'Bewakoofiyaan': Frothy fun but thought-provoking
Mar 15,2014
IANS: Sometimes, love just ain't enough. So there we have two people in love. The pampered but not spoilt bureaucrat's daughter Mayera and her lover beau Mohit whose upward mobility is frozen by an employment meltdown in his airline organization (spicy allusion to the Kingfisher crisis, yes?)
It's Delhi's noveau riche Gurgaon world bathed in cosmetic conceit. Sonam Kapoor and Ayushmann Khurrana blend into this gleaming kingdom's excesses effortlessly. The two of them are so good as a couple, imagining them apart for even a portion of the bitterness that bites into the narrative during the second-half becomes unbearable.
Debutant director Nupur Asthana's film is a bright scrambled world of wealth, luxury and the yuppy club's unstated desperation to move up the corporate ladder. It is also, by its very definition, a ridiculously self-important delusional world.
Miraculously this film with its gleaming polished surfaces neither gasps nor laughs at the ignobility of upward mobility.
There is an interestingly crafted fight scene between the film's lead pair where Mayera reminds Mohit that she has not bought a new pair of shoes during the last two months because of his job loss. That she doesn't realize how ridiculous she sounds to Mohit is a measure of the underlining irony that the narrative scrapes out of these characters while portraying the exacerbated materialism of the go-getting generation.
Habib Faisal's writing is smart and amiable, crowded with quaint colloquialisms culled from the capital youngster's language. The writing also surprises itself by becoming inwardly-drawn and introspective at the most unexpected moments. That the screenplay has got Ayushmann to play the cool guy whose perfectly laid-out plans fall apart, is a stroke of luck for this likeable film.
Ayushmann looks like the guy next-door who wouldn't mind pulling a few strings to float higher than the level allotted to him by fate. He brings a suave arrogance to his role and creates a cohesive graph for his character. He is an actor to watch.
Of course it helps Ayushmann that he has Rishi Kapoor to play his girlfriend's hawk-like father. Rishi's character of the IAS officer on the verge of retirement (with a companion from his work place who typically, offers his "humble" advice on every matter) is brilliantly written.
Rishi's Sehgal is a pompous name-thrower with an inflated sense of self-worth, over-possessive about his only daughter's life and preferences. V.K. Sehgal is a striking image of a man on the verge of erupting into a self-deprecatory laughter, if he only he knew how funny his quirks look from the outside.
Rishi brings to the characters a cornocupia of "cool". Seldom in his any other recent film except "Do Dooni Chaar" has this brilliant actor expressed such pleasure in putting forward his character's point of view.It's no coincidence that film too was written by Faisal.
So many of Rishi Kapoor's scenes with Ayushmann stand tall because of the way the two characters meet as adversaries who fortunately love the same girl in different ways. Sonam as the girl torn between an autocratic dad and unreasonable lover is so in-character you wonder whether the role and its fetish for designer labels were written specially for her.
"Bewakoofiyan" has nothing new to say. And that is its greatest virtue. It is "Meet The Parents" where the father and the prospective son-in-law's roles are better played than the original. Yes, Rishi and Ayushmann are better than Robert de Niro and Ben Stiller were in the Hollywood film about the father of the bride.
The narrative sparkles with a mischievous elegance. The winking homage to the go-getting glam-set of Delhi works mainly because the three protagonists are so immersed in the goings-on they make us forget that we've seen most of these conflicts over and over again in the past. In terms of the fluency with which the cliche about the love birds and the girl's disapproving dad is tackled, "Bewakoofiyaan" is a marked improvement on Yashraj Productions' last two pretentious hammy films "Shudh Desi Romance" and "Gunday".
Ayushmann's performance is oh not so hammy. A pure delight to behold after Ranveer Singh and Arjun Kapoor's over-energized bravado in "Gunday".
Top Stories
Emraan Hashmi’s Iconic Heartbreak Song: Pakistani Singer Who Shot to Fame With This Rock Hit
Aug 18,2026
Emraan Hashmi has long been associated with memorable romantic and heartbreak songs. Over the years, the music of his films has produced several tracks that continue to feature prominently on listeners’ playlists.One such song is “Lambi Judai” from the 2008 film J
Shatrughan Sinha on Sonakshi Sinha Trolling: Accuses BJP IT Cell, Opens Up on Her Political Entry
Aug 18,2026
Veteran actor and Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Shatrughan Sinha has spoken out over the social media trolling faced by his daughter, actor Sonakshi Sinha.In an interview with ABP News, Shatrughan addressed criticism of Sonakshi's public support for student protests and also res
Batwara 1947 Review: Sunny Deol Shines in a Powerful and Emotional Partition Drama
Aug 14,2026
Batwara 1947 Movie Review: When director Rajkumar Santoshi and Sunny Deol reunite, expectations are bound to be high. After memorable collaborations such as Ghayal, Damini and Ghatak, the duo returns with Batwara 1947, a Partition-era drama that takes a noticeably different route.R
‘Ramayana’: ‘Mahabharat’ Actor Gajendra Chauhan Reacts to Ranbir Kapoor’s Trailer, “I Wasn’t Impressed”
Aug 12,2026
Nitesh Tiwari's much-awaited ‘Ramayana’ has generated considerable buzz following the release of its trailer. While the trailer has received mixed reactions, actor Gajendra Chauhan, best known for playing Yudhishthira in B.R. Chopra's iconic Mahabharat, has now shared his opi
Urmila Matondkar’s Ex-Husband Mohsin Akhtar Mir Marries Again; Actress Takes a Dig at Second Wedding
Aug 12,2026
Urmila Matondkar is once again making headlines, this time because of a cryptic social media post following a post shared by her ex-husband Mohsin Akhtar Mir about his second wife, Nida Bhat.The actress, who generally keeps her personal life private, shared a message on Instagram that quic
Munna Bhaiya Returns in ‘Mirzapur: The Movie’: Divyenndu Says, “It Was a Mistake, I Am Immortal”
Aug 12,2026
Fans are eagerly awaiting ‘Mirzapur: The Movie’, and one of the biggest talking points is Divyenndu’s return as Munna Bhaiya. The character died in the second season of the popular series, making his comeback one of the film’s biggest surprises.Divyenndu on Munna Bh
Suniel Shetty Birthday: Ajay Devgn Shares Old Photo, Jackie Shroff and Bollywood Stars Wish ‘Anna’
Aug 11,2026
Bollywood actor Suniel Shetty is celebrating his 65th birthday today, and wishes have been pouring in from family, friends and fellow actors.On the special occasion, Ajay Devgn shared a throwback picture featuring Suniel from their 1994 film Dilwale, while Jackie Shroff also posted a speci
Nikita Rawal on Ranbir Kapoor as Lord Ram: Actress Slams ‘Ramayana’ Casting, Demands Apology
Aug 05,2026
Nitesh Tiwari's upcoming epic Ramayana has sparked fresh discussion even before its release. The film stars Ranbir Kapoor as Lord Ram, Sai Pallavi as Mata Sita and Yash as Ravana. Now, actress Nikita Rawal has questioned Ranbir Kapoor's casting as Lord Ram, referring to an old comment by
Entertainment News
Suniel Shetty Birthday: Ajay D
Aug 11,2026
Pradeep Rawat Funeral: Aamir K
Aug 05,2026
Nikita Rawal on Ranbir Kapoor
Aug 05,2026
Bhumi Pednekar: Trolled over h
Aug 03,2026
Salman Khan Recalls Jail Days
Aug 03,2026