Cocktail review

I have always been a big Imtiaz fan. I totally loved Socha na tha (my fav till date) and Jab we met. At one point I could watch any film that has any remote connection with Imtiaz. Hence I even survived the snail paced Ahista Ahista where he had done the screenplay. Imtiaz’s forte is relationships, romcoms and I dig such movies. Give me a light hearted comedy over any science fiction or superhero film. Off late Imtiaz had disappointed me a bit. Rockstar was such a disaster dude. Cocktail is fun and passable. There are a lot of things I like in the film. The dialogues are conversation, the film speaks my language and some of the scenes, and situations are fun, candid and dealt as is. For the first time in a love triangle we have the hero sit down the two ladies and talk about the triangular equation. See you love me, I love her, I said it. Brilliant scene. The scene where Deepika breaks down in the club and accuses Diana is brilliant again. Deepika is smoldering hot. Her smile is worth a million bucks. And she has acted well in the film. She has carried off drunken emotional scenes pretty well. Maybe she should always be drunk in all her films to deliver well as an actor. Stereotypes abound in Cocktail too. The problem with Indian film makers is that we can’t paint real characters. We still can’t accept a free willed woman who drinks, parties and dates men and hence the need to justify it with uncaring rich parents who don’t play, just pay and are never seen in the film. Such a done to death formula to evoke sympathy for the character I feel. Another cliché we follow is our location. Every time we have a love triangle, extra marital affairs, live in couples or wild child characters or something, we transport everyone to the west. Australia in Salam Namaste, New York in Kabhi Alvida Na kehna and (I don’t know which exotic country) in Cocktail. What, we don’t have live in couples or divorces or extra marital affairs in India? Also I find it amusing to find dialogues like- tumne us apartment ko ghar bana diya hain. Dah. It’s interesting to see how Saif’s botoxed face can still move muscles and emote. But how long can we see such happy go lucky characters in movies. Characters that stop random people at airports, act too familiar, flirt and are always happy. Characters that have a job but never seen working, characters wearing designer clothes, always making merry. I hate happy characters. Over familiar characters. I hate too much of pseudo happiness in films. Diana is breath of fresh air. She is beautiful and acts well. Long way to go but passable. Above average rather. Dimple played her part so well. The age though shows. The soundtrack is superb but way too many songs. Films that break into a song every fifteen minutes should be banned. It’s strange we haven’t yet found out which Korean/Russian songs Pritam have flicked his brilliant tunes from for Cocktail. Cocktail could have been a great film if they managed the length of the film well. Cut the melodrama dude. Come to the point faster. The film is long but deal able. One time watch I feel.