Cinema has always been guilty of hard selling love with the passion of life and death far too often. It's as if any form of love can't be moderate, it has to be all blood and glory all the time. While that's certainly an easy way of selling the notion, real life relationships are a completely different ball-game all together. Seldom do real people kill or be killed for love. Mostly they're just confused. Mostly love happens, goes away or stays without saying much, without the dramatic brouhaha. That's what Tanuja Chandra's Qarib Qarib Singlle is all about. An unlikely couple make a big transition from online dating to travelling together. They have a spectacular and very funny trip. Their travelogue and bittersweet repartee make this movie so authentic and entertaining. This romantic comedy's insights into relationships both modern and conventional is just fantastic.
The story kicks off as Jaya (Parvathy) and Yogi (Irrfan Khan) meet through a dating website. The initial friction and contrast in personalities is soon overshadowed by interest and intrigue. He's the loud mouth North Indian while she's the classy South Indian who has a handle on social etiquette. He can't stop bragging about his exes while she quietly mopes around from losing her husband to the army. Outrageously they decide to visit all of Yogi's exes and find out if there's any truth to his tall claims. Her ulterior motives are revealed a bit later and that's when things get a but dramatic as expected.
The best part of Qarib Qarib Singlle is that it makes a big play on the central relationship with an outlandish situation. Which girl in her right mind will agree to travel to 3 different cities with a relative stranger? But Jaya does it and that journey becomes the acid test for both Yogi and Jaya to find out what the other person is all about. This slightly far-fetched but well-executed journey is the heart and soul of the film. Two distinct and seemingly incompatible individuals learn to appreciate and love the quirks of the other. And of course discovering a part of their own feelings through some really hilarious dialogue and experiences.
Irrfan doesn't ever disappoint with his acting efforts in a film, but with Qarib Qarib Singlle he's not just living up to his usual standards, he's busting the myths too. You don't need dapper lads with washboard abs and pretty faces to sell a romcom, a spirited 40-year-old can do the same with élan too. The way he makes Yogi a fun-loving character is just fantastic. His comic timing and eccentricities make this movie a treat. Parvathy brings a freshness and zest to Jaya's character. Whether she's breaking the fourth wall or instilling the film with indelible charm, the young actress adds zing to the film. Together Irrfan and Parvathy may look like an odd-couple but their effortless chemistry and the off-kilter romance works magic in this film.
The best moments of Qarib Qarib Singlle are the most understated and sublime ones. There are no 'jeene marne ki qasamein' no drama, just a casual, simple and very refreshing romance that says a lot without much effort. With solid writing and great performances, a perfect ambiance of Tinder-driven modern courtship this is definitely one of the best films of director Tanuja Chandra's career. A light but spectacularly adroit romantic comedy.
The story kicks off as Jaya (Parvathy) and Yogi (Irrfan Khan) meet through a dating website. The initial friction and contrast in personalities is soon overshadowed by interest and intrigue. He's the loud mouth North Indian while she's the classy South Indian who has a handle on social etiquette. He can't stop bragging about his exes while she quietly mopes around from losing her husband to the army. Outrageously they decide to visit all of Yogi's exes and find out if there's any truth to his tall claims. Her ulterior motives are revealed a bit later and that's when things get a but dramatic as expected.
The best part of Qarib Qarib Singlle is that it makes a big play on the central relationship with an outlandish situation. Which girl in her right mind will agree to travel to 3 different cities with a relative stranger? But Jaya does it and that journey becomes the acid test for both Yogi and Jaya to find out what the other person is all about. This slightly far-fetched but well-executed journey is the heart and soul of the film. Two distinct and seemingly incompatible individuals learn to appreciate and love the quirks of the other. And of course discovering a part of their own feelings through some really hilarious dialogue and experiences.
Irrfan doesn't ever disappoint with his acting efforts in a film, but with Qarib Qarib Singlle he's not just living up to his usual standards, he's busting the myths too. You don't need dapper lads with washboard abs and pretty faces to sell a romcom, a spirited 40-year-old can do the same with élan too. The way he makes Yogi a fun-loving character is just fantastic. His comic timing and eccentricities make this movie a treat. Parvathy brings a freshness and zest to Jaya's character. Whether she's breaking the fourth wall or instilling the film with indelible charm, the young actress adds zing to the film. Together Irrfan and Parvathy may look like an odd-couple but their effortless chemistry and the off-kilter romance works magic in this film.
The best moments of Qarib Qarib Singlle are the most understated and sublime ones. There are no 'jeene marne ki qasamein' no drama, just a casual, simple and very refreshing romance that says a lot without much effort. With solid writing and great performances, a perfect ambiance of Tinder-driven modern courtship this is definitely one of the best films of director Tanuja Chandra's career. A light but spectacularly adroit romantic comedy.