Life Partner (2009)

Rumi Jaffrey after the disaster GTGH last year returns with a family type comedy filmThe film isn't a comedy as the promos showed instead it tries to balance a comedy and a relationship based comedyThe film starts off with some comedy scenes but actually gets better when the characters get married and many of the gags work Tusshar- Prachi episode though straight out of TV serials yet works as it looks real while Fardeen- Genelia episode is also handled well though at times the comedy is too much The film however ends very badly as if the director wanted to hurry up the film The Amrita Rao episode looks too sudden and also the end looks too contrivedRumi Jaffrey seems to have improved a bit Music is okayAmongst actors Govinda works till he plays a casanova it doesn't suit him and also his styling looks made up yet he does a good job in his short role Fardeen Khan though too loud and winny at times does a good job in his role, he is improving Tusshar too though does annoy with his expressions in comic scenes does well in serious portions Prachi is a natural, maybe because of her experience playing such roles on the idiot box Genelia however goes OTT and shreiks so badly with her annoying voice she makes JTYJN performance look a classic Amongst rest Anupam Kher is okay, Darshan Jariwala is very good Vikram Gokhale is likable

There are different types of comedies. What the audience has been subjected to for over a year now has been the inane slapstick comedy that causes irritation, instead of evoking laughter. Subtle humor has been the hallmark of Kishore Kumar, Amol Palekar and Vinay Pathak's films. Then there are those comedies which may be witty, yet silly and genuinely funny at the same time. If your taste in such comedy could devour Partner and No Entry among recent examples, then acclaimed writer Rumi Jaffrey's 'Life Partner' will tickle your funny bone while also providing you with some rational drama that often jumps to melodramatic levels. Nevertheless, the film is better than one would expect….. Karan (Fardeen Khan) plays the lover boy whose love marriage turns him into a house-man of sorts, Bhavesh (Tusshar Kapoor) plays the orthodox Gujju who will abide by the archaic customs established by his conventional father (Darshan Jariwala) while Jeet (Govinda) plays a relentless divorce lawyer to whom marriage is the biggest mistake that one can make. In a turn of events, Karan marries his spoilt rich girlfriend, whose father's negligence in training her led to her disastrous experiments in the household. Bhavesh goes to Gujarat to find a suitable bride but ends up marrying his father's childhood friend's daughter Prachi and Jeet disappears from the screen momentarily. Genelia's disasters at home and excessive indulgence with inactivity frustrate Karan who is working hard to maintain their lifestyle. Prachi's father (Vijay Gokhale) is an open-minded rich Gujarati businessman who is deeply rooted to the culture but respects the independence and choices of his daughter. His principles are in direct conflict with those of Bhavesh's father and it leads to some realistic and likable scenes. While the film doesn't clearly take sides for or against marriage per se, it is Govinda's witty dialogue that makes you want to do so.The film is well written by Rumi Jaffrey and he successfully breaks away from the stereotypes of inane slapstick comedies to give us something more to reflect upon. The screenplay and editing truly hammer the film but the appropriate usage of witty dialogues draw correct emphasis on situations rather than those double meaning retarded jokes we have been subjected to.Pritam's musical score consists of a garba melody, Aage Aage that reminds us of some hit folk song and Kouke koyaliya which has been rendered in such a horrifying manner by Shreya Ghoshal that it bec0mes enjoyable for a while…. Only for a while. Govinda has not had been able to replicate Partner's success over the past couple of years but when it comes to a comic interpretation of society's stresses, there is hardly a better actor for Jeet's role. His performance comes with his trademark style of hilarious expressions, distinct dialogue delivery, one-of-a-kind dancing and exemplary comic timing that elevates a funny dialogue to a higher level. Fardeen Khan gives one of his best performances in the type of role that he is becoming increasingly comfortable with. Tusshar does not give one much to write about but he does justice to his character and he takes the joke on his sister and father in good humor! Anupam Kher and Vijay Gokhale are maestros in their business and therefore, as reliable as always. Among the ladies, Prachi Desai stands out with her convincing performance as a modern housewife yearning to break apart from the strange traditions that threaten to destroy her married life. While Life Partner may not be the best comedy of all time but surely, it is, of recent times. Worth a watch to rid the mind of all the hyped concoctions of the so called 'new cinema' and totally unlike many 'leave the brains at home' type Govinda movies that we have seen before. 6.52 on a scale of 1-10.

Surprisingly, Life Partner is actually quite a fun movie, especially in the first half ! The dialogs of the movie were pleasantly witty and with absolutely no slapstick !! Govinda is back in his old touch and one thoroughly enjoys the first half. However Life Partner is not without its flaws as the second half gets a little more sentimental and comedy takes a backseat.The movie is about two NRI couples in Cape Town - Karan-Sanjana (Fardeen-Genelia) and Bhavesh-Prachi (Tusshar-Prachi) and their lawyer friend Jeet (Govinda). Karan is the suave metro-sexual and his girlfriend is Sanjana, the spoilt-brat daughter of Anupam Kher. Bhavesh is the gawky Gujrati bought up with 'strict Indian values' – who is waiting to gift his virginity to his wife. Prachi is well ... just Prachi Desai – saccharine sweet smile and not much else.The first half of the movie introduces us to Karan-Sanjana and Bhavesh and their families etc and of course, Jeet ! He is a divorce lawyer who is perennially looking for opportunities to break up marriages. And he himself has just once policy - No marriage !! Govinda is definitely the strongest point of the movie and his tete-a-tetes with Genelia are fun to watch. Though at his age, Govinda just cant carry off two firang babes on his arms (and though he looks really thin on the posters, those are just photoshop effects – he looks just as fat in the movie)Trouble arrives in the form of marriage – Bhavesh goes all the way to Gujarat to find himself a wife and gets hitched to Prachi, a rich heiress. In a moment of marriage madness, Sanjana and Karan also tie the knot there. And when they come back, the decibels start increasing. Sanjana doesn't like the Karan who has become a little responsible and Prachi is at loggerheads with her ultra conservative Bapuji (father-in-law Darshan Jariwala). Genelia is especially screechy, though overall she plays the wife-from-hell part pretty well. And the song Koke Koke is so atrocious its not even funny !!In the second half, we see very little of Govinda and probably a few more scenes with him could have made this movie a complete blast – like the "tum chup raho" scene. However director Rumi Jaffrey decides to give a gentle preaching on marriage. Consequently, things slow down and the Prachi Desai scenes sometimes resemble an Ekta Kapoor show. But there is one more gem in the movie – veteran comedian Jagdeep. His scene with Fardeen & Genelia will have you falling out of your seat laughing !!The climax where all the issues are sorted out was a letdown and so was Amrita Rao in the movie. Songs are also a completely waste - though only Koke Koke is abominable, the rest are just boring. The visuals are pretty slick though – and that honeymoon suite balcony view is really fantabulous. Definitely wish to visit it someday. Overall, the movie is an entertaining watch, and an extra 0.5 for Jagdeep.

It is a great entertainer giving very good message on marriage and relationship. All the lead actors have done a great job. It is not a good idea to compare any movie with other movie instead we should watch any movie as per it's genre and how it has been presented for it's target audience. Life partner is well made entertaining movie which I greatly enjoyed watching in the theatre. I strongly recommend this movie to all as it is full of fun and entertainment with a good message for everybody. If you haven't seen it in the theatre then you are missing the chance to have great fun and full entertainment with your family which is hard to find. I am the person who know what is the class as per my improved taste and I always enjoyed whenever such movie is there while on the other side I am also the person who always enjoy the films which appeals to the mass audiences and which is termed as typical bollywood film. Life Partner is a typical bollywood family entertainer which has been succeeded in its goal as to enlighten post marriage problems and also give message about how to deal with such problems arises in the post marriage life of different type of marriage by providing good entertainment.As far as acting is concerned Govinda is the actor who comes after amitabh. He is such a talented Indian actor who can do any type of act with ease and can give real effect to the any scene. Whenever he present on the screen you are sure to be entertained provided he has been given the chance to act and not being restricted like they did in Bhagam Bhag. Here Govinda is superb and not being restricted. I greatly enjoyed his presence and his act in this movie. Fardeen khan and Genelia impressed with their act. Tushaar kapoor and Prachi desai played their part very well. The culmination is also very good and it turned out to be a complete bollywood entertainer having full entertainment and fun filled experience.