CAST:  Vicky Kaushal, Sara Ali Khan, Inaamulhaq

DIRECTOR: Laxman Utekar

Lovebirds, yoga instructor Kapil Dubey (played by Vicky Kaushal) and chemistry lecturer Saumya Chawla (portrayed by Sara Ali Khan), find their marital bliss disturbed when an intrusive uncle and aunt move into Kapil’s family residence. Their keen sense of smell catches a whiff of eggs in an anniversary cake and a touch of Punjabi spirit in Soumya’s behavior, pushing the young pair to explore options beyond their neighborhood. With the expense of an apartment too hefty, they turn to a government scheme for help. However, they are met with an unscrupulous bureaucrat named Bhagwan Das (Inaamulhaq) who suggests divorce as a solution to qualify for the scheme. This sets off a series of amusing, albeit illogical, misadventures that offers a unique perspective on evolving dynamics in urban families and society.

The rapport between Sara and Vicky is reminiscent of the classic middle-class family dramas featuring stars like Amol Palekar with Zarina Wahab, and Farooque Sheikh alongside Deepti Naval ( The track “yeh tera ghar, yeh mera ghar repurposed from Saath Saath is the track that sets the pace). The other RD song repurposed was Dekho Maine Dekha hai yeh ek sapna from the movie Love Story.

Vicky exudes charisma as the pragmatic young man willing to take shortcuts for a brighter future, while Sara convincingly portrays a woman yearning for more out of life. Their relationship subtly evolves over the course of two hours as they shape each other’s characters.  Vicky isn’t hesitant to showcase Kapil’s less charming aspects, and Sara demonstrates that Soumya’s depth extends beyond her taste for chiffon and georgette saris.

Somehow Sara Ali Khan with her husky high society accent fails to fit into the Soumya bill but Vicky Kaushal shows he can act and that too convincingly well.

The ensemble cast certainly deserves praise. It’s refreshing to see Akash Khurana break away from his typecast roles as a political heavyweight and corporate mogul, embracing the role of a middle-class father. However, it’s Kanupriya Pandit as the crafty yet endearing Deepa Mami who truly shines, seamlessly interweaving caste and social status into family discussions. And of course, Rakesh Bedi deserves mention as the wise father-in-law dispensing essential life advice after a few drinks.

There are moments where the chemistry between the leading characters veers into overkill, both metaphorically and literally. Sara needs to practice her skills at acting a lot to prevent it from tipping into theatricality, especially when sharing screen space with natural performers like Vicky.

Eventually, the film’s scenarios and props begin to feel redundant, but, akin to Kapil’s advice to his yoga students, the film manages to recenter its “Chi” before it’s too late.

In Theaters.