Ek Deewane Ki Deewaniyat

On the flipside, the actions of the character might seem problematic to a section of the audience. The makers have taken care of it in the film but it might be seen as too little, too late. The second half drags and moreover, the change of heart in the pre-climax is unconvincing. Lastly, the tone of the film is loud and though the masses will lap it up, the elite multiplex audience will find it dated.

Through the whole film, you only feel bad for three people — Anant Mahadevan, Sachin Khedekar and YOURSELF! Why have they done the film and why are you doing this to yourself! To sum it up, the film is the only thing you need to burst out of the big screen this Diwali. Bajwa’s character, in the film, refers to Rane’s character as Ravan. Well, she’s not wrong completely. The Ravan this Diwali is the whole film. Even if there’s nothing for you to do this festive season and you want to watch a film for the sake of it, even then, Milap Milan Zaveri’s Ek Deewane Ki Deewaniyat is not an option.

The screenplay, by Mushtaq Sheikh and Milap Zaveri, borders on ridiculousness when the story in the second half becomes about Adaa making a public declaration: she will sleep with anyone who kills Vikram. I am not making this up. The first half is Harshvardhan walking around in slow motion while Sonam maintains one expression. Let’s not mistake this for a passionate love story, as the final scene tries to convince us. The second half is repetitive and reminds me of the song 'I hate you like I love you.' In the performance department, Harshvardhan is nothing like his green-flag character in Sanam Teri Kasam. He tries to elevate a couple of scenes, but never quite convinces. Sonam too puts in effort, but when the screenplay has nothing to offer, you need someone of Manoj Bajpayee’s calibre to gloss over the faults. The music, credited to Kaushik-Guddu, Kunaal Vermaa, Rajat Nagpal, Rahul Mishra, and DH Chetas, is nice in places, but there is too much of it. The background score is deafening. To sum it up, Ek Deewane Ki Deewaniyat tries to pass off absurdity as passion, and Instagram-ready moments as storytelling. If you're looking for a genuine romance or coherent cinema, keep walking.

There isn’t much to talk about in the storyline, as the title itself gives away that the film revolves around the hero’s (deewane) passion (deewaniyat). Through its 140 minutes, all we wondered was how filmmakers still don’t consider the impact such characters have on young audiences. Harshvardhan, already a popular face among the youth, especially in tier 2 and 3 cities, will be hailed as the new crazy lover who fell for a stone-hearted woman. The film tries hard to whitewash his motives and actions with his character justifying how he never forced himself: 'Never said anything inappropriate, never touched her.' So what, man? You couldn't take no for an answer!