BOTTOM LINE: Short And Bittersweet Rom-Com
Rating: 6/10
| Platform: MX Player | Genre: Romance |
What Is the Story About?
Aakash (Mayur More) has been newly friend-zoned by Neha (Himani Sharma). He, however, still is deeply in love with her. Aakash’s father Mohan (Shishir Sharma) understanding the situation proposes a plan to him. It is to become Girlfriend Chor, i.e. create a rift between Neha and her lover and get her back. Did Aakash succeed in executing his father’s plan?
Performances?
Mayur More is apt for the part of a college-going guy who is unable to express his love. The expression of struggle and disappointment come naturally to him. The missing lack of inhibition or free-spiritedness in his demeanor adds to the effect.
What Mayur More is effective at is naturally conveying the small everyday gestures. It works wonderfully at critical moments when combined with the above-described personality traits. The role might not be as memorable as Kota Factory, but it shows Mayur can be used in a different subject with similar ease.
Analysis
Girish Jotwani has created, written and directed Girlfriend Chor. The idea is preposterous, to think, especially it coming from the father and parents being totally game for it. But, Girish Jotwani entirely succeeds in making the whole thing grounded and believable.
The realistic execution is where the movie scores. Right from the start, there is an instant connection with the characters. The identification happens instantly. Major credit must go to casting here. Each actor is spot-on for the part.
Add simple and straightforward writing to it, which is sharp and to the point, one knows, there is a winner in the making. The narrative moves smoothly with little twists and turns. The duration of the series is short, and it gives an extended short-filmmaking vibe, but as we are connected to the characters, a sense of fulfilment is felt.
The narrative also has its share of issues, too. One is mentioned at the start, that initially the take-off looks far-fetched. If that is not an issue, the other is the rushed narrative. It is not entirely so, but a couple of key moments do feel that way. One wishes, there was something more to it.
Apart from them, there are standard boyfriend-girlfriend tropes within a modern setup and especially among digital works that are also present here. They come across as clichés.
Still, the well written and executed parts create an impressive-feeling that overrides the shortcomings. And, there is always an attempt to tweak the clichés. When we combine these aspects with the short length, even if one feels the issue, there is a strong impulse to give it a pass.
Overall, Girlfriend Chor is a lighter vein fun work that can be easily watched one. If not for the emotions, the short length should just do the trick.
Other Artists?
Deeksha Juneja along with Mayur More is the real stars of the show. The arc they show is what brings the emotions out in the series. Deeksha is fantastic in crucial parts. The sequences where she is drunk and feels heartbroken are vital to the whole narrative and are done well. Himani Sharma is the right combination of glam and emotion that makes her look like the ideal girlfriend. It works well for the story at hand even if she doesn’t have to deliver anything exceptional work performance-wise.
Shishir Sharma, as the father of Aakash, is superbly cast. The actor, who mostly gets bits and pieces parts in big movies, has an integral role here and he shines. He is one of the main reasons for the believability factor mentioned at the start. Together with Sonali Sachdev, the old pair of parents is unbelievably cool. Kushagre Dua is another example of right casting. His presence alone takes care of many moments to work.
Music and Other Departments?
Sanchit Choudhary’s background score is lovely and creates the right feel to the proceedings. The cinematography by Shashwat Saxena is alright. It is okay for the small attempt. The editing by Amit Malhotra is decent overall, even though there are parts which give a sense of abruptness.
Highlights?
Overall Casting
Writing
Identifiable Emotional Appeal
Short Length
Drawbacks?
Clichés
Rushed In Parts
Did I Enjoy It?
Yes
Will You Recommend It?
Yes
Review by Siddartha Toleti
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