I Love NY (2015) Review!!

Synopsis – This is a one-night story – it’s New Year eve and two strangers living in two different cities [New York/Chicago] are tossed into each other’s company by the hand of fate in a comedy of errors that’s as funny as it is enchanting. And just as the world is celebrating New Years, the two stranger’s realize their own romances are falling apart… Making a desperate bid to sustain their own relationships they inadvertently fall in love over one magical New Year’s eve…

My Take – Every year out of the 300+ movies produced in Bollywood, about 100 or so don’t ever get to see the light of the day, well obviously the number I present can be fictitious, meaning their can be many more!! And sometimes this films do get released down many years as a result the film looks outdated or jaded or the lead characters may just not be at their prime any more. A perfect example of this would be a film called Kajrare, written by Mahesh Bhatt, directed by his daughter Pooja Bhatt, produced by the biggest music label of India – T series & starring musician turned actor Himesh Reshammiya & Pakistani actress Mona Lisa. The film was produced at the height of HR’s (as he is fondly known) popularity, but something led to another & film got stuck in cans despite the popularity of the music & its breathtaking promos! Don’t get me wrong the film was awful! As the film released 3-5 years later, all the hype & everything surrounding it died down, the result – the film released only in one cinema (yup thats true) & expectedly bombed! Actor Govinda apparently has a record 40-45 films stuck in cans waiting to see the light of the day, imagine when those films come out! Actor Sunny Deol (the star of this film) is also accustomed to seeing his films being clogged, recently the Delhi High court has imposed a stay on the release of his upcoming Mohala Assi due to its content. Well lets see what happens to that. Coming down to this Radhika Apte – Vinay Sapru (who had made the Salman Khan starer Lucky – No Time for Love) starring Sunny Deol and Kangana Ranaut in lead roles. With an original release date of December 30, 2013 (even though production began in 2011) but as the producers were not apparently happy with the rushes, they decided to shelve it. And now two years (technically four years) later, the film is out mainly due to the rising success of Kangana Ranaut post Tanu weds Manu Returns & Queen.

To add the worries, Kangana Ranaut filed a case to stop the release the film, but now after watching the film, it seems her worries were mostly fictional. In fact, she is the one you’ll notice the most in the film, and frankly she doesn’t disappoint either. Honestly the film is much better than its run-of-the-mill trailers, yet despite a decent plot it is let down by its silly and far-fetched writing. The story follows Randhir (Sunny Deol), a hard working, coffee drinking Chicago guy whose last marriage proposal was dated 10 years ago, and as the December 31st approaches. Randhir’s life may be routine, but it’s not boring. He has an entertaining dad (Prem Chopra) at home. He has a girlfriend, Riya (Tannishtha Chatterjeet) who wants to party alone with him on New Year’s Eve. Mr. Bachelor decides he will finally pop the big question of marriage that night. Before that, he goes to the gym and hangs out with his middle-aged friends. They sit around in towels in the steam room and get drunk to celebrate his impending matrimony. The bottle-happy guys drink so much that they end up sending Randhir to New York by mistake. Randhir ends up getting carried in trolleys and lands as a drunken heap on Tikku’s (Ranaut) bed. Apparently, he and Tikku have the same address — in different cities. As luck and screenplay would have it, Randhir’s home key can open Tikku’s lock! Who would believe this yarn? Certainly not Tikku’s boyfriend, Ishaan (Navin Chowdhry). Not when Randhir gets bolder by the hour as New Year’s Eve unfolds. To Ishaan’s chagrin, Randhir keeps coming back to the apartment and Tikku happily helps him. All night, Ishaan and Randhir come and go, in and out of Tikku’s apartment, leaving her one confused and pretty mess in a pink saree and golden curls. The film takes its own sweet time coming to its predictable end, and you can only sit back and note irrelevant details — like Ranaut’s three costumes and debate over Deol wearing a wig, counting his age and wishing him more suitable roles. The really long gap between the two proposals is necessary otherwise how will the filmmakers justify a 57-year-old hero to the Indian audience? Of course, pun intended. Rao and Sapru’s concept behind the film is decent, but unfortunately, it’s released two years too late. Made much before Queen, this small film appears to be a refreshing change yet, the difference in tone isn’t enough to make up for how the story gets stretched to eternity.

The love story offers a few moments of relief and surprisingly, & the chemistry between Kangana and Sunny Deol is likeable. Sunny Paaji is not his usual self here! The guy who would destroy an entire nation to save his girl & beat everyone up to the pulp is no where to be seen here. Instead he is a cool, calm and composed guy who is immensely likeable & hilarious especially in the song ‘Gud naal ishq mitha’! For once, he has come out of his comfort zone of mindless action sequences. The pairing may look a bit odd to some due to the vast age difference between the two lead actors, but somehow it works! Kangana Ranaut, even in a train wreck film like this, gives a good performance and plays the vulnerable girl seeking love, with conviction. She is sincere and endearing in several scenes although her character of a girl being dumped seems regular now. The scene where she is trying to woo her boyfriend who is angry with her, through a song, is definitely one of the, or perhaps, the only highlight of the film. She looks beautiful and lights up the screen with her natural portrayal. Tannishtha Chatterjee is alright in a limited screen role. Prem Chopra plays the loving father with ease, but does not have too much to do. British TV actor Navin Chowdhry, playing Ishaan, portrays his character of the control-freak and possessive boyfriend realistically, making you hate him. He has size able screen time too, giving him enough scope. His fake American accent when speaking in Hindi, unfortunately comes on and off and is a bit jarring & really irritating. Despite everything one thing I will take from this film, the real winner – the soulful music! Each number stands out! On the whole, I Love NY (New Year), is high on production but low on quality, if only the script had worked, this would be a gem in the rom com genre. Watch this film only if you enjoy love stories even if they defy logic or you are a die-hard Kangana Ranaut or Sunny Deol fan.