Beginning of Y-Film but Luv Ka The End.

Last month I reviewed Mujhse Fraaaandship Karoge, a fun youth caper of purposefully mistaken identity and then some. Out of curiosity I decided to check out Y-Films' first venture, Luv Ka The End, another tale of college-age kids and their bizarre relationships. And while watching this film, a realisation suddenly hit me: Y-Films is essentially importing the American teen comedy format into an Indian, middle class/upper middle class urban setting. And why not? Teen comedies work, and even if the kids are a bit older here, they seem to act in the same way that they do in the American ones: they care about cliques and clothes and friends, and they especially care about the opposite sex. Parents, on the other hand, are barely visible, as they merely get in the way of fun.

The sad thing is that if MFK is Clueless, Luv Ka The End is American Pie. It's not just the crassness of the humour, and the vaguely offensive elements (like homophobia) that makes me conjure up this comparison -- it's also that MFK, for its flaws, has the potential to be a fun youthful little film that's rooted in a very certain time but will probably be worth watching for years to come, whereas LKTE already feels try-hard and annoying.

But let's talk plot: Luv Nanda is the boyfriend of our female lead, Rhea, and on her 18th birthday, she has promised to spend the night with him for the first time. However, soon after Rhea being forced to cancel the date due to unexpected circumstances, she finds out that Luv, who seems to care more for his car than for her, is indeed a grade-A asshole, to a ridiculous degree. Together with two of her girlfriends, she hatches a plan to revenge him for cheating on her.

It's like Ladies Vs Ricky Bahl, only on some sort of overly sweet teenage party juice, that makes the film feel hyperactive, every single character needlessly exaggerated (and I'm not just talking filmi exaggerated), superficial and hopelessly devoid of any genuinely likable characteristics. It's a shame, because this could have been Ladies Vs Ricky Bahl, just with a lesser budget, and taking place during the course of one night. Instead the film is just kind of unpleasant to sit through. As awful as Luv's character is (and trust me, he is truly a despicable character!) you don't feel much sympathy for the girls seeking revenge, either, as they're also loud, stereotypical and annoying. Where MFK breathed life into its characters, this film fails to do so.

There's a guest appearance at the end of the film that almost made the watching experience worth it for me; fans of the guest star will probably already know who I'm talking about. But even so, I wouldn't recommend this one.