Cast: Kartik Aaryan , Kriti Sanon , Pankaj Tripathi , Aparshakti Khurana
Director: Laxman Utekar
Rating: 4 Stars Out Of 5
Laxman Utekar's Luka Chuppi explores the concept of live-in relationships in small-town Mathura and Gwalior, where they are heavily frowned upon.
Luka Chuppi doesn't try too hard to generate humour. It doesn't always make us laugh. But it never fails to amuse, as Guddu and Rashmi, two Mathura-based TV journalists, get hitched, fall in love and decide to give 'live-in' a chance before settling in permanently.
Despite being two consenting adults in love, Guddu and Rashmi barely manage to sneak in any time together, away from the prying eyes of the moral police. When he proposes marriage, she wants to get to know him properly and suggests a live-in relationship.
In breaking the wall that separates love and sex in Hindi commercial cinema and in showing the lead couple with healthy hormonal instincts Luka Chuppi raises hopes for the Bollywood comedy where kissing is still seen as big deal, and audiences are actually said to count the number of times lips lock on screen.
Luka Chuppi shows none of the actual challenges of a live-in relationship. Barring a fleeting conversation that Guddu cannot chop onions and Rashmi has an aversion to cleaning toilets, everything is rosy in their paradise.
Aparshakti Khurana as Guddu's best friend Abbas steals the show with his deadpan humour. Unfortunately, Pankaj Tripathi is completely wasted in a trivial role, although he makes the most of it.
Luka Chuppi Story: A meet cute between Guddu (Kartik Aaryan) and Rashmi (Kriti Sanon) soon escalates into full-blown love. But in a daring attempt, the girl wants to try living-in with the boy before settling down for marriage. This even as their small town in North India is up in the arms against live-in relationships, thanks to protests led by none other than the girl’s own father, who is a local right-wing party leader.
Luka Chuppi Review: 'Luka Chuppi' is a situational comedy from the word go. And the situation in question is live-in relationships. What starts as a news story for a local reporter Guddu, turns into his own love story with hilarious complications. But peddling along are a host of other societal issues like misogyny, gender inequality, caste bias and moral policing that are tackled in a funny and harmless way. However, there is hardly a dull moment in the film that never takes itself too seriously.
As a debutante, director Laxman Utekar does a fine job of throwing in a bunch of quirky characters in unusual situations. Starting with the film’s hero Kartik Aaryan, who looks way too polished for his small-town character, but along the way, you soon start rooting for him.
Ditto for Kriti. With all her prettiness and poise, she portrays the character of a girl-next-door without being over-the-top.
The rest of the actors, get ample chance to contribute generously. Be it the eccentric members of Guddu’s joint family or Rashmi’s politician dad, who uses his clout to rally against inconsequential issues.
But what really makes 'Luka Chuppi' an entertaining watch is the nuanced writing by Rohan Ghoge and its execution. The first half is swift and packed with funny moments that end in an unpredictable twist.
Overall, 'Luka Chuppi' is a fun ride that never gets too preachy or uncomfortable for the family audience.
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