Helmed by first time director Shakun Batra, it won’t take a genius to deduce that for a film named EMAET, premise is as simple as – boy meets girl, they laugh, cry and exchange life sermons. Add to that the film belongs to the new-age contemporary love story genre so we know that the boy will be as glum and the girl will be as gregarious as it gets. As soon as the characters are introduced, you immediately conclude that the first half will be been-there-done-that situations where gloominess bonds with gregariousness, the second half will see fights, misunderstandings, families, compromises, outbursts leaving just enough reels to roll up into its perfectly carved climax.
For a remake, the film stops miles away of a scene by scene copy of the original. A drunken stupor ending in marriage and immediate annulment decision is where the similarity ends. And this is where my problem with the movie begins. I wished the filmmaker hadn’t taken the liberty of adding a lil detour in the original plot.. I wanted the film to continue in the same vein as its original. This would have ensured that the filmmaker didn’t desify the story by adding ingredients of a supportive everything’s-okay family, dog, granny and all. The movie which should’ve been a take on personality clashes is burdened by the weight of other issues pertaining to upbringing, parenting styles, society norms etc. Clearly we are led to believe that a person is happy or sad depending upon the environments he grew up in. Which would have possibly worked if – Rahul didn’t live miles away from his parents where he could’ve easily pursued his passion. Or why doesn’t Riana, who could easily be a candidate for Ms Congeniality have any friends, much that she needs to turn to Rahul when she has no place to go? Another reason I wasn’t particular thrilled about inclusion of this storyline was that the chemistry (which I believe stems from Imran’s real-life crush on Bebo) which was adorable till this point, fizzles out soon after; the rapport then appearing more like an elder sister disciplining her sibling.
I must admit though that even if I couldn’t grasp Bebo’s constant cheeriness, it surely was contagious to the extent of emitting feel-good warmth. Many have complained about the characters resemblance to JWM, but I’d have to disagree. While Geet was more frivolous, Riana is more refined in terms of good sense and maturity. Also my argument is that if something is good, what’s the harm in an encore? Imraan’s character also mirrors traits from his character in Break Ke Baad. He plays his part adequately, nothing to grouse about, nothing to write home about either! Like Riana would say – perfectly average!
The film offers light chuckles, carries a halo of freshness; gets to where it needs to with flair, fails in major others. The films desperation to stay honest to its inspiration yet infuse relatable desi uniqueness falls flat. Trivial bit that works for the movie is the subtlety with which it treats situations like confessing to sex before marriage, Riana being elder to Rahul, Riana not shy to ask her parents to bail out her finances. These are picturised as mere references or shoulder scenes, but not something trumpeted unnecessarily to prove a point of liberalism, feminism & its likes.
Shakun Batra might have intentionally kept the overall tone of the film regular with lil invention and hardly any uniqueness. Any scene that has been re-created; screams for judgment and then feels plain in comparison. For eg: the drunken Vegas church wedding scene brilliantly shot in FRIENDS with Ross and Rachel, comes out contrived and forceful here. All said, EMAET has nothing spectacular to offer, it does not tug the heart strings or take the breath away but it has moments that earn it an easy time-pass lazy afternoon watch.
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