Offbeat and small-budget films seem the order of the day. So we have another such venture, Bas Yun Hi.
The story revolves around a prank and its effect on a close-knit group of five urban friends. Set in Bangalore, the story spans 10 days of their lives.
The action starts when one of the five, Aditya (Purab Kohli), accidentally finds his friend Rohan's (Rajiv Gopalakrishnan) kundali. The description does not match that of Rohan's current girlfriend Tara (Parmita Katkar).
Prankster Aditya decides to bring into Rohan's life one of his friends who matches the description of the woman in the kundali. Veda (Nandita Das) has no qualms about being party to mischief. The others in the group, Kabir (Sameer Malhotra), his girlfriend Saraswati aka Sara (Sandhya Shetty) and Sona (Tannishta Chatterjee) are not too keen about the prank but decide to play along.
Rohan thinks he meets Veda accidentally but it has all been planned. He starts thinking Veda, not Tara, might be the woman of his dreams. Veda (also playing an actress in the movie) wants to see Bangalore and finds an eager guide in Rohan.
By the time Rohan has shown Veda most of Bangalore, both of them start having doubts. Veda suffers from guilt pangs and has heart-to-heart conversations with her chat friend Starlight. Rohan is equally uneasy with their relationship.
Aditya also starts feeling uncomfortable with Rohan and Veda's relationship. Especially when they start doing things that are 'not in the script.' Rohan finds out that the kundali in question does not belong to him. Sona is increasingly worried about Aditya's withdrawal.
What brings about Aditya's strange behaviour? Why is Veda so eager to go out with Rohan and then look into space with lost wistful looks? Who is this Starlight she keeps chatting with? Why does Sara always insist on drinking vegetable juice?
For a comedy (which I assume it is), the movie surprisingly lacks punch. Except for a few rare moments, one is hardly amused.
It is nice to see Nandita Das in a different role. She looks fresh, attractive and goes through the movie without much worry. Sadly, she is wasted in this rather low-key role. Even her presence cannot make up for the lack of a good script.
For Purab Kohli, getting rid of the veejay tag will definitely be difficult. While playing prankster, he could have avoided looking like a petulant child, especially in the second half when he tries to fret and fume and act jealous.
The rest of the cast put in sincere performances in their undemanding roles. Tara, who showed some promise, only appears at the end of the movie. Sona, as the feminist and caring friend, does a good job.
Though shorter in length than a commercial movie, it still drags. The filmmakers may have tried to portray a slice of urban life. They probably did not realise it would take more than just a prank to show its true colours.
The only upbeat aspect of the film is the catchy music. If you do decide to watch this one, don't do it for any other reason but bas yun hi!
