Dev Patel, a self-styled romance king from Adalaj who lives to chase love online and off, has his easy life upended when his father's old friend asks him to escort his headstrong daughter Maahi to the United States and look after her there. What begins as constant bickering between two mismatched personalities slowly turns into something neither expected as they travel through New York and Florida. Destiny, family expectation and a heavy dose of Bollywood-flavoured melodrama decide where the two of them end up.
Romance Complicated arrived in January 2016 as one of the more expensive-looking entries in Gujarati cinema's urban revival, and its ambition shows more on the screen than in the script. Director Dhwani Gautam builds the story around Dev Patel, an Adalaj boy who fancies himself a romance king, and the babysitting job that sends him to America with a friend's arrogant daughter, Maahi. The setup borrows openly from the Yash Raj and Karan Johar playbook, and critic Jayesh Adhyaru of DeshGujarat pointed out how heavily the film leans on Hindi dialogue and Bollywood references, to the point where it barely feels Gujarati at all.
What holds it together is craft rather than story. Malhar Pandya, making his lead debut, has genuine screen presence and a natural feel for Amdavadi comedy, even if he pushes too hard for laughs at times. The veterans around him, Shekhar Shukla, Dharmesh Vyas and Darshan Jariwala, supply the warmth the young leads cannot, while Divya Misra's Maahi comes off stiff and the couple never generate the spark a love story needs. Darshan Raval's songs, Pahela Varsaad and Tu ne hu in particular, are the film's real pull, and the cinematography makes the American locations glow.
The result is a handsome package wrapped around a hollow centre. Predictable writing, borrowed situations and a heroine who feels manufactured undercut all the money spent on gloss and music. Reviewers landed it around the halfway mark, and that feels about right. Watch it for the soundtrack and Pandya's easy charm, not for a romance you will remember.
Verdict
A glossy, music-driven debut vehicle that looks and sounds the part but forgets to make you believe its central romance.
What works
- Malhar Pandya's charm and natural comic timing
- Reliable senior turns from Shekhar Shukla, Dharmesh Vyas and Darshan Jariwala
- Darshan Raval's youthful soundtrack, especially Pahela Varsaad and Tu ne hu
- Glossy cinematography across Ahmedabad and the United States
What holds it back
- Almost no chemistry between the lead pair
- Plays like a Hindi film awkwardly transplanted into Gujarati
- Predictable, cliche-heavy writing lifted from old Bollywood romances
- Divya Misra's stiff performance and Maulik Nayak's loud comedy padding
Cast & crew
Writers: Dhwani Gautam, Vipul Sharma
Music: Jatin-Pratik, Darshan Raval
Cast: Malhar Pandya (Dev Patel), Divya Misra (Maahi Patel), Dharmesh Vyas (Dhiraj Patel), Shekhar Shukla (Karsan Patel), Darshan Jariwala (Tiku Mamaji), Dhwani Gautam (Aarsh Malhotra)
Producers: Kirti Premraaj Jain, Nishit Jain, Rajiv Sharma
Watch the trailer
Play the official trailer on YouTubeMore from Dhwani Gautam
More Romance Gujarati films
Frequently asked
Is Romance Complicated worth watching?
A glossy, music-driven debut vehicle that looks and sounds the part but forgets to make you believe its central romance. Kevu Che rates it 2.5 out of 5.
What is Romance Complicated about?
Dev Patel, a self-styled romance king from Adalaj who lives to chase love online and off, has his easy life upended when his father's old friend asks him to escort his headstrong daughter Maahi to the United States and look after her there. What begins as constant bickering between two mismatched personalities slowly turns into something neither expected as they travel through New York and Florida. Destiny, family expectation and a heavy dose of Bollywood-flavoured melodrama decide where the two of them end up.
What is the IMDb rating of Romance Complicated?
Romance Complicated (2016) holds an IMDb rating of 6.5 out of 10.