Happy Ending : Popcorn entertainer for multiplex crowd
I personally like romcoms or as they say in this movie “Romedy”. There are many attempts to do good romcoms in India but few come out as winner. Socha Na Tha, Love Aaj Kal, Cocktail are good romantic entertainers. Saif Ali Khan excelled in some RomComs like Hum Tum and Salam Namaste, etc. He is back with another one with “Happy Ending”
Happy Ending is story about a “commitment-phobic” and “happily single” young man, Yudi Jaitely (Saif Ali Khan) who gets jitters when he reaches the point in his relationships when his girlfriend says “I love you” to him. He is a successful author and enjoys his good life. However, his last book is 5.5 years old and he is being forgotten. So his contract with the publishing agency gets cancelled and a new writer Aanchal Reddy (Ileana D’Cruz) wins it. Yudi hates her for stealing his job but slowly gets attracted to her and tries to woe her.
In the mean time, Yudi gets contract to write a “Romedy” movie script for a Single Screen Super Star from India, Armaan (Govinda) who wants to rule the multiplex audience also. So he comes looking for a writer in hollywood who can write a script for him to win Classes and Masses both. As Yudi starts writing the script getting references from his own life, both his script and his life progresses simultaneously.
To top it all, Yudi has to deal with his married friend, Montu, who needs Yudi to have rocking parties at pubs and a girlfriend, Vishakha (Kalki Koechlin) who never gets that Yudi already broke up with her. If all this is not enough, Yudi’s ex girlfriend Divya (Priety Zinta) rushes in and out of his life and home with her 3 kids anytime she wants.
How does the love story grow in all this chaos and what happens with Yudi’s script? All the answers can be found in the movie.
Writers Raj Nidimoru, Krishna D. K. and Sita Menon has come up with an interesting story, though it can not be said very unique. They have also written screenplay which is very good. It has an interesting structure which allows them to spoof at RomComs while actually making one themselves. Dialogues by Hussain Dalal are witty, funny and hilarious at many points in the movie. So over all the writing department did a good job.
With such a good content at hand Raj and Krishna did try to do justice to the content and have succeeded in it till a point. However, if they along with Film Editor Arindam Ghatam could have chopped off some extra fat from it, it would have been a perfect recipe. The urban movie needed a sleek and zippy treatment which is lacking and hence the movie feels bit dragged and boring at many portions. Though the novelty in relationships and quantity of content keep things going happily. Overall Direction and Editing department could have done better.
Casting by Crystal Lujan is almost perfect. This is an example of great use of typecasting. This can be an example that sometimes doing the role which you are expert at works for a project more than doing something “Hatke”. Saif excels in such urban, confused youth. Kalki proved her mettle earlier in nagging/chipku girlfriend/Wife. Ranvir Shorey is always superb in roles of annoying, frustrated with life, good for nothing, dumb friend. And Govinda is cherry on the topping doing what he does the best… comedy. I hope he gets full length roles as a leading man. Ileana does justice to her role but the chemistry between Saif and her is not that sizzling. Somehow I feel another actress would have made a better pair. Not that she did not do her job well, but something is amiss.
Saif carries the whole film on his shoulder well and does very well in both roles i.e. Yudi and his alter ego Yogi. Ranvir support with aplomb. Kalki plays the possessive girlfriend to the T and Govinda why he is still needed by the industry. Overall great performances by all.
Cameos by Priety Zinta, Karina Kapoor are good though Priety’s role is almost equal to that of Govinda.
On the Music front, Sachin-Jigar establishes that they are serious contenders when it comes to peppy and party music. “Paaji Tussi Such A Pussy Cat” comes at a stage where we does not like any song in other movies but the song being so good, we appreciate it. “Nacho sare G Phaad Ke” is another winner with Govinda swaying on its tunes.
On product front, everything is top notch (or may I say “Kickass” as in the movie?). Production Design by Paulette Georges and Rupin Suchak is appropriate. Cinematography by Chase Bowman, Yaron Levy, Mahesh Limaye is eye catching.
Overall, good attempt to present an urban love story with good doses of comedy thrown in. Multiplex audience will like the movie.
Rating : 
Recommendation : If you love rom-coms, you will like this one. Grab your popcorn and enjoy the cool film. Just be ready to bear with few portions where the film drags.
