Review: 'Ajab Gazabb Love' tries too hard to be funny

Films: Ajab Gazabb Love
Cast: Jackky Bhagnani, Nidhi Subbaiah, Arjun Rampal, Kirron Kher, Darshan Jariwala
Director: Sanjay Gadhvi
Rating: *1/2

After giving us films like Dhoom and its sequel, Sanjay Gadhvi returns to the big screen after a gap of four years with a remake of Telugu comedy Seema Tapakai, which reportedly received positive reviews and got the cash registers rolling. So does Ajab Gazab Love succeed in doing the same?

Rajveer Grewal (Jackky Bhagnani) is an ideal son of businessman Yashvardhan Grewal (Darshan Jariwala), a millionaire who owns an automobile empire. After designing his dream car (DC), Rajveer takes a backseat to relax and party with his friends. However, there is one twist in his luxurious existance – Madhuri Singh (Nidhi Subbaiah). Madhuri hates rich people and thinks all rich kids are bratty. Rajveer tries his best to impress this advocate of social issues as he pretends to be a poor lad who makes a living by working at a petrol pump. The boy who has never seen struggle or poverty, presents an image of a filmy family – andhi maa (blind mother [Kirron Kher]), fruit-seller father, drunkard brother and lachaar (helpless) sister-in-law.

Trouble starts when Madhuri expresses the desire to meet his family. After convincing his family to pretend like poverty-stricken people, Rajveer hires a kholi (a house in a slum) and takes Madhuri to introduce her to his family. Their problems become unbearable when Madhuri’s brothers (Arjun Rampal in a double role), who are also one of the richest families in Bhopal, decide to check on this impoverished family.

The film is limited to projecting Jackky as a competent performer. It revolves around Jackky, his not-so-believable abs, his dancing skills and his acting (in)ability. There are very few scenes that would bring a laugh. The rest of the movie fails to hold your attention with cheesy jokes and lousy presentation.

Jackky is as disappointing as he was in F.A.L.T.U. Nidhi looks glamorous and innocent at the same time. She does justice to her role in parts where she is not trying too hard to impress. Kirron Kher is outstanding and is the only entertaining character in the entire film. Arshad Warsi, in a cameo, where the servant pretends to be a rich businessman, makes a huge impression with an entertaining performance in a five-minute-long scene. Arjun Rampal is good.

Editing is weak and cinematography is nothing spectacular. The only good songs are Boom Boom and Nachde Punjabi which comes only at the end of the film. The romantic numbers could easily be done away with.

For a rom-com, Ajab Gazabb Love fails to entertain in either romance or comedy. You can safely skip this one unless you really have the money and time to spare on a two-hour-long movie that entertains for a few minutes.