MUMBAI: Bewakoofiyaan is another Yash Raj Films production, after Gunday, that invests in newer, younger stars. As the stars in these films grow in stature and following, so does the shelf value of these films. Since such films are made with a tight control on the budget and are backed by the same marketing machine that the company’s major films get, YRF is usually safe with the ventures even if a certain film does not make it at the box office.

Bewakoofiyaan is a romantic comedy in that Ayushmann Khurrana and Sonam Kapoor love each other. When Khurrana is promoted to the post of senior executive at the airline where he works, he celebrates by acquiring a car to replace his bike. Sonam’s talent lies in finance and she works for a bank. They have been dating for two years and now that Khurrana has been promoted, it is time to take him to her father, Rishi Kapoor.

Rishi is a freshly retired IAS officer whose grouse is that he never got a decent posting in his career. He has his own set ideas about what kind of man his daughter should marry and has made a dossier of suitors for her of guys who have minimum income of 25 crore!  The first hurdle Khurrana faces is that he earns about 10% less than Sonam and that makes him totally not suitable according to Rishi. After that, everything about Khurrana is a negative as far as Rishi is concerned. However, since Sonam is determined to marry Khurrana, Rishi sets terms and a timeframe for him to prove himself suitable to be his son in law.

Producer: Aditya Chopra. Director: Nupur Asthana. Cast: Rishi Kapoor, Aushmann Khurana, Sonam Kapoor.

Every day is a test now for Khurrana. Tutored by Sonam on how to deal with Rishi, he lets Rishi have his way, even letting him win in a game of squash. That is when the worst happens. Khurrana’s airline sacks 1200 employees and he is one of them. The logic behind sacking a just promoted executive is that, in his salary, the company can afford three freshers! Confident that he will land another job in matter of time, Khurrana survives on his credit card for a while until he reaches his three lakh credit limit which, as luck would have it, happens when he has asked Rishi out for lunch.

Khurrana now depends on Sonam for his house rent, car installment, fuel, pocket money and everything else. Yet, no job is forthcoming. Those which are coming are not to his liking. There is bound to be pressure on the relationship. While he is scoring brownie points with Rishi, somewhere along the way, his romance is on test.

The problem with Bewakoofiyaan is that, it is not a romance in the making which, since centuries, is exciting to watch. The script has too many contradictions, more so in Rishi’s character.  The music, which is a must in any Indian film but essential in a romantic film, is a total let down with the lyrics making no sense. Dialogue is uninspiring. Again, something that a romantic film needs is solid chemistry between its lead characters and here there is none of that between Sonam and Khurrana. Both fall short in performances as well. The one who gets around comfortably is Rishi, but then, he is a veteran.

While the film sags throughout, it becomes a little watchable only during last 20 minutes or so. Even this long weekend will not help Bewakoofiyan much at the box office.