A guy-flick that’s silly and fun

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There are no big names in Pyaar Ka Punchnama, neither does it stick to the formula that Hindi romantic comedies have developed over the years — mindless chirping on the screen, singing in the middle of the night, vulgar dance moves and, yes, stating the obvious and yet expecting the audience to laugh. Pyaar Ka Punchnama also doesn’t promise anything extraordinary, except, well, wholesome entertainment.

Right from the first frame, when three friends (Chaudhary, Rajat and Nishant aka Liquid played by Raayo Bhakhirta, Kartikeya Tiwari and Divyendu Sharma respectively) decide to get girlfriends and, for once in their life, get into a relationship, you are never bored — except a few moments which are far too stretched.
Just like in a relationship where, in the beginning, everything is perfect and there is lots of love and laughter, the first half is the most entertaining part of the film. It’s an engaging encyclopaedia on how to keep your girlfriend happy.
The second half, well, takes its cue from relationships where the romance chapter is over and nagging nightmares have begun. Though it’s not exactly a nightmare, but had the director used his editing scissor a little bit more, it would have been more entertaining.
Pyaar Ka Punchnama is basically a guy-flick. The film takes on the most common female allegation that “all men are dogs”, which even the male characters in the film accept, but these dogs are faithful. They do everything to make their masters (in this case Sonali Sehgal, Nushrat Bharucha and Ishita Sharma) happy. But since it is a guy-flick, the women are the evil creatures whose only goal in life is to control their men.
Set in Delhi, PKP claims to be a realistic take on relationships, but it looks at it only from the male perspective. The film believes that that being in a relationship is not all about love and romance, and that sex often comes as a favour. Relationships are about mood swings, lots of shopping, sleeping on the couch and no catching up with your guy friends. The five-minute speech which a frustrated Rajat gives in the second half claims to sum up every committed guy’s life, and everything that PKP is about.
Luv Ranjan, as a director, has done a brilliant job in bringing the best in all the newcomers. All six of them can not only act, but also have the ability to carry their characters with elan.
Barring a few disappointing tracks, the films music is well above average. The one disappointing part, however, as I said earlier is its length and its sexist approach to a relationship. The female lead actors have not much of a say on why they are so opportunistic, and one can’t help but wonder why the guys can’t show some guts and put an end to their misery. Ah! Actually, the film does explain it: Men are slaves of the fair sex, either because of their tears or the sex — it doesn’t matter whether it is fake or real.
Another major drawback is that the film’s serious second half gets really slow by the end and eats up some of the excitement created in the first half.
The film basically rips apart all the fantasies of being in a happy relationship. I suggest that you catch it for the hilarious first half and then, as the film promos say, fall out of love.