Lending quirky touches to a romantic soufflé through its protagonists who are quite similar in their attributes, director duo Raj and DK give a Woody-Allen type verve to the rom-com genre in their latest flick, "Happy Ending". It gives us a feeling of "Been here, seen there" when we encounter the philandering and commitment- phobic writer, Yudi(played by Saif Ali Khan)who just can't say "I love you" to any of his romantic interests, because he feels love comes with a big baggage.
Riding on an ostentatious high in Los Angeles with his success- script which he wrote five and years ago,Yudi is happy with his highly questionable 'single' status, his miserably married Montu(Ranvir Shorey) and the grizzly grumpy alter-ego, Yogi(Saif again, with thick long beard and paunch)who advises philosophy and gives him gyaan. And this is until one fine day , when he collides with the harshest reality - he has virtually gone bankrupt with no financial support to pay his bills. In a desperate move to gain quick bucks, he agrees to write a 'kick-ass' script for a fading Bollywood superstar, Arman-ji(Govinda)whose career is on a downward spiral and he needs a hit badly. To get inspiration, he follows the gorgeous romantic- novel writer Aanchal(Illeana) who brushes off his charms initially only to fall into love.
Right from the start,Raj and DK achieve an instant connect with the audience. Unlike their previous projects (Shor in the city,Go Goa Gone),the setting here is quite urbane - foreign locales,skyscrapers,bright sunny days and the sprightly dialogues that make the mood upbeat. And the best part of the film are its hilarious moments of laughter , specially involving Yudi and Montu when they break into Yudi's ex-Vishaka's(Kalki Koechlin) flat.The romantic built-up meanders through a long drive alongside the scenic beaches, the sun playing razzmatazz with the sea waves which ends up funnily with the couple on bed. However, the second half trespasses into a slog zone ;perhaps the writers wanted to try too much of their sensibilities to make it more palatable by offering us the routine slow music numbers, the lovers' conflicts and a conventional climactic airport scene.
What certainly works here is the rehash of the characters that Saif Ali Khan has already played. Reprising the same uber-cool, urbane and metro-sexual ,self-conflicted lover, he gives Yudi an endearing touch and the ingenious charm which is his forte. At the same time, the actor must contemplate about re-inventing himself before being typecast.Govinda puts forth a delicious Bollywood narcissist who throws up some real gems and you get a moment of 'aww' when he goes shirtless to show his newly developed abs.Ranvir Shorey, in his typical straight-faced avatar, is the staple source of all humor that goes as a credit for the movie.Kalki impresses with her psycho- stalker syndrome and its her uninhibited self which makes the character interesting.Illeana's looks sweet but her character comes across as a fluffy one without much of depth.Preity Zinta as Yudi's 2AM friend has an extended cameo and you might get a pang of the yesteryear Salaam Namaste!
On the whole, Happy Ending is a breezy feel-good entertainer. It starts happily and ends happily. And as the writer says, "Dont Analyze Love, just live the moment", it calls for a momentous indulgence with modern-day relationships.
