Movie Review: Half Girlfriend

Those who have read Chetan Bhagat’s ‘Half Girlfriend’ would remember that a dialogue from the book had made the social media go crazy: Deti hai toh de, warna kat le. It has been changed to ‘rehti hai toh reh, warna kat le’ in applause-worthy surprise.  Half Girlfriend is fast-paced but is not that good to make us miss the absurdities of the screenplay. Characters forget how they were talking in the previous scene.  There is an absolute lack of intensity between the lead actors and everything is so clichéd. India’s dominating, high society father to Bharat’s strong and silent mother, you have seen it all.

Queens and wives of rich zamindars had a room allotted to them in their havelis where they would go and weep or sulk if they were angry or upset or disturbed. For Riya Somani, that room seems to be the top of India Gate, which she climbs every now and then as if it is the terrace of her own house! And strangely enough, the guards never notice her or perhaps she becomes invisible in front of them!

A large amount of camerawork goes into capturing Shraddha Kapoor’s thighs from every possible angle, perhaps even more than it focuses on her face! Also, her character lacks dimensions.

We know about the director’s penchant for including songs in a love story but too many of them disrupt the (already boring) film’s continuity. It is especially difficult to sit through the second half without yawning. Popcorns may come handy if you really want to stay awake! The film appears to be amateurish at times and this is definitely not the movie we expect from Mohit Suri, who boasts of films like Aashiqui 2, Ek Villain, Kalyug and more.

Arijit Singh delivers an excellent number, Main Phir Bhi Tumko Chaahunga and Ash King’s voice gives a magical touch to Baarish, while the rest of the songs are simply redundant. Riya Somani, who aspires to be a singer at New York’s live bars, unfortunately, knows only one song, Stay A Little Longer, which she sings throughout the film, including once in Hindi. Her acquired accent (sung by Anushka Shahaney) sounds funny at times and was absolutely not required. The same applies for her another song, Lost Without You.