LOVE STORY 2050. Director: Harry Baweja. Players: Harman Baweja, Priyanka Chopra, Boman Irani, Archana Puran Singh. Music: Anu Malik. Theatrical release.
For newcomer Harman Baweja’s debut film, director (and dad) Harry Baweja and producer (and mom) Pammi Baweja have spared no expenses, for sure. The crafting is highly opulent and, even with the time travel premise, strangely linear. Devoid of major star power or filmmaking punches, Love Story 2050nonetheless manages a surprise or two.
The Bawejas’ film does try too hard—and suffers from—banking on Harman Baweja’s uncanny resemblance to superstar Hrithik Roshan. Baweja looks like Roshan and but goes several steps further in attempting to imitate him. Baweja, who plays a love struck Sydney playboy who time-travels to the year 2050 to find his lost love (Chopra) in Mumbai with the help of his eccentric scientist-uncle (Irani), also attempts Roshan’s signature dance moves. While Baweja falls short at capturing Roshan’s magic, watching Baweja make the attempt is half the fun.
The other half of the fun, and the film’s highlight, is no doubt the special effects that employ cutting-edge gadgetry to envision what Mumbai may look like in the year 2050. The electronic gizmos—from mood sensing, Indianized housekeeper robots to the highly crowded sky traffic (you think Mumbai streets are crowded now? Wait until you see her skies in the future!).
The aforementioned effects are best employed in staging a couple of catchy Malik tunes. Malik’s futuristic clutch pieces are best evidenced in Shaan’s Milo Na Milo and Alisha Chinoy’s Lover Boy, which features Chopra as an intergalactic diva—with a captivating space junket that serves as an airborne podium. This bit is enhanced by tight choreography and Chopra in a well-contoured space age jumpsuit. While the film is average in all other categories, the picturization of this song alone is worth the price of admission. — Aniruddh Chawda
Globe trekker, aesthete, photographer, ski bum, film buff, and commentator Aniruddh Chawda writes from Milwaukee.