One of the first thing I liked about this movie was it didn’t talk about being pretentiously different.And its not! It’s a rom-com that deals with love, relationship, its expectations, its frustrations, two people coming together, finding each other, breaking up, finding themselves.
Lets face it most romantic comedies are predictable to the core, the audience demands a happy ending. I mean c’mmon, would you have watched million re runs if Geet got married to Anshuman instead, and all Aditya was left with was memories of Jab They Met? Didn’t we all know Jai does not believe in Love Aaj Kal, but he will desperately seek Meera back? Jay Dhingra may Hate Luv Storys but in the end he did use candy floss to woo Simran Sharma. They’re all predictable, the chances of a 'Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam are rare and wide.
So yes if you are open to watching a predictable ‘guy gets girl in the end ‘ kinda story you’ll like Break ke Baad. What’s not predictable is Imran and Deepika’s performance.
The film opens on Abhay Gulati’s (Imran Khan) sister getting married. The opening credits are very innovative as for the first time, marriage props are used as more than just props. Abhay & Aaliya’s (Deepika) characters are well established in the first 15 mins of the film. While Abhay is about stability, acceptance, dependence, support and sometimes even compromise, he does not believe in throwing a spanner in the works. Aaliya on the other hand will fling every single tool from the kit and then amaze at how it still works! Free spirited that she is, she’s all about how, why and the smartest one lines. Apart from being chalk and cheese Abhay and Aaliya are also childhood sweethearts.
The problem begins when like most of us Aaliya too, starts equating habit to love. Fighting resistance she moves to Australia to pursue her dreams. Distance and misunderstandings between her and Abhay make her claustrophobic and she decides to take a break from being a pair. The phrase ‘taking a break’ has been beautifully played because many a times when we ask for it, we don’t really know what it means. Does the momentary freedom that comes with the break have boundaries and a time limit? What happens if we start enjoying this freedom? Is the other person just supposed to hang a wall clock waiting for us to return?
Abhay follows his heart to Australia in the hope of winning Aaliya back. But things don’t quiet turn out as planned. The story or the narration is not necessarily the best we’ve seen, but there are sensitive and vulnerable moments which have been sweetly underplayed.
After Abhay & Aaliya’s bitter break up, there comes a moment when all Aaliya needs is a friend. But considering the history they’ve shared she pleads for one moment when they can forget everything and just be two individuals - Abhay & Aaliya. We all need that sometimes. Sometimes you wish the moment to be just about two people, not about the history they’ve shared, not about the baggage they carry or the strings attached. But can two people really go back to being just friends? Sure they can, but there will always be an invisible umbilical cord hanging somewhere.
As the movie progresses Aaliya & Abhay shuffle along leading separate lives, understanding and discovering themselves. But we all know the climax is not going to be about a road less travelled. When Aaliya finds out through a common friend that Abhay is getting married she is livid. Not because of the obvious, but considering they’ve been best friends and she encouraged him to move on – she wasn’t the first to know!
Aaliya’s character has been nicely essayed through her dialogues, she’s confused, she thinks she’s figured life out, she thinks she knows what she wants but questions it when it stares her in the face. Her general state of denial usually gets her upset over the wrong things. She flies back to India to confront Abhay, goes down on one knee with his grandmothers ring, confesses she has no idea why she loves him, but knows that she’s never felt like this about anyone before and if he still has the chance to make a choice, he should choose her. Deepika has managed to essay Aaliya’s selfishness, fear, anxiety & innocence all very well.
More than romance or comedy, I would say this film is really about two friends, its more about Deepika, with Imraan playing the supporting actor.
On the soundtrack , Vishal Shekhar and Prasoon Joshi have done a palatable job. I love the lyrics of Dhoop ke makaan and wouldn’t mind shaking a shoulder to Adhoore. The background score is more an aide to the visuals then something you can take with you to clubs.
All in all I’d say if it makes you smile and not squirm through two hours it’s worth it!
