Danish Aslam’s Break Ke Baad tries to stick to the formula but half-heartedly. And that’s why the zing is missing from this romcom. BKB is about Abhay Gulati (Imran) and Aaliya Khan (Deepika) — childhood friends who grow up and fall in love.
However, they have distinctly polar personalities. She is flighty, unemotional, impulsive and ambitious. He is the complete opposite but believes that they belong by each other’s side and promises her that he’ll do anything to keep them together. He lives by his word and even follows her to Australia. Then things get complicated and Aaliya declares she wants to break up. It happens one too many times, until Abhay gives it all up one day and returns home to get married. Aaliya then begins to have second thoughts…
What’s hot: There are many films made on falling in love but few delve into the break-up process. The story idea held promise — sadly it is never exploited to its potential. The locations are beautiful, the lead pair looks great, the dialogues are good and the characters interesting. That holds true, especially of Yudishtr.
He brings a smile to your face every now and then. The film bears semblance to reality, as there are thousands of couples out there breaking up and making up everyday. A strong screenplay would’ve helped the film make an impact, which it quickly loses after the first half. There are those momentary highs — scenes like the ‘Sunita-Shah Rukh Khan’ drunken escapade and between Aaliya and her mom Ayesha (Tagore). The humour is appealing.
Nischol as Abhay’s dad and Dubey as his aunt add able support. Imran is getting more confident with every film and Deepika charms her way through. Vishal-Shekhar’s music is a big plus.
What’s not: The problem lies with the script which fails to bring out any chemistry between Abhay and Aaliya. There is no passion, no sweetness or even feelings. There’s just too much talking. And if you don’t feel their love, how can you feel anything when they break-up? That’s where the film fails. The story and the couple keep shuttling between India and Australia, like it’s a Mumbai to Goa ride. Another problem with the film is that it tries too hard to be cool. In Socha Na Tha, Abhay Deol addressing his father by his first name was cute and appealing but in BKB, it seems cold and deliberate. In the second half, the screenplay goes from bad to worse. Nothing can salvage a love story if it’s not engaging enough.
What’s that! Aaliya gets a role in a Hollywood film but she chucks the contract and returns home. They let her go. Then she returns and gets the role again. Later, she ditches the unit in the middle of the shoot to run to India. How understanding of the producers to let a first-timer have her way, no?
What to do: Watch it only if you are addicted to romcoms.
Source: Bollywood.ac