Numbers and money don't always add up to success. So seems to be the case with Jackky Bhagnani's Ajab Gazabb Love. The extra 'B' in the middle of the title (assuming it is there for adding up numerologically) adds very little value to the fate of Sanjay Gadhvi's latest film. It's going nowhere.
With a plot line insisting on being a Pringle wafer-lookalike, how can you even expect that something substantial will come out of it? It may just crackle a bit when you bite into it but the juice, flavour and even masala is definitely missing.
A billionaire's son Rajveer Grewal (Jackky Bhagnani) falls in love with a pretty damsel Maddie (Nidhi Subbaiah); discovers quite accidentally that she doesn't like the rich and proceeds to woo her pretending that he is really this poor chap, so that she continues to remain in love with him. Not only that, he involves his mother (Kirron Kher), a couple of brothers and father (Darshan Jariwala) setting them up in a room in a slum.
And adds a cherry to the cake by asking his super-busy businessman father to sell bananas(!) when her brother Arjun (Arjun Rampal) comes over to check out her choice of husband material.
Jackky Bhagnani, to be fair, tries very hard to be this cute, lovable guy who will go to any lengths to please his girlfriend but if he won't rise above this level, you can be very certain that he seriously needs to rethink his career plans!
The Kannada film star Nidhi is befitting, as his charming - if a little daft, girlfriend who is oh-so-taken-in by his 'poor' status. That's rich considering that she herself belongs to a millionaire family! But, logic has no place in commercial Hindi cinema, so avoid looking for it.
The only saving grace is Darshan Jariwala, who, given his tremendous theatre background and experience, turns in a very fine and convincing performance as a billionaire-turned-phalwala because he loves his silly son. And a cameo by Arshad Warsi as a servant asked to pose as the Lord of the Manor is decidedly a good choice.
We could have had more of him. Kirron is wasted, as is Arjun Rampal, though in a double role he could have done more.
If you have time to watch only one film this week, don't make it this one.
With a plot line insisting on being a Pringle wafer-lookalike, how can you even expect that something substantial will come out of it? It may just crackle a bit when you bite into it but the juice, flavour and even masala is definitely missing.
A billionaire's son Rajveer Grewal (Jackky Bhagnani) falls in love with a pretty damsel Maddie (Nidhi Subbaiah); discovers quite accidentally that she doesn't like the rich and proceeds to woo her pretending that he is really this poor chap, so that she continues to remain in love with him. Not only that, he involves his mother (Kirron Kher), a couple of brothers and father (Darshan Jariwala) setting them up in a room in a slum.
And adds a cherry to the cake by asking his super-busy businessman father to sell bananas(!) when her brother Arjun (Arjun Rampal) comes over to check out her choice of husband material.
Jackky Bhagnani, to be fair, tries very hard to be this cute, lovable guy who will go to any lengths to please his girlfriend but if he won't rise above this level, you can be very certain that he seriously needs to rethink his career plans!
The Kannada film star Nidhi is befitting, as his charming - if a little daft, girlfriend who is oh-so-taken-in by his 'poor' status. That's rich considering that she herself belongs to a millionaire family! But, logic has no place in commercial Hindi cinema, so avoid looking for it.
The only saving grace is Darshan Jariwala, who, given his tremendous theatre background and experience, turns in a very fine and convincing performance as a billionaire-turned-phalwala because he loves his silly son. And a cameo by Arshad Warsi as a servant asked to pose as the Lord of the Manor is decidedly a good choice.
We could have had more of him. Kirron is wasted, as is Arjun Rampal, though in a double role he could have done more.
If you have time to watch only one film this week, don't make it this one.