Kaisey Kahe is the archetype formula romance of boy meets girl, boy falls in love with girl, boy loses girl, and ultimately, boy wins back girl.
The pyaar mein twist is that there are no over-the-top melodramatic parents opposing this romance, nor is there a super rich family vs a poor Joe 1980's style conflict.
Instead, the villain of this modern day love story is a demanding profession. The clash of choosing career over love in this fast-paced world that only understands the language of cash forms the simple but definitive premise of Kaisey Kahe.
The result is a mixed bag of some bright moments but otherwise dull screenplay and direction.
We are introduced to Mr Ambitious, Aditya (Rajveer) who knows that he cannot settle into a humdrum daily routine and live the middle class life that is being offered to him.
He ruthlessly pursues his career and leaves no stone unturned to make sure that he is the undisputed heir to the CEO's chair. Aditya uses every trick in the book to prove to his boss that he has whatever it takes to rule the financial roost. And he succeeds.
In a parallel storyline, we meet the tough as nails journalist, Radhika (Neha Jhulka), who gives up her Manglorean masalas to beat the big bad wolves of the corporate world at their own game. During a special (albeit tackily shot) sting operation, Radhika meets Mr Ambitious and the two almost immediately take off on a fairy tale romance that ends in a quick marriage.
And here is where the fairy tale ends.
The honeymoon seems to be over even before it begins as they are both embroiled in careers that demand their attention 24/7, and pull them away from one another. The initial riff soon begins to erode the surface of their relationship. After radical reassurances and blind optimism, the couple mutually decide to split and pursue their true passion -- their careers -- over their love for one another. Radhika takes up a job in another city and their love is put through the ultimate ordeal.
Kaise Kahe has an interesting premise. It's an oft-repeated story told with a modern day twist. Although the plot remains linear throughout the film, it does shine in places. The scene where Aditya finds out that Radhika will be moving away is touching. However, the conflict seems to be too simple and straightforward to provide interesting incidents of drama or romance. Like for instance, their separation almost seems contrived and born out of convenient writing.
Rajveer and Neha Julka share chemistry but sadly, it isn't consistent throughout the film. This is one of the most crucial factors that works against the film. Rajveer looks stiff in most of his scenes and doesn't ooze the freshness required to boost this film. His expression goes blank in a majority of scenes. The problem is that Rajveer looks too methodical and theatrical, like he has marched straight out of an acting class.
Neha, on the other hand, shows promise. Her pretty face and contagious smile will win her many male fans, though she does tend to overplay the emotional scenes, and looks out of place in many of the scenes that feature dramatic showdowns.
Music by Pritam is a complete letdown barring the jazzy title track.
Director Mohit Hussain shows flashes of a promising storyteller but only during some scenes. Also, he should have extracted better performances from his lead pair.
All in all, Kaise Kahe will not have strong prospects at the box office. The lack of a strong marketing campaign, ho hum music and non-presence of big stars will definitely affect the film's business.
Rediff Rating: