7 Din Mohabbat In - Movie Review (2.5/5 Stars)

By Hamza Shafique (Instagram / Facebook)

To be honest after looking at the name (inspired by 7 din ladki in dialogue of Shahrukh from "Kal Ho Na Ho") and trailer of the film (where plot looked a lot like  Brandon Fraser and Elizabeth Herley starrer 'BeDazzled') I didnt have high expectations from this Eid release. This movie seriously lacked originality and on this point only this "Eid entertainer" really met my expectations.

Apart from originality this movie also lacks tonal consistency. There are parts of film especially in second half that feel like a total different film. One can ignore all these facts if the film is entertaining but that's also not true. First part is entertaining but after intermission this superbly produced film with all the perfect visual effects, gets so irritating and annoying that it sucks all the positive energy out of you.

Fasih Bari Khan's (whoes 'Qaddusi Sahab kee Bewa' is still one of my favorite tv show) Screenplay is a mixture of stuff from Hollywood to Bollywood. Let me try to decipher it for you. Take Hrithek Roshan from 'Koi Mil Gaya', Hina Dilpazeer as 'Qaddusi Sahab kee Bewa', Amitabh Bachan Djinn character from bollywood's 'Aladdin', bubbliness of Kajol from her various films fused with Mahira Khan from Humsafar and add them in to the slightly modified plot of Hollywood's classic 'BeDazzled' with subplots from Bollywood films like 'Happy Bhaag Jay Gi', throw in couple of iconic scenes like the one from spider man where Toby Maguire realizes his eye sight has been healed and you get '7 Din Mohabbat In'. Again as an audience I don't mind all the copyright infringements but all this mixture has to be entertaining and to be honest it is up to some extent is ,atleast till intermission. Its after intermission that film loses its grips and tone changes frequently. What works in the first half is that the film stays with in the main subject but in second half turns into love story on and off with out proper transitions. I mean a 'kuch kuch hota hai' inspired red saree in the rain act of Mahira khan is just not enough for us to fully feel for the characters and if audience is not fully connected then onscreen romance never works, in fact it gets annoying. And on top of that film climax drags thanks to the ambition of the director duo to use graphics. Comedies need to be crisp and comic timing is the key to keep it entertaining and climax lacks it big time. Overall a very confused screenplay with even more confused narrative from the directors. This film does have super fun moments like the opening dream sequence, and Javaid Sheikh's entry scene to name a few but they are not enough. I wish the makers had focused more on Tipu's storyline and developed on it for humor rather than wasting time on other characters for comic relief. What made 'BeDazzled' work was the fact it was Brandon Frazers story and all other characters were part of his story as and when needed, here it felt all over the place.

What I liked in the film is the production quality, the graphics used are realistic and of Hollywood standards. Cinematography is also good as every thing looks beautiful. Performances by the cast are exceptionally good, Shehryar Munawar 's Tipu was instantly likeable while Mahira Khan as Neeli was pitch perfect but highlight for me are Hina Dilpazerr and Javaid Sheikh who rocked as usual and had the most fun moments.
Pakistani movies are getting consistently better in terms of production and performances but what they lack now is good quality silver screen writing. Choreography/music needs slight improvements aswell. I fully like to support Pakistani Cinema and that's why I took my whole family including my brother in law for whom it was first time in cinema and also my 11 year old Nephew who came all the way from USA to celebrate Eid in Dubai with me and to see them bored and down in the end was not a nice feeling. Overall a very messed up film with a slightly entertaining first half , good production and great performances I go with 2.5 stars. 

The part of me that really wants to support Pakistani films suggests you to go for it , you will survive and will also laugh a little but the part that died of annoyance during second half really recommends you not to go. Let me know which part you listened to.