Nikhil (Sidharth Malhotra) and Meeta (Parineeti Chopra) are two strangers who are both a little odd, flighty and impulsive. After a chance encounter, the two end up meeting several years later thanks to a wedding. There begins a sort of hesitant friendship, where Nikhil feels somewhat protective of – yet bewildered by – this girl who seems to be operating on her own track. Whether these two are able to overcome their various eccentricities – not to mention, their complicated situations – to form a real bond is what Hasee Toh Phasee is all about.
Pros:
1. The characters are different. I always say this, but characters make a film for me more than the story does. With Hasee Toh Phasee, the writers manage to create characters who are, thankfully, not like a replica of characters from the last five romcoms you watched. Instead, Meeta is excessively eccentric – a girl who runs away from home, steals from her own dad, and pops pills just so she can remain upbeat. Nikhil, on the other hand, is a guy who’s irresponsible by nature but will still go out of his way to keep his fiance happy because he’s determined to not break up with her. He’s loyal, seemingly determined to stick it out, but still very insecure in his relationship. These are all interesting shades that have been given to the characters, keeping the film somewhat fresh despite the love-triangle premise and wedding setting.
2. The acting. Characters like that could have only worked with the right actors. Parineeti nails it, of course: you’ve come to expect a certain sort of dependability from her and she doesn’t disappoint in this film. Yes, she’s accused of getting slot into a particular spunky/bubbly category, but Parineeti is a lot more in this than that. Her character has highs and lows, and Parineeti does the best with what she has been given. Sidharth does great for his second film, and you can see the sincerity with which he’s given this performance. Meeta, by default, tends to hog all the attention; however, Sidharth is reliable throughout the film and makes his mark.
3. The fun moments. There are lots of funny – and even some cute – moments throughout this film. Like, Meeta’s confidence when she gives Nikhil a “guarantee.” Or, the ACP Pradhyuman and Daya jokes. Plus, there are a bunch of cameos and “side characters” in the film that are fun. All of these make Hasee Toh Phasee consistently watchable and engaging.
Cons:
1. The length. Not too much happens plot-wise in the first half, so you wish the writers wrote a tauter script. The climax, too, feels over-long and could have been trimmed. Punjabi Wedding Song, although fun, seems to come out of nowhere during the second half of the film and slows down the pace yet again.
2. Lack of development in some story angles. While Meeta is interesting as a character, her backstory seems half-baked and that China angle feels a little random. Her behaviour – and addiction – don’t get much explanation either, even though they make up an important part of the story. There are also two plots running alongside each other; one of Meeta and Nikhil’s relationship and the other of Meeta’s equation with her family. They’re both fairly major ones, so developing them both adequately – and tying them up neatly – was always going to be a little difficult.
Verdict:
Hasee Toh Phasee is watchable for some fun moments and sincere performances by the lead actors.