<p class="bodytext">Have you ever met a good-looking person and swooned over them at the first sight, only to watch all that allure die down the moment the person opens their mouth? That’s the emotion Junaid Khan evokes in ‘Loveyapa’, a ‘typical’ Gen Z love story directed by Advait Chandan.</p>.<p class="bodytext">‘Loveyapa’ featuring Junaid and Khushi Kapoor was meant to be the duo’s introduction to the big screen. Both Junaid and Khushi made their debut on OTT last year. While Junaid sailed through with decent reviews and praise, Khushi was at the receiving end of heavy trolling. However, ‘Loveyapa’ shows us the other side of the coin. </p>.<p class="bodytext">Despite many believing Khushi’s career was over even before it had taken off, she manages to redeem herself through the role of Baani Sharma. Baani is a 24-year-old trying to figure out the highs and lows of her love life with boyfriend Gaurav Sachdeva (Junaid). Junaid, on the other hand makes one of the most awkward romcom heroes Bollywood has seen in a long time, crushing people’s expectations of him acting as a replacement for the boyish charm of Imran Khan — who stole the hearts of an entire generation with the cutest romcoms between 2008 and 2013. </p>.<p class="bodytext">Unfortunately, bad acting is not the only thing wrong with the movie. The plot itself is enough to induce a migraine. The story revolves around Baani and Gaurav, who are caught talking to each other on phone by Baani’s dad Atul (Ashutosh Rana). To test their relationship, Atul asks the couple to exchange their phones for a day. What ensues is absolute chaos — a story about youngsters written and directed by a person who is clearly not from the generation. In an attempt to touch on almost every trending yet important topic like deep fakes and fat shaming, the storyline gets convoluted beyond the point of redemption. </p>
<p class="bodytext">Have you ever met a good-looking person and swooned over them at the first sight, only to watch all that allure die down the moment the person opens their mouth? That’s the emotion Junaid Khan evokes in ‘Loveyapa’, a ‘typical’ Gen Z love story directed by Advait Chandan.</p>.<p class="bodytext">‘Loveyapa’ featuring Junaid and Khushi Kapoor was meant to be the duo’s introduction to the big screen. Both Junaid and Khushi made their debut on OTT last year. While Junaid sailed through with decent reviews and praise, Khushi was at the receiving end of heavy trolling. However, ‘Loveyapa’ shows us the other side of the coin. </p>.<p class="bodytext">Despite many believing Khushi’s career was over even before it had taken off, she manages to redeem herself through the role of Baani Sharma. Baani is a 24-year-old trying to figure out the highs and lows of her love life with boyfriend Gaurav Sachdeva (Junaid). Junaid, on the other hand makes one of the most awkward romcom heroes Bollywood has seen in a long time, crushing people’s expectations of him acting as a replacement for the boyish charm of Imran Khan — who stole the hearts of an entire generation with the cutest romcoms between 2008 and 2013. </p>.<p class="bodytext">Unfortunately, bad acting is not the only thing wrong with the movie. The plot itself is enough to induce a migraine. The story revolves around Baani and Gaurav, who are caught talking to each other on phone by Baani’s dad Atul (Ashutosh Rana). To test their relationship, Atul asks the couple to exchange their phones for a day. What ensues is absolute chaos — a story about youngsters written and directed by a person who is clearly not from the generation. In an attempt to touch on almost every trending yet important topic like deep fakes and fat shaming, the storyline gets convoluted beyond the point of redemption. </p>