Imran Khan and Kareena Kapoor are at their best in this rom-com and manage to bring a smile to your face
The best thing about Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu, apart from Kareena Kapoor, is the ending. It’s not cliched like most love stories; it’s like that tomato ketchup “it’s different”. But not sure if the same can be said about the rest of the film. There are some moments that we have seen several times before and some that are endearing because they are fresh.Rahul (Imran Khan) is a tight-ass guy brought up (and about) by his parents (Boman Irani and Ratna Pathak Shah) in a strict, stifling manner. He is an architect in Las Vegas and loses his job, probably owing to being “perfectly average”. When his parents land up in Vegas, he hides his jobless status from them.
Riana ‘Ri’ Braganza is in a similar situation, a jobless and boyfriendless hairstylist. The only difference is – Rahul takes his situation in a bad way while Ri knows how to enjoy and be happy even when she is broke. Also, he has never really loved a girl while she has had some six boyfriends since school. Nothing seems to affects her too much to break her heart. She has bad eating habits and body language, at least when she’s in Vegas, while he is a gentleman, even ironing his socks and underwear – if that’s what gentlemen do.
This unusual and imperfect pair meets by chance, gets drunk one night and ends up as lawfully wedded husband and wife. Though we’re not quite sure how that happens, as the scene seems to have been snipped at the editing table. So, Rahul and Ri now want to annul their marriage, but they have some 12 days to kill before it can be done. In the meantime, Ri becomes homeless and also tries to hook Rahul up with Anusha (Sonia Mehra in an impressive cameo). But the fun never stops. She takes him to Mumbai for a ‘break’ and things change. Does love happen? Can’t reveal it all here.
The Kareena and Imran pairing is fresh and both actors do justice to their roles. Kareena Kapoor looks beautiful and luckily does not fall into the trap of overacting, going above her much-liked performance in Jab We Met. She plays the normal, peppy girl next door with ease. Her ‘Ri’ is happy in her space and is not looking to hit upon the next guy she meets just because she’s had a breakup. Imran Khan is likeable. But yet again, it’s his leading lady who steals the show with her mature performance.
EMAET has its moments with subtle jokes and hints. Like when Rahul’s dad helps him knot his tie. Or the scene where his mother wishes him Merry X’Mas, reminding him about his haircut but missing the loneliness and longing in his eyes. Some things work in the film, some don’t. The cinematography by David Macdonald is brilliant, lifting even the simplest of scenes. Music by Amit Trivedi is lovely and not distracting. Sets and locations are good.
The film loses its grip here and there, but what we liked is that director Shakun Batra avoids too much mush. At the same time, some masala, maybe a love scene or some drama would’ve made the film more likeable to the Valentine’s Day audience it is targeted towards. Something might be missing here for them – even the realisation of love has been underplayed. Nevertheless, Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu is a lighthearted watch that brings a smile to your face. Having recovered its money already, it’s the word of mouth that will decide the fate of the film this weekend.
PS: Avantika Malik makes an appearance twice in the film – once when her name flashes on Anusha’s cellphone, and the second time in an actual two-second appearance in Aunty ji. Maybe this is some kind of joke we haven’t understood. Or maybe it was a Valentine’s Day gift to his wife by Imran. Or, he may have felt like emulating his mamu Aamir Khan whose ex-wife Reena had appeared in Papa kehte hai. As a matter of fact, even Dhobi Ghat had appearances by the Khan family members.
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