Cocktail
Hindi (U/A)
Cast: Saif Ali Khan, Deepika Padukone, Diana Penty, Boman Irani, Dimple Kapadia
Director: Homi Adajania
Let’s make this a little easier for you. If you lovvvved Jab We Met and Love Aaj Kal, there is no way you cannot enjoy Cocktail. Like its name - it’s heady; the performances enjoyable, music hummable, Sreekar Prasad’s editing crisp and Anil Mehta’s cinematography worth a second watch. It may have Homi Adajania’s brilliant touch, but it has Imtiaz Ali stamped all over.
If there is one man whose forte is to explore love, lust and friendship in multi-hued ways, it is Imtiaz. That is just what he has done in this case too – as its story and dialogue writer. And boy, are they sensitive and catchy too! Like when Saif aka Gautam Kapoor is finally ready to propose to one of the two girls (Deepika Padukone and Diana Penty in exquisitely crafted roles as Veronica and Meera, respectively) at the end, and is stuttering to find the right words – all the while being prompted from behind by the other one – he turns to her and exasperatedly exclaims, “...Tuhi hi kar le propose.”
There are several instances when you can’t help but laugh at Gautam’s lines like, “Haan, toh theek hai na yaar. Yeh toh hona hi tha. Mein characterless, tum lonely....”
The film revolves around three friends who fall in love... in a merry-go-round sort of a way. Lust and friendship are great and fun till love interferes. When it does, none of them knows what’s hit them. There is betrayal; bitchiness; a heart of gold and confusion. As a viewer, you don’t want the three to fall apart, for you have come to love each one of them; as a voyeur, you want them to win without hurting their friend. There are no villains, only shades of grey – each of which the GenY will relate to.
As performances go, you will fall in love with Deepika Padukone again. She is outstanding as Veronica and irrespective of what Saif may say in his interviews about doing different characters in different films, he has found his niche as a romantic, fun-loving guy comfortable wooing all the girls in the world. The surprise package is Diana Penty, who as the demure and diffident Meera, is truly refreshing as she ends up falling in love despite being a married woman.
This is one cocktail whose pleasant hangover will last... in fact, it is one that you wouldn’t want to wish away.