KJo changed gears with his earlier outing "My Name Is Khan" in a attempt to create milestone in Indian cinema. When the same was received with lukewarm response KJo decided to revert to his "Kuch Kuch Hota Hain" roots, a story primarily skirting in the college campus. Whether KJo is actually growing in terms of calibre and goes a few notches up with SOTY is left to viewers discretion.
The fresh trio do pack a punch in terms of performance. The highlight of the pack is definitely Sidharth Malhotra and if I may dare say has a screen presence and a debut on the likes of Ranveer Singh. Alia Bhatt is amazing, thanks to the KJo who manages to present the very best of her. Varun Dhawan at this point in time appears to be overshadowed by the two but I am sure he is promising in his own right to carve his identity. Rishi Kapoor, okay a gay character but in hindsight was the track warranted? Ram Kapoor's character could have been fleshed out well as now he appears to be step-father. Gautami Kapoor can put Dharma productions in her CV, meaning her role is no more than decorative piece. Boman Irani - why was he there for a blink-and-miss role?
In terms of writing, the spirit of campus is well captured and perhaps had room to build more had it stayed away from KJo's sensibilities. There are quite a lot of layers in the movie and as stated earlier a few of them unwarranted. The last ten minutes are a big downer in terms of writing.
Songs as always coming from Dharma are chart busters, choreographed well by his loyalists Farah, Vaibhavi & Remo. And yes for those who haven't watched "Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikander" SOTY would be a good start.
The fresh trio do pack a punch in terms of performance. The highlight of the pack is definitely Sidharth Malhotra and if I may dare say has a screen presence and a debut on the likes of Ranveer Singh. Alia Bhatt is amazing, thanks to the KJo who manages to present the very best of her. Varun Dhawan at this point in time appears to be overshadowed by the two but I am sure he is promising in his own right to carve his identity. Rishi Kapoor, okay a gay character but in hindsight was the track warranted? Ram Kapoor's character could have been fleshed out well as now he appears to be step-father. Gautami Kapoor can put Dharma productions in her CV, meaning her role is no more than decorative piece. Boman Irani - why was he there for a blink-and-miss role?
In terms of writing, the spirit of campus is well captured and perhaps had room to build more had it stayed away from KJo's sensibilities. There are quite a lot of layers in the movie and as stated earlier a few of them unwarranted. The last ten minutes are a big downer in terms of writing.
Songs as always coming from Dharma are chart busters, choreographed well by his loyalists Farah, Vaibhavi & Remo. And yes for those who haven't watched "Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikander" SOTY would be a good start.