I Hate Luv Storys (Hindi)

Release Date:
July 02, 2010

I hate luv storys' is the maxim Jay lives by. But as an assistant director to Veer, the most famous romantic filmmaker of Indian Film Industry, Jay has little option but to live with larger than life, glossy, cinematic love on an everyday basis. Things only get worse when he is made to work under the new production designer on the film… Simran, with whom he shares the strangest first encounter! Simran loves luv storys; So much so that even her life has begun to resemble one. With her ideal job and the perfect boyfriend, Raj, she lives a blissful, dreamy life; One that is rudely interrupted by Jay's cynicism. The turmoil's of Jay and Simran's life, is ironically interweaved with the Luv Story that they are working on…. But will Jay and Simran ever find their own Luv Story?

I hate luv storys' is the maxim Jay lives by. But as an assistant director to Veer, the most famous romantic filmmaker of... Show More

The Friday gupshup ‘I Hate Luv Storys’ is immoderately filmy and overly reckonable but the film succeeded in making the three school-going girls who sat next to me in the theatre giggle at every scene. For me, the movie didn’t have to meet anything close to high expectations and hence i am kind of indifferent to the movie.

Even the keen, wait for DVD, unless you don't mind a half-bad film
* * *
Was there any good reason why they had to give us one more reason to cringe at love stories? Sure, I hate luv storys makes for a decent date flick, but it's not perfect and neither is it the kind of imperfect which is out and out enjoyable.

The title of the film and all its promos had given me an impression that this would be a kind of spoof on the strawberry-n-cream brand of romances that has been the forte of YRF & Dharma productions in recent times. I was expecting a Dostana like treaatment of a love story, but I hate Luv Storys, director Punit Malhotra’s debut under the auspices of Karan Johar’s Dharma productions pleasantly surprised me with the sheer audacity of what it attempts to do. In a time when candyfloss romance is the most prolific genre in Bollywood, to the extent that even films of other genres tend to end up as one, there has been an understandable backlash from the audience in general and the critics in particular against it. Borrowing from its predecessors like DDLJ, KKHH, Dil Chahta Hai, Hum Tum and many others, I Hate Luv Storys is producer Karan Johar’s counter argument to this criticism of the genre.

...IHLS is a relentless skewering of genre tropes, both in the love story between its protagonists and the cheesy romantic Bollywood movie they are working on...

Last year when Dharma produced Wake Up Sid I thought finally they are changing. Then came Kurbaan & My name is Khan and my belief in the brand new Dharma increased but after watching I Hate Luv Storys I am having doubts. Can Dharma ever change?

Story kya hai? - Boy meets girl – tu tu main main happens – girl falls for the guy – guy doesn’t believe in love – dumps her - realizes his love – proposes – girl dumps him. You know what happens in the end.

The Good - the curly haired guy (from the sprite ad) who plays Imran’s best friend is the high point of the film. This guy has an awesome comic timing. Till interval you can jhelofy this film even though it has nothing new to offer in terms of story. The tu tu main main between Imran & Sonam is somewhat entertaining. Vishal Shekar’s music though nothing great, is still pleasant on the ears. Bin tere, though a nice song (especially Shekhar’s version) comes so often in the film that by the end it grates on your nerves. The singer/composer duo showed a lot of promise but they also seem to have been sucked into the big bad world of Bollywood.

The Bad – the big difference between Wake Up Sid & IHLS is that WUS was about real people, believable characters set in a real world & IHLS is set in an imaginary world which exists in the mind of Punit Malhotra who has created characters that are cardboard cutouts from all the Yashraj & Dharma love stories. Imran plays an extended version of Jaane tu… with just an added kameenapan in it. He has a long road ahead before he is acknowledged as a good actor. Sonam yet again plays a character that is so not likeable at all. The energy she exudes is so passive that you are really not interested with what is happening in her life. She desperately needs a director who can give her a character that’s not irritating. Punit Malhotra can’t even create the world that he belongs to. As a punishment he should watch Luck By Chance before even thinking of setting up a film set in the film industry. As a writer he is almost sucking up to Yashraj & Karan Johar.

The Ugly – Karan Johar starts off 2010 on a very bad note. With WUS he had my respect as a producer but with this film I take it back. More than the director it is he who has failed with this film.
Final few words: strictly for the tweens or tweens at heart or if you are a die hard Imran or Sonam fan. I don’t hate IHLS but I don’t like it either.

Rating: ** (average)

Ticket Meter: Rs 120/- (not worth it)