Hi hi, kiss kiss, bye bye. He’s a love machine of sorts, chasing skirts, sarongs, but never saris (not yet). A 30-something NRI dude even ensnares his new oriental boss by wondering if she believes in love at first sight. She does, and they’re all set for a bubbly night. And you’re clubbing with them at a London hotspot, high as a kite. Nice.

That’s Homi Adajania’s Cocktail, a hip, happening, happy date flick which right till the intermission point has you going hurray hic hic. The second-half suffers from a major hangover though, diluting the impact of the most refreshing entertainer in years. Despite dragging dramaturgy of the concluding reels, you do come away with sufficient value for you ticket money. Kinda bliss.

Undeniably, Adajania’s snazzy style stays with you, be it the marvellousy directed nightclub sequences, or the three-way chemistry-’n’-body-physics between the skirt chaser (Saif Ali Khan), a bohemian girl (Deepika Padukone) who describes herself as a “rich bitch”, and a desi damsel (Diana Penty) in dire distress. The story-screenplay by Jab We Rockstar Imtiaz Ali, and Sajid Ali may be strictly fantasty fluff but it blends in moments of tenderness, free-spiritedness, and a youtful zest. Three cheers, absolutely, to that.

In a series of fluidly executed scenes, the London Casanova shacks up with Ms Bohemian who is emotionally paralysed, perhaps because of the lack of parental love. She swings, boozes and cares a damn about who shares her toothbrush the morning after. She has a heart though, and has given shelter to the conservative damsel abandoned on the streets by her husband of convenience (Randeep Hoonda, a bit unconvincing). Convenience? Well, it seems he married the conservative Delhi damsel for the sake of a work permit (or is it immigration?) in the UK. That plot angle is absolutely fuzzy. Huh, okay, must be some visa rigmarole. Dramatic licence and all that.

The most engaging parts deal with the changeovers in the personalities of the “awesome threesome”. Shortly after the visit of Casanova’s delightfully ditzy mother (Dimple Kapadia), the ultra-westernised Ms Bohemian craves for bangles, daily prayers and a family life. The Casanova is no longer commitment phobic. And here comes the rub. He wants to move out of Bohemian’s bed since he has fallen head over high heels in love with Damsel Desi. Scenes showing Casanova’s mother catching her son in the midst of drag act, his enactment of a typical arranged marriage scenario, and the flustered behaviour of a horny uncle (Boman Irani) are downright hilarious. Also, a spoofy takeoff on a black soul singer at an English pub has you in splits.

For an elliptical touch, Adajania creates a sweet, throwaway shot of one of the girls pausing to look at a child in a park — an obvious allusion to her dreams of becoming a mother. But don’t expect more artful asides from the director, who in his debut feature Being Cyrus had opted for bitter dark humour. Here he appears to do as the Bollywoodians do — nothing wrong with that because the set décor, costumes, music score (Pritam) and cinematography (Anil Mehta) extracted by him are way above the commonplace. Throughout you keep telling yourself what a relief from the Bol Bachchans and Rowdy Rathores of the world.

Brevity, however, is conspicuous by its absence. Once the Casanova turns over a new leaf, and his full-of-beans mother catches an exit flight from Heathrow, the story doesn’t know how to get out of the hole it has dug for itself. Solution: a hopover to a hospital’s ICU ward, a plot device which smacks of Dil Chahta Hai. Snafu: it’s much too contrived and schematic out here. Verbosity and woolly confabulations take over, fun-’n’-froth go out of the window. Maestro Sreekar Prasad, whose editing is fantastic for most of the way, alas seems to take off for a stroll. And pray why that tacky danceroo for the end-credits?

Never mind, because you’ve had half of ferris-wheel ride. Of the cast, Dimple Kapadia returns to form with a thoroughly tongue-in-chic performance. Saif Ali Khan is first-rate. His flair for comedy and the ability to fit into the suit of the urban sophisticate is perfect. Deepika Padukone is first-rate, nuanced and effortless in the most complicated role in the ensemble. Newcomer Diana Penty, too, plays her part with a natural candour, striking particularly in close-ups. Can’t say whether her voice was dubbed or not, but here’s a face that’s emotive and understated.

Whatever the flaws and dips in energy level, Cocktail is a feel-wonderful movie. Shake it, stir it and get nicely woozy.