OK, Let me be very honest with you. I was very excited initially when i heard that Abhay Deol, Hrithik and Farhan (and ofcourse the bonus being katreena) are going to be together for a movie. But then i heard about the plot, that its the last friendly roadtrip and make most of today kinda movie. The excitement was lessened considerably. Then i saw the ads with reinforcing the 'Dar ke Aage Jeet hai' and that was the ultimate put off and was not even planning to watch it. But then i was in for a pleasant surprise, or may be its because of my low expectations that i liked the movie so much. I thought it will be 'My Abs are tighter Than yours' or 'My Cleavage is deeper than yours' kinda stuff, and it IS but thats not the only thing there is to it. It IS an ad for Spain Tourism Department but even then you kinda like the overall setting. It IS a masala bollywood flick but still has its soul intact and does not compromise on the basics of the story.
The movie is about 3 long lost friends who go on a road trip together to re live their bachelorhood and face their fears. In the process they meet long lost relatives, new crushes and (may be) future life partners but above all, they get in touch with their real self. They realize what they are made of and what 'life' is and what it should be. Sounds Preachy right? As i said, it IS but not the arty preachy but entertaining preachy. The trip, the Adventure Sports and the 'fears' just serve as a background and the real story lies in the lead characters' (re)discovery of themselves.
Everybody plays the part almost perfectly though there could have been some other choice than Kalki I feel. and Farhan Akhtar ROCKS. I mean half the credit goes to him to keep the movie not sounding like a lecture rather than an entertaining thought. He is genuinely funny when he is supposed to and is my pick of the actors from the ensemble. Absolutely Brilliant. Also, Though Zoya has made it mainstream but doesn't let it drift away in the mindless genre. There is humour but it is through the chemistry and small situations/moments rather than jokes or gags. There is romance but no kood jaunga faand jaunga kinda romance but takes a very practical look at it. There is friendship but not Ye dost hum nahi todenge kinda friendship burt rather a very real friendhsip where friends fight, pull each others' legs, play pranks and then make up as well. Its realistic but without the heaviness around it. Full marks to her to keep the movie fresh, quick paced, tolerably preachy and keeping the emotions intact.
Overall: Not Frantically paced , Tolerably Preachy with everything just about perfect. Strong Recommendation this week.
Feel-O-Meter: 8/10