their self motivations.

It's worth the money of the ticket. Go for it ...

They rarely make a film with true talent and substance in Bollywood these days. A lot of Bollywood has just become a senseless over-production of childish comedy, over the top action and sleazy "item songs". No one pays attention to direction, acting, storyline and dialogues anymore. But Hamari Adhuri Kahani has ALL the ingredients of a genuine film that will touch your heart. Emran Hashmi displays one of his best acting performances in a romantic and emotional role. He has successfully played a character that you would usually expect from someone like Shah Rukh Khan. Vidya Balan is equally impressive. She convincingly makes you believe that she is a woman stuck in the situation portrayed in the film. Yet the overpowering strength of the film is the fresh storyline, powerful dialogues and gripping direction. The connection with the audiences is so strong that it really makes you feel for the characters and will almost push you to tears. The songs and background music of the film are the pleasant icing on the cake. If you want to appreciate a great romantic film that will truly appeal to your emotions, PLEASE go and watch this movie! You will not be disappointed!!

From the ancient time period, our society has been male dominated where a wife is considered not more than a private property of his husband. Still the values haven't changed much and women are still tormented, beaten by their husbands. Such stories patronizing womanhood have been common in '80s social dramas. Story-wise the film looks a bit dated, but a tight script, nice dialogues, and a good performance from Vidya Valan makes "Hamari Adhuri Kahani" gripping. In other words, the film gets a modern treatment to an old story through beautiful sets and nice visuals. Emraan Hashmi as a business tycoon was a miscast whereas Rajkumar Rao attracts through his presence. A weakness persisting in the story was the inadequate elaboration of the dominance of the husband and retaliation of the wife , which was the main theme of the film. Instead, the romance between Emraan Hashmi and Vidya Valan gets most of the footage. However, few melodramatic sequences and a tragic end of the film do touch you at times for which the film is likable.

Rating: 2 stars out of 4

First of all let me tell you that in the afternoon show of this movie, which doesn't have any Khan or Kumar in it, the house was full. Yeah, it's not convincing but it is true. The whole theater was full, especially with the youngsters. This clearly shows that Music hit, to Movie hit! Mohit Suri is popular for making films which are more related to the youngsters and especially the couples. The songs become popular before the movie release. He is the same director who made Ashiqui2 which became super hit without any stars and Ek Villain which collected 100cr at the box office without any storyline. So he rejoins the Bhatt camp and convince Mahesh Bhatt to write the story. Because of the family project, Emran Hashmi and Rajkumar Rao had been finalized for the respected roles. And Vidya Balan is selected because of the suggestion of Mahesh Bhatt. And then first of all, they create the soulful soundtrack. They even bought the song Zaroori Tha from Rahat Fateh Ali Khan for the better success of the album. Thus the film began to start! Story line is not refreshing. Old wine has been served in new bottle. But, the stars make the bottle a worthy drink. Undoubtedly, everyone will talk about Emran Hashmi after the movie. Though Vidya Balan is also fantastic and Rajkumar Rao also acts well. But, he is not convincing as a terrorist, or as an old man or as the husband of Vidya Balan. Vidya looks perfect for the role. But, it is Emran who makes the audience cry, who makes the audience to feel sad for him through his eyes, especially where tears come out from them. Music is outstanding. The best song that suits in it is Zaroori Tha. Title track is awesome. Jeet Ganguly once again proved that he can give the best! Last paragraph of that song is playing in the climax where Rao throws ashes in the garden, is the best scene with full emotions. Hasi and Hamnawa are also listenable. Dialogues are another plus point. The film is majorly dependent on Hashmi's powerful dialogues. Cinematography is as usual as we had seen in Suri's previous movies. Story looks good till interval, even after post interval, too. But, I don't convince with the climax and its twist. I'm hoping for something good for all, but, Suri only loves not so happy ending. This film shows the true love between two persons, so the Girlfriend-Boyfriend type people may not like this film. I'm saying so because I've watched some faces after the movie. On the whole, you can watch it once if you are a fan of Emran Hashmi or even Mohit Suri. I think it's better than Mohit's last 3-4 releases. But than also only Emran steals the show. This is his first U certified film, so family audience can also go for it. Hamari Adhuri Kahani can make only one difference and that is the return of Emran Hashmi!