The city of Kolkata gets immersed every night to the radio show that also gives the film its name. Kuchh Bheege Alfaaz hosted by RJ Alfaaz has people of all age groups tuning in to his shayari and mellifluous voice . "Orgasmic" is how Archie describes it, a meme creator by day for a creative agency and an obsessive fan of Alfaaz's show by night .
Onir, with his latest offering, explores the idea of love and romance, especially for a generation that spends more time with their phones than people they love.
Does the “swipe left/ swipe right” simplify an emotion whose beauty lies in its complexity? Is modern day love missing out on old school romance? That’s what we slowly meditate upon by tracing the Archie-Alfaaz trajectory.
While the idea has a certain novelty about it which is refreshing as also the treatment of its lead characters, the languid pace to a large extent dampens the experience. Abhishek Chaterjee's screenplay spends way too much time on Archie's rather uneventful office meetings.
Memes are read out presumably to make us laugh but has the opposite effect! It's clear that there is more to both Archie and Alfaaz than what meets the eye. While the former tries to cover her insecurities with her charming, ever ready smile, Alfaaz hides behind his on air persona to avoid disappointing himself and, more importantly, others.
These characters intrigue us alright but the indulgent pace at which the story unfolds is sure to test our patience.
Kuch Bheege Alfaaz owes a lot of its charm to the lead pair. Geetanjali Thapa 's illuminating presence and Zain Khan Durrani's astonishingly self-assured debut win us over completely. Hope we see more of then in the near future.
Also, a special mention for Mona Ambegaonker who lifts up those silent moments of mother-daughter bonding.
But the bad execution lets us down because of which the film works but only sporadically. Sadly, it succumbs under the burden of "sher o shayari" and viral meme making remaining mostly on the surface thus lacking the emotional depth and finesse needed to tell a story that claims to understand love and obsession in all it's unfiltered beauty.
2 quints out of 5!
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