Do Aur Do Pyaar review: Vidya Balan, Pratik Gandhi's film takes a refreshing & unapologetic look at marriage 

There is nothing wrong with Ani Banerjee's and Kaveri Ganeshan's marriage, yet everything is wrong. Debutant filmmaker Shirsha Guha Thakurta's film Do Aur Do Pyaar, starring Vidya Balan and Pratik Gandhi in the lead, celebrates the mundanity that sets in a marriage after a couple has spenta considerable amount of timetogether. But does that give one an excuse to cheat on the other partner? Do Aur Do Pyaar- a remake of Azazel Jacobs’ romance The Lovers - takes on relationships and the complications that come along with it with a dash of humour and is headlined with stupendous performances by its lead cast featuring Balan, Gandhi, Ileana D'Cruz and Senthil Ramamurthy.

What's the story of Do Aur Do Pyaar?

At the onset, Ani and Kavs (Gandhi and Balan) seem to have a good life. Both are successful professionals, well-to-do and owna plush apartment in a city like Mumbai. Things seem hunky dory for them yet nothing is going for their marriage. The spark has died down and the two are now cheating on each other. Ani has been in love with Nora (D'Cruz), a struggling actress, for the last two years while Kavs is almost ready to move in with hot shot NRI photographer Vikram (Senthil Ramamurthy) in a sea-facing apartment in Mumbai. Their respective partners are ready to take their relationship to the next level but it is Ani and Kaveri who are still struggling to tell each other that their marriage is long over.

Words of love, endearment and affection have long gone from their 12 years of marriage and they only exchange words about anti-allergic medicine, restocking thegarbage bags and bills. Yet Ani volunteers to go along with Kavya to Ooty when her grandfather passes away. Years ago, the two had eloped and since then Kavya has shared a strained relationship with her family- especially her authoritarian father. Ani and Kavya decide to brave the snarky comments and stares from the extended family together as they attend the funeral. But the journey proves to be a catalystin their dead relationships. As they walk down memory lane, reminiscing about the old times, they find each other back. But will they give their marriage a chance or go back to their respective partners?

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The cast of Do Aur Do Pyaar

I have to admit that I am always up for watching Vidya Balan in any movie, playing any character. Balan is one of the most gifted actors of her generation and makes ordinary roles light up with her charm and versatility. Do Aur Do Pyaar is no different. As the slightly flawed, slightly rebellious Kaveri Ganeshan, Vidya infuses life into a character that is all too well known to us. Rebellious women with complex relationships with their fathers is not uncommon in our societies, but to portray it with conviction, and gainempathy through the course of the movie is an achievement for any actor. And Balan always manages to bring that out with all the characters she plays on screen.

Matching Balan on screen is not easy because she is quite a scene stealer but Pratik Gandhi manages well. As Ani, a man who is laden with responsibilities but one who has a dry sense of humour, Gandhi's Ani is easy on the eyes. His restraint works as a balance for Balan's slightly temperamental Kaveri and the scenes of them in Ooty or falling all over again in love doing mundane things at home are relatable and quite enjoyable. Gandhi shares a genuine chemistry with both Balan and D'Cruz and you want to root for his character and wish that only good things happen to him in the film. D'Cruz is natural as the cute, slightly impulsive Nora who wants to have a normal life with Ani but knows the limitations of their relationship.

I only thought Senthil Ramamurthy was a weak link to the cast and couldn't do justice to his part of Vikram, a man who is hopelessly in love with Kaveri and realises slowly that she isn't.

The writing and direction

The writing by Suprotim Sengupta, Amrita Bagchi and Eisha Chopra is credible. It is not easy to make a film about ordinary lives and the complexities that modern marriages have with so much clarity but they do. They write in humour in some of the most morbid situations which uplifts the narrative to a great extent. The narrative picks up when the story briefly shifts to Ooty where Kaveri and Ani recall their time as lovers before they eloped. A scene where Ani nervously calls his father-in-law Appam ( a kind of bread) instead of Appa (dad, in Tamil) made me chuckle loudly. Such a simple scene, yet so beautifully written and executed. Gandhi with his unique comic timing gets to enact some of the best lines in the film and he does it brilliantly.

Do Aur Do Pyaar's screenplay involves a lot of conversation between the lead couple and a lot of silence as they go around doing their thing in the shared space that they call their home. Keeping the viewer engaged in scenes where characters are not speaking is not easy, but deft writing and able direction help this film.

Guha Thakurta, a well-known ad filmmaker, handles the theme of the film delicately. Modern marriages are complex. No two relationships are the same in our society and the filmmaker manages to highlight that aspect well. A scene featuring Balan and her onscreen father is poignant. Frustrated at how she has failed in her marriage she asks her father the secret of a happy, long-lasting marriage to which her father says- there's no secret, we just showed up every day. A simple moment that really hits home- that consistency in a relationship is important. The scene is well executed and sans melodrama that you almost feel you are privy to a conversation at the next table at a restaurant.

While the film is part breezy, part contemplative and part emotional, the climax feels slightly underwhelming. The silences weigh heavy and one wishes that the characters spoke a bit more about their feelings.

Nevertheless, Do Aur Do Pyaar makes for a good watch primarily because Vidya Balanand Pratik Gandhi bring their A-game to their roles and the overall film - making the story about love, relationships and modern marriage relatable and believable. It takes a non-judgemental approach to modern romances and has middle-aged people talk about sex, desires, and love openly and unapologetically- which is new for Bollywood.