'Love U... Mr. Kalakaar' leaves an inspiring message for artists

Film: Love U... Mr. Kalakaar (U)
Cast: Amrita Rao, Tusshar Kapoor, Ram Kapoor, Madhoo
Director: S Manasvi
Rating: ***

The Barjatyas are known to churn out a certain kind of cinema (read: clean, happy, family entertainers) and their latest doesn’t disappoint on that front at all. So, there’s biz honcho Deshraj Deewan’s (Ram) daughter Ritu (Rao), who falls in love with a happy-go-lucky freelance cartoonist Saahil (Tusshar). A simple guy at heart, Saahil’s an architect who gives up a cushy job to pursue his dream of having his own cartoon strip in a leading daily someday. However, he is outright rejected as a marriage prospect for his daughter by Deewan, whose impression of artists is that of losers. But then on the insistence of his sister Vidya (Madhoo), he decides to give him a chance to win the hand of his lady-love a la Alok Nath who gave a similar chance to Salman Khan way back in Maine Pyaar Kiya.

Only here, the challenge lies in running a business for three months and ensuring a profit. Creating obstacles along the way are colleagues played by Jai Kalra and Yatin Karyekar who try to make life difficult for Saahil. Thrown in for distraction is a sexy secretary and another good friend, Ritu. How Saahil, with the help of Ritu, overcomes all odds and challenges, forms the crux of the second half.

While there’s no denying that both Tusshar and Rao come across as a fresh pair and are completely effortless in their performances, their chemistry is not fireworks. It remains a sugar-coated affair thoughout, but then what else did you expect from a Rajshri film? Tusshar’s U-turn from his recent Shor act to the Mr Chocolate Boy is commendable and Rao too is convincing on her part. While the actors click including Ram and
Madhoo, the other sidekicks fail to make any impact. What disappoints though, is that the story has nothing new to offer and the pace is rather slow for today’s audiences that’s used to a Fast and Furious!

The music doesn’t help things either. The film however does leave an inspiring message for all the artists!