David Dhawan's latest directorial Hai Jawaani Toh Ishq Hona Hai released this Friday, starring his son Varun Dhawan, Mrunal Thakur, and Pooja Hegde in lead roles. The film also has many other celebs making their cameo appearances, with Mouni Roy essaying the role of Varun's mother, which has already stirred debate as she is 40, just one year older than Varun, who is 39.
The film has been receiving mixed responses from many, be it critics, fans, or influencers. Some are loving it, while many are criticising it. The film isn't preachy, nor does it have hardcore values or give moral lectures. it is an out-and-out brain-rot comedy filled with confusion, chaos, and fun.
If you are a movie buff and have watched old Bollywood films directed by David Dhawan, you would definitely know that he has always made films that have two women and a hero jumping around here and there while handling both.
So Jass (Varun Dhawan), our hero, was is married to Baani ( Mrunal Thakur), and they both decided to get divorced and move on, and Baani finds it difficult to live with Jass, who was forcing her to conceive a baby. A few months later, Jass met a girl named Preet in London, and the dating scene was going smoothly for him. Out of the blue, Baani comes back to Jass and tells him she is pregnant, and now Jass is managing both his wife and girlfriend being pregnant.
In the comedy of chaos comes Mouni Roy, who helps Varun win over Pooja's brother. And there, she falls for Jimmy Shergill.
The film has been facing flak as many are calling out David Dhawan for choosing cheating and infidelity as the crux of the story. But the film doesn't promote that. In fact, the film shows both Pooja and Mrunal leaving Varun and standing up for themselves.
The surprise package is the cameo of Kriti Sanon, and Varun eventually ends up with her.
The film might not be the best watch, but it is definitely an entertainer. With so many heavy-on-the-head premises in films released lately, this one is filled with punches and one-liners.
More or less, the film's main character is a condom.
Fans react
Netizens are enraged as they found the content cringe, with too many creepy jokes and Varun's shirtless shots, wherein he shows off his physique.
The film will take you down memory lane, as many 90s songs are recreated, especially Salman Khan's Mujhse Shaadi Karogi title track, Hai Jawaani Toh Ishq Hona Hai, and Chunnari Chunnari.
The film has some funny one-liners like, "Dilli Dilwalon Ki, London...".
A man impregnating two women and dealing with that situation is the premise of the story here. The movie shamelessly borrows stuff from shows like Friends and movies like Boeing Boeing (which was already adapted as Garam Masala), and delivers a result that has zero comedic impact.
Varun Dhawan flaunts his abs and dance moves to tick the boxes. Mrunal Thakur as Baani is basically caricature-ish. Pooja Hegde plays the second female lead in the film, and the objective of that role is only to get objectified. Mouni Roy is playing the role of a gold-digging item dancer. Varun Dhawan and Maniesh Paul will remind you of John Abraham and Akshay Kumar from Garam Masala. Chunky Pandey plays an Aakhri Pasta-meets-MBBS kind of doctor character.
Let's take a look at what netizens have to say
Many viewers are happy to see the actor return to a full-blown comic entertainer space.
A user wrote, "#HaiJawaniTohIshqHonaHai a light-hearted entertainer packed with laughter, romance and masala. Varun Dhawan shines with his impeccable comic infectious energy, while David Dhawan showcases his trademark style of crowd-pleasing entertainment. A perfect stress-buster."
Box-office review
Varun Dhawan, Mrunal Thakur and Pooja Hegde starrer infidelity-comedy Hai Jawani Toh Ishq Hona Hai made Rs 7.25 crore (net) on its second day, a marginal drop from its opening day collection of Rs 7.5 crore. This brings the film's two-day net collection to Rs 14.75 crore.
On Saturday, Hai Jawani Toh Ishq Hona Hai saw an occupancy of 21.38 percent. With 47 percent, Chennai had the highest occupancy across 49 shows. In Hyderabad, the film's occupancy was 31.8 percent from 192 shows. Bengaluru had an occupancy of 29 percent with 219 shows. In Mumbai, the Varun Dhawan-starrer had an occupancy of 24 percent with 548 shows, and in Delhi NCR, the film's occupancy was 16.3 percent across 980 shows.
The film is trailing behind Varun's last release, Border 2. According to Sacnilk, the film had earned Rs 30 crore on its first day, and on day two, it had collected Rs 36.50 crore.
