Film: Do Aur Do Pyaar

Cast: Vidya Balan, Pratik Gandhi, Ileana D'Cruz, Sendhil Ramamurthy

Director: Shirsha Guha Thakurta

Rating: 3 Moons

It isn't easy to fall in and out of love. Especially when you're married. But when you find no spark in your marital relationship, finding solace in the third person can be therapeutic. Such is the story of Kavya Ganesan (Vidya Balan) and Aniruddh Banerjee (Pratik Gandhi) who are married for 12 years but gradually, the love they once felt for each other has faded off. 

In Shirsha Guha Thakurta's Do Aur Do Pyaar, Kavya and Ani live together but the loneliness hidden beneath their smiles is haunting. She finds love in an NRI photographer Vikram (Sendhil Ramamurthy) and he's in an extramarital affair with a theatre artiste Nora (Ileana D'Cruz). The dynamics change when Kavya returns home to Ooty with Ani to attend her grandfather's funeral. They relive those good old days and bring back memories.

This is a sweet, feel-good film. A clean romantic drama with dashes of humour, Shirsha's directorial flows smoothly and naturally. The story is simple. Not your typical run-of-the-mill romantic saga, Do Aur Do Pyaar is refreshing in many ways. It's an empty canvas and the director paints it with shades of love, conflict, revelation and realisation. Ultimately, it's an exciting portrait to look at and smile. 

Shirsha's storytelling doesn't just revolve around the romance between Kavya-Vikram and Ani-Nora. It delves deeper into the parent-child relationship, making marriages work and accepting flaws and failures. In one of the most beautiful scenes, Kavya confronts her father for being critical of her and not accepting her for being who she is. On the other hand, Ani was attached to his father and had to leave his passion for music behind to carry forward the family's legacy. There's a lot to take back from Do Aur Do Pyaar.

The film is easy-breezy and soft on the heart and mind. But is it clear of flaws? To an extent, no. The parallel love tracks with Vikram and Nora don't get adequate space to grow on the audience. The banters and bickering between Kavya and Ani are brilliantly timed but the chemistry between Vidya and Pratik looks more like friendship and not love even in the subtle intimate scenes. The first half is beautiful. It blends the right amount of drama, romance, arguments, melancholy and humour. The entire Ooty sequence is delightful. However, the second half gets slow and monotonous. 

Vidya Balan is the fierce power behind Do Aur Do Pyaar. Seductively intimate, deliciously mature and authoritatively stunning, the actress makes Kavya her own with a rich performance. She switches between powerful and sensitive with utmost ease. A true chameleon, Vidya transforms into Kavya and makes the character her second skin. Her confrontation sequence with her on-screen father is heart-piercing but beautiful. It's Vidya's expressive eyes that take it to the next level. 

Pratik Gandhi is a force to reckon with. After Madgaon Express, he presents his comic side in Do Aur Do Pyaar. His dialogue while meeting with Kavya's father shall be remembered for centuries. With an uncanny ease, Pratik becomes Ani and conveys the turmoil going on in his mind with subtleness and calmness. He is an actor who should be preserved. Pratik's versatility has to be lauded and he's excelling in every project. 

Ileana D'Cruz makes for an adorable Nora. She has her mind and heart in place. Taking a stand for herself, Nora is a relatable modern character, representing millions of new-age girls. Sendhil gets limited space and a weak character graph in Do Aur Do Pyaar. He is dapper but also the weakest link. 

Do Aur Do Pyaar isn't a meal savoured by all. A niche subject, Shirsha takes the risk with an unconventional story. If a light-hearted film is on your mind for this weekend, Do Aur Do Pyaar could be the perfect choice.