Like U Mr. Kalakaar?

By Anant Mathur (August 03, 2011)

A couple of months ago a blink and miss film called Love U Mr. Kalakaar was released by Rajshri Productions - makers of hits like Dulhan Wahi Jo Piya Man Bhaaye, Nadiya Ke Paar, Chitchor, Hum Aapke Hain Kaun, Maine Pyaar Kiya, etc. To quote a line from Ferris Beuler: "Life moves pretty fast, if you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it!". In this fast world of today, it's nice to see a simple love story once in a while.

I recently caught this romantic delight and although the story of Love U Mr. Kalakaar is not the most original it's presentation is quite noteworthy. I don't think we will ever see an original story in films ever again, the makers just aren't interested and perhaps after 100 years of films they are out of new stories. As a fan of films, I understand it's not the story but presentation that I'm expecting from films today. As long as it's entertaining, I'll enjoy regardless of how many times it's been told before. Dabangg and Ready are great examples of recent films which don't have original stories but are extremely entertaining. I wouldn't say Love U Mr. Kalakaar is as entertaining as Dabangg or Ready, but it does have several positives and is worth watching once.

Most critics gave the film an average of 2/5 stars, but there were some who gave it 0.5 or 1 star ratings. While Love U Mr. Kalakaar is not the greatest love story every attempted, it's certainly not the worst, so these 0.5 and 1 star rating don't make sense to me. Personally, I would've give it 2.5 stars out of 5. I understand the reasoning for why it got such low ratings but unless a film is truly unwatchable, it shouldn't be given 0.5 stars. Love U Mr. Kalakaar doesn't fall into that category, it's definitely watchable.

I haven't seen any films in the last 10 years which didn't have a predictable story and ending. I have given up thinking that filmmakers today can give us something which is original and unpredictable, but that doesn't mean we can't like old wine in a new bottle. It's like reading your favourite book, you know the story inside out, yet you love it enough to read it again. There have been many incarnations of Robin Hood, Hamlet, James Bond, Sherlock Holmes, yet we still continue to watch them today. You know in a Sherlock Holmes story that a crime is going to be solved by the end. In James Bond, Bond will save the world from some catastrophe. Robin Hood will marry Maid Marianne and defeat the evil Sheriff and Prince John. I have yet to see an version of Hamlet where he lives at the end. So why should we expect originality from a poor boy meets rich girl story, it's obvious he'll get the girl at the end, if not, one or both of them will die - there are no other choices. The key for judging films shouldn't be what the story is, it should be how entertaining a film is. In the case of Love U Mr. Kalakaar, I strongly feel some critics have missed the boat.

I may not Love you "Love U Mr. Kalakaar" but liking you is possible.

© Anant Mathur. All Rights Reserved.