Loveyapa review: This phone swapping rom-com needs better signal!

Starring Khushi Kapoor and Junaid Khan, Loveyapa has fully missed the call on romance or comedy. Here’s why!

Loveyapa review: In today’s time where our phones are literally glued to our hands, we inevitably tend to live more online and lose touch with reality. So it goes without saying that, today, a couple’s biggest nightmare isn’t falling in love with someone IRL, it's through their phones. So when two young lovers are asked to exchange their phones, will their relationship be able to withstand everything that they dig into? Such is the crux of Advait Chandan’s Loveyapa which is a remake of the popular Tamil film ‘Love Today’. While Love Today perfectly balances its romance and comedy, Loveyapa fails to be an uncanny remake of it. 

Gaurav (Junaid Khan) and Baani (Khushi Kapoor) are two youngsters madly in love with each other. Just like anyone during their ‘honeymoon phase’ of their relationship, the two are also constantly talking on the phone without any care about their time or surroundings. But things go haywire when Baani’s father (Ashutosh Rana) asks the two to swap their phones, and if they can still love each other the next day, they can get married. Here erupts the issues one can face in this modern day romance. As Baani and Gaurav go through each other’s phones, they debate over whether or not it’s really okay to talk to your ex after your break up and make us question the same. Is it problematic to go for a drive with another guy? Since the lines are often blurred in today’s dating culture, problems like these seem more relevant than ever. 

Also Read: Mrs. Movie Review: Sanya Malhotra shines in this important film on the daily misogyny and patriarchy in Indian families

Having said that, the film’s weakness lies in the fact that the leads aren’t written well enough. Khushi Kapoor as Baani, looks like the quintessential Hindi film heroine but when it comes to the heavy lifting in the emotional scenes, she just isn’t convincing enough. The small town accent she puts on just isn’t able to overpower the Bandra girl in her. The same goes for her counterpart, Junaid Khan. He lacks the conviction it takes to play a ‘dilli ka launda’. He tries but he ends up trying too hard which comes off as rather aggressive on-screen. At one point in the film he asks Baani if her first time having sex is actually going to be with him or if she's already done it with someone else. In another scene, we see him get into a fight with one of Baani’s many sleazy admirers and when Baani tries stopping him, mistakenly, he was about to hit her too in that fit of rage. It made me feel like I am seeing a modern day version of Maddy from Rehna Hai Terre Dil Mein unfold in front of me. 

Loveyapa’s supporting cast is what makes the film somewhat watchable. Kiku Sharda, who is popularly seen in The Kapil Sharma Show, finally gets his due credit as an actor here. He plays a dentist who is about to marry Gaurav’s sister, but is heavily fat shamed by everyone around him. In a scene where he gives a monologue about how he feels about all of this, that's the most you’ll concentrate during this film. Ashutosh Rana, as Baani’s dad, brings the fun, twists and lots of sarcasm in the film that you will enjoy. 

The climax of the film tries to talk about how women are victims of deepfake videos. A grave matter like that is wrapped up lightly within fifteen minutes. So even the little bit of an interesting arc that we get in the movie is over before we get hooked to it. And while Loveyapa is meant to be a film about a couple overcoming their issues and quarrels, the duo spends a lot of time apart instead of together which doesn’t really work in the favour of a rom-com. The lack of chemistry between the two since the beginning itself puts you off, so rooting for them when they’re apart is out of the question. 

Aditya Kulshreshtha, better known as ‘Kullu’ on the internet, plays Gaurav’s best friend in the film. He brings whatever little comedy the film actually offers us and Gaurav’s scenes with his friends are probably the only time you might laugh out loud. It's safe to say that Loveyapa is exactly what is wrong with rom-coms today and why audiences are craving the old-school charm out of the plethora of re-releases every month!

Loveyapa is currently playing at a theatre near you!

For more reviews, follow us on @socialketchupbinge