Pyaar Impossible!

This film is one of the few in recent years which is beginning to demonstrate Indian films are evolving beyond stereotype boy-girl romantic film.

I was totally amazed by the story-line, acting by Priyanka, Udhay and especially the little girl who was just mind-blowing in the film.

I was little puzzled by Priyanka's skimpy outfit in the movie, which I think considering how beautiful she looks didn't necessarily need to wear such short clothes :o) But this doesn't take away fact the film was awesomely executed and was so natural.

The unique idea Geeky Udhay had in his role of a multi-operating system was amazing. I have, in general, found Udhay Chopra a poor actor but this film changed my opinion about him by 360-degres. If I am correct he wrote this film then he did an amazing job as a writer.

A truly entertaining film.

There are many reasons why I had opted to watch this film. First off, it's Uday Chopra, an actor whom I confess only having watch his comical sidekick roles in the Dhoom movies, so I was curious whether he can carry a film off on his own as a leading man. The answer is of course yes, as he plays the geek Abhay right down to the pat, a man who had been infatuated with the hottest girl in school for seven years, always afraid to open his mouth and talk to her, given an opportunity to do so when in pursuit of a software thief, he travels to Singapore and serendipity dictates he will bump into his infatuation, and even more incredibly get to work as her precocious, feisty daughter's nanny. Not to mention too that this story and dialogues are credited under Uday himself, so one wonders where he had drawn his inspiration from, whether he had actually pined for someone like his character did in the film.

Second, the other lead in actress Priyanka Chopra. There are plenty of naysayers to her credibility as an actress, but from what I watched last year from Fashion right down to Ashutosh Gowariker's What's Your Rashee (missed Kaminey!), she had shown her versatility and wide range, which the brickbrats would still like to point out in the latter film, was nothing more than a change of clothes and hairstyles, which I totally disagree. Her performance here as Alisha, the single, divorced mother and Abhay's girl of his dreams, would once again become a showcase of her ability, despite yet again looking great in the various outfits which would raise an eyebrow whether it's appropriate corporate office attire (and overheard from another audience member too that her outfits wouldn't pass). That aside, I would think that this "mum" role is probably her first (unless someone can point out to me that I'm wrong please?)

And one of the key reasons, is how Singapore gets portrayed in another Bollywood film, after the comedy De Dana Dan last year, which didn't really move around much other than for one of the song sequences and being stuck mostly within the confines of the Pan Pacific Hotel. Then there was Krrish which also starred Priyanka Chopra, making this at least her 2nd film foray to our sunny island. In this film, Singapore's good enough to become that substitute for California's beaches thanks to Sentosa, and I always get a good laugh out of how our cabbies get unwittingly portrayed as dishonest cheats who take tourists for a ride around expressways and the city area no thanks to the juxtaposition of scenes involving recognizable roads and landmarks. Or that this travel scene would become one of those sponsored tourism campaign videos.

While identification of landmarks use adds to the fun, such as the UOB skyscraper doubling up as the HQ of Pinnacle Software, and various shots in Challenger, Clarke and Robertson Quay areas, what I found more interesting is how, so far, there's rarely a depiction of HDB apartments in movies shot here by Bollywood. Everyone's pretty loaded in their ability to afford a swanky condo (at the Kallang Bay area, given the view out of their windows) in Krrish's case, or landed property in this one, that cost a few million dollars at the very least. So while local films tend to depict the accommodation here using what some 80% of the locals live in, films from abroad may, perhaps due to non-familiarity, opt to go by the more conventional (sometimes unrealistic) route of the "house" concept.

In any case, Pyaar Impossible is about the improbable love between a beauty and a geek, and Uday Chopra's story is rather straightforward, revenge of the nerd type, which somehow works fine as a magical fantasy romantic story that's kept simple and effective, without much fuss. There are essentially three story arcs, one which is the unattainable love that Abhay seeks, the second being Abhay as The Nanny / Butler / Confidant to Alisha's household, and the third giving cause for Abhay to visit Singapore, in search of the swindler Sidhu/Varun (Dino Morea).

With its catchy tunes and song and dance routine, it hit the nail on the head when the theme song succinctly dealt with the notion of how superficial it actually is when we talk about attraction, but always fail to admit so. In that respect, Pyaar Impossible laid its cards out on the table honestly even though it had to succumb to formula, and I'd pick this romantic comedy over any Hollywood one any day.

Here is another example of a reasonably fine movie presented with completely wrong promos and a misleading promotional campaign. And the strange thing is that the blunder is once again committed by the experienced Yash Raj Films who did exactly the same with their earlier project "Rocket Singh". Simply putting, "Pyaar Impossible" is neither a youthful movie about college life nor it talks about any campus affairs as prominently shown in its on-air promos.

Conversely, it is a simple story of a one-sided love affair, also featuring a girl child artist playing a prominent role in the script and has a story-line, which somehow seems to be less appealing for the younger audiences. So, if you are expecting a trendy, college campus love flick, featuring a geek and a beauty, then you are sure going to be disappointed big time. But the saving grace is that the movie still manages to impress the viewers to some extent, mainly through its engaging second half, where the plot actually starts moving at the much needed speed. Whereas before intermission, the narration has nothing great to offer and you just keep waiting for something more interesting to happen on the screen very soon.

Basically, I am still wondering why Jugal Hansraj (director) and Uday Chopra, who has also written the story, screenplay and dialogues for the movie, opted for such confusing promos for their project, which no-where talk about the real movie in the offering. In fact all the scenes in the promos on-air are just taken from the first 15 minutes of the movie and the rest is completely left untouched. To be precise, I couldn't figure out, what was the purpose of promoting the movie as a college drama, when its main lead female character is actually a divorcée single mother living alone with her kid girl. That was really a silly attempt to bring in the young crowd into the theaters to fetch a good initial. However, the move may turn against the movie, since all the youngsters are not going to find the content they were really feeling excited for. Jugal Hansraj once again misses the bull's eye with even Priyanka being there for him as a merit.

Nevertheless, apart from this publicity goof up, "Pyaar Impossible" is a decent movie with worth watching performances from the lead pair and the girl child. Priyanka Chopra once again leads from the front, with her stunning outfits and gorgeous looks. Her solid portrayal of a stylish and educated single mother, rightly proves why she is considered as one of the best talents we currently have in our Hindi Cinema. Uday Chopra as her silent lover, surprisingly gives a stunner performance in the role of a geek. He is simply not the same Uday, you may recall from his previous films. He has not only grown as an actor but also showcases his other talents of writing and scripting a story of his own. Advika Yadav, the kid girl playing Priyanka's daughter is a delight to watch and a talent to look out in the future. Anupam Kher is lovable in his few scenes and Dino Morea is quite impressive in his negative role.

Musically, the film has majority of its songs written partly in English which have a limited appeal. Music directors Salim-Sulieman have worked more on their song arrangements and less on the melody part of their musical score. Hence, though the tracks sound good but they don't stay in your mind for long. Cinematography captures Singapore's outdoor locations skillfully.

In a nutshell review, "Pyaar Impossible" is a good one time watch mainly for its performances, but it has nothing as suggested by its trendy and youthful promos. The movie is based on an urban subject revolving around computer software and its piracy which strictly makes it a multiplex movie and can work only in the metros. You can watch it for both Priyanka and Uday but don't expect any college romance out of it.

First off, I really enjoyed watching the film. It is a very simple yet sweet romantic comedy. It delivers great direction and performances by all the leading cast and an impressive sound track.

In some point of time, everyone has experienced unattainable love. 'Pyaar Impossible' definitely shows that with a remarkable love story narrated through Abhay Sharma (Uday Chopra) about the love of his life Alisha Merchant (Priyanka Chopra). A story about a geek who is in love with a beautiful girl totally out of his league.

Uday Chopra as Abhay Sharma - loved his acting, fit the role of a Geek perfectly. Uday Chopra has definitely made a strong comeback.

Priyanka Chopra as Alisha Merchant - one of the finest Bollywood actress of this generation. Great acting and also looks super gorgeous throughout the movie.

Dino Morea as Sidhu (alias Varun) - Lived up to his role, also does a fine job as the villain.

The songs are well-portrayed to emphasize the love between the beauty and the geek. The background score was also fantastic!

Overall, I enjoyed watching the film. A film that can surely connect with the younger Bollywood audience through its simple love story.

9/10 Must Watch

No deep story, just a predictable, but cute, charming story. I had no intention of watching it all the way through, but I found the characters charming, and after I watched it, found myself walking around the house singing the music.

The most interesting thing to me was the statement this film makes on India pop culture -- the language a blend of English and Hindi, probably from the impact of American movies and pop culture, and also from the out-sourcing of software support jobs to India, ala, Bill Gates.

One final comment: I read a news review by an American film critic, criticizing the film for nepotism. How silly! You want the government to take over film making also? You can't hire your relatives to work on your own film? I'm sorry, but I think private biz should be able to hire whomever it wants, related or not. I would prefer to have people I enjoyed working with and trust on my set, related or not.