Happy Ending

Lending quirky touches to a romantic soufflé through its protagonists who are quite similar in their attributes, director duo Raj and DK give a Woody-Allen type verve to the rom-com genre in their latest flick, "Happy Ending". It gives us a feeling of "Been here, seen there" when we encounter the philandering and commitment- phobic writer, Yudi(played by Saif Ali Khan)who just can't say "I love you" to any of his romantic interests, because he feels love comes with a big baggage.

Riding on an ostentatious high in Los Angeles with his success- script which he wrote five and years ago,Yudi is happy with his highly questionable 'single' status, his miserably married Montu(Ranvir Shorey) and the grizzly grumpy alter-ego, Yogi(Saif again, with thick long beard and paunch)who advises philosophy and gives him gyaan. And this is until one fine day , when he collides with the harshest reality - he has virtually gone bankrupt with no financial support to pay his bills. In a desperate move to gain quick bucks, he agrees to write a 'kick-ass' script for a fading Bollywood superstar, Arman-ji(Govinda)whose career is on a downward spiral and he needs a hit badly. To get inspiration, he follows the gorgeous romantic- novel writer Aanchal(Illeana) who brushes off his charms initially only to fall into love.

Right from the start,Raj and DK achieve an instant connect with the audience. Unlike their previous projects (Shor in the city,Go Goa Gone),the setting here is quite urbane - foreign locales,skyscrapers,bright sunny days and the sprightly dialogues that make the mood upbeat. And the best part of the film are its hilarious moments of laughter , specially involving Yudi and Montu when they break into Yudi's ex-Vishaka's(Kalki Koechlin) flat.The romantic built-up meanders through a long drive alongside the scenic beaches, the sun playing razzmatazz with the sea waves which ends up funnily with the couple on bed. However, the second half trespasses into a slog zone ;perhaps the writers wanted to try too much of their sensibilities to make it more palatable by offering us the routine slow music numbers, the lovers' conflicts and a conventional climactic airport scene.

What certainly works here is the rehash of the characters that Saif Ali Khan has already played. Reprising the same uber-cool, urbane and metro-sexual ,self-conflicted lover, he gives Yudi an endearing touch and the ingenious charm which is his forte. At the same time, the actor must contemplate about re-inventing himself before being typecast.Govinda puts forth a delicious Bollywood narcissist who throws up some real gems and you get a moment of 'aww' when he goes shirtless to show his newly developed abs.Ranvir Shorey, in his typical straight-faced avatar, is the staple source of all humor that goes as a credit for the movie.Kalki impresses with her psycho- stalker syndrome and its her uninhibited self which makes the character interesting.Illeana's looks sweet but her character comes across as a fluffy one without much of depth.Preity Zinta as Yudi's 2AM friend has an extended cameo and you might get a pang of the yesteryear Salaam Namaste!

On the whole, Happy Ending is a breezy feel-good entertainer. It starts happily and ends happily. And as the writer says, "Dont Analyze Love, just live the moment", it calls for a momentous indulgence with modern-day relationships.

After the dull Go Goa Gone, Writer-Director Duo Raj Nidimoru & Krishna D. K, churn out a rather predictable film with 'Happy Ending. The Storytelling, The Treatment & The Exeuction, offer no novelty at all. A Been-There-Seen-That Rom-Com!

'Happy Ending' Synopsis: A once-successful author finds his life on the edge, until a fellow-writer inspires him to write again.

'Happy Ending' lacks the wit & energy, besides it being shamelessly predictable. The central protagonists portrayed by Saif Ali Khan & Ileana D'Cruz (both looking tired & bored) aren't romantics by nature & that's the prime reason why the on-screen chemistry between the two doesn't work.

But not all's bad in here, 'Happy Ending' redeems itself to some extend, by giving us some deliciously entertaining supporting characters. Govinda, as a fading film star, hits all the right notes, despite being reduced into a brief cameo. Ranvir Shorey, as Saif's best-friend, who's petrified of his wife, brings the house down. He's hilarious! Kalki Koechlin, as Saif's stalker girlfriend, however, steals the show with a terrific performance. Her scenes are the high-point of the enterprise. Sadly, there isn't much of her!

On the whole, 'Happy Ending' is a letdown.

Can't believe this film has only 5.7 rating on IMDb and 33% on Rotten Tomatoes. It's such a good film. In this film the character of Saif is a writer and he's trying to write a romantic comedy, the film is exactly what he's writing - a making of Rom - Com, also it's a spoof comedy. Like all the other films of Raj & DK it's also fully entertaining.

After Dil Chahta Hai I think this is the best performance of Saif in a comic role. Ranvir Shorey has some of the best lines in the film. And above all Govinda in special appearance is the cherry on the cake. In every Raj & DK project Sachin - Jigar always create some music which stay with us.

Though it's more Comedy and less romance it's A Perfect Rom-Com for me.

Available on JioCinema, ZEE5, Eros Now & AirtelXtream.

© MandalBros.

well, it was a movie i watched till the end, so it wasn't horrible. and i had gone fully prepared to abandon it midway, but i guess i didn't. and i don't like romantic comedies to begin with, so there i have my disclaimers out of the way. basically its a slow paced movie, and not very well made so it just trudges along predictably, while making fun of other such predictable movies. saif is the centrepiece of the movie, and he does hold it together ; but we've seen similar performances from him before. his alter ego is quite annoying though. elena is a total miscast, seems like she is in a daze. govinda has been one of my favourites, and its sad to see him having aged and playing second fiddle. preity zinta is also a mistake i think; should have had a fresh face. why do we need to see her ageing ? and in such an inconsequential role too. ranveer shourey also does not add much to the movie. apart from saif i guess none of the characters have any depth. the dialogues are quite predictable ; and i can see a new trend of having the characters speak in an American way. the only thing i liked was the ending where they preserved some of the story's integrity.

I saw " Happy Ending " yesterday. Well, it isn't a bad movie but then again it isn't really entertaining either. There are some moments that are outright boring but these are balanced out by the "relatively" funnier moments.

Saif plays the character of Yudi who is a broke writer as his books are not selling anymore. When an unsuccessful Bollywood actor (played by Govinda) comes to Los Angeles where Yudi lives and asks him to write a script for his next movie, Yudi gets a chance to redeem himself. Now, the story seemed to be nice to me which is why I decided to watch the movie, but after watching it I wish the directors could have interpreted the story in a different manner rather than making it look so cheesy on screen.

Saif is used to playing peppy characters. He has played one in this movie. But I just wish the movie was as lively as Yudi is shown to be. On a completely different note I fell in love with Yudi's red convertible BMW and the super-posh LA locality where he happens to be staying. For all the American affluence that has been shown in the movie, I'll give it a 7 out of 10.