Zara Hatke Zara Bachke Review - Comedy Done Right, Drama Gone Wrong

Cinematographer turned director Laxman Utekar is back with another romantic, emotional family drama with Zara Hatke Zara Bachke, starring Vicky Kaushal and Sara Ali Khan. The film is a mix of multiple genres, such as romance, comedy, and family drama, and that's why the writing seems misplaced. It's a good subject to look at but a difficult one to explain. The logic is somewhat lost, and the comedy is too much for a grounded family film that is supposed to look real but ends up looking all fake. A similar subject of struggle for a new house was attempted in the Marathi movie One Room Kitchen, which beautifully explored the difference between high class society and middle class society and also defined the meaning of "home.". What's a home? It's not about how big those four walls are or how many rooms it has; it's about how many people can stay together under one roof who are close to you and how happy you are with them. Zara Hatke Zara Bachke has almost struck the chords on this sensitive topic, but somewhere it forgot to mention the main thing at the end. Yes, it has enough comedy but lacks sensible drama and smart writing.

Zara Hatke Zara Bachke starts off with the evergreen song Dekho Maine Dekha Hai Ye Ek Sapna, Phoolon Ke Sheher Me Ho Ghar Apna, which takes you back to the Love Story days of a sensational young couple. If you remember the situation of that couple in the film when the song plays, you relate to them, as you know it's a runaway couple trying to establish their house somewhere in a remote place. Zara Hatke Zara Bachke has nothing of that sort. Kapil (Vicky Kaushal) and Saumya (Sara Ali Khan) are a married couple living in a joint family. Practically, it's not a big family if you count the number of members, but still, it's big for our so-called poor love birds. Not getting enough private space to do romance, Kapil and Saumya decide to buy a new house and shift there. However, it's neither easy nor affordable. So, the couple try for a con-way by playing with a loophole in a government scheme of house. The rest of the plot shouldn't be disclosed here to break the secrecy the makers carried for a long time.

Zara Hatke Zara Bachke's script is at fault, nothing else. A couple cannot go to the trouble of breaking their relationship to get a house when they know these things will be talked about in society. It's a damn predictable story, and you can guess every next conflict easily, almost half an hour before it takes place. At the interval point, you know that things are going to be difficult for Kapil and Saumya. You also know that they are going to have a verbal argument and will reconcile soon after a typical Judaai song. The climax is just intolerable when you know who gets the house, when, why, and who takes it after all. A government programme can't be a gift. I mean, come on. How can someone write such a childish thing as the climax point of the film? Since when are lawyers allowed to scream in the courtroom with paan in their mouth? Since when has a judge started signing off on just one hearing? How can a childhood friend try to flirt with her crush when she knows he is married and is even unobjectionable about going on a date with him? How can a married teacher carry on with the constant flirting of her senior? I can go on and on with such faults in writing, and this review can become a charge sheet for a crime.

Talking about performances, Vicky Kaushal is better than what he did in his previous movie, Govinda Naam Mera. A married man with a hand for savings is relatable, but as a lover, he is not that mature. Sara Ali Khan is too young to be suited as Vicky's wife in the film, or anybody's wife, for that matter. She lacks that personality and age-related nuance. On a positive note, both of them have done comparatively well in the comedy portions, which was new for them (Vicky has done it before, but that's forgettable). Inaamulhaq springs a nice surprise as a devilish Bhagwan Das. His presence of mind, quick wit, and outsmarting attitude make the character funny and quirky. Sharib Hashmi joins the party late but has a blast. I just wish they had used his character even better with a few changes in the script. Sushmita Mukherjee, Rakesh Bedi, Neeraj Sood, and the rest of the supporting cast manage a few laughs.

Zara Hatke Zara Bachke has got a good music album within limits. Mujhe Aur Kya Chahiye is already topping the charts, and no wonder why. It's a melodious, soulful song that everyone will love, and Arijit Singh's voice has made it even better. Vicky and Sara's chemistry is like a cherry on top. The next best is Saanjha — a perfect situational composition. ZHZB has some hilarious one-liners, and the dialogues are mostly rooted except for one or two that go too abusive. Raghav Ramadoss's camerawork is decent, while Manish Pradhan's is strictly okay. The film slows down in the last 20 minutes with extremely predictable and boring soapy elements, which could have been avoided. Laxman Utekar's Hindi debut, Luka Chuppi, was an average flick (a box office hit though), and Zara Hatke Zara Bachke is somewhat on the same level. Mimi was top-notch stuff since it was an adaptation of a path breaking Marathi classic. That means Laxman needs to do better with original scripts. Zara Hatke Zara Bachke shows how good he is with comedy, which is a rarity nowadays. We hardly get good comedies these days. But Uterkar's grip on dramatic portions and intelligent filmmaking has not yet grown fully. Sooner or later, he'll master it—just like he did with his Marathi film Tapaal. For now, all I can say about Zara Hatke Zara Bachke is that there is nothing hatke, but there's a fair value to entertainment. Thumbs up for comedy; thumbs down for drama.