Ek Main aur Ekk Tu Movie Review - Watch it or not ?

Ek Main aur Ekk Tu is not a conventional love-story, this is one film that you’ll either love or dislike The movie has similarity with films like What Happens in Vegas (2009), the Proposal (2009) and the Mexican movie Recien Cazado.

Story of Ek Main aur Ekk Tu

The first half of the movie is based in Las Vegas. Rahul (Imran Khan) is the sort of person who has never come out of the shadows of his parents, they have a lot of expectations from him, which he definitely does not meet. Diagonally opposite is the character of Riana Briganza (Kareena Kapoor) who is ‘bindaas’ and practical. Riana after some altercation with Rahul, at a psychiatrist clinic, wants to make up for giving him a hard time. She proposes him a night of drink and partying; they have a couple of swigs more, so much that they end up getting married, the same night!

The next day, they come back to their senses. Rahul and Riana decide to get their marriage annulled, they have ten days to do so. But during this period, they find that they love each other’s company and Riana who loses her rented apartment stays with Rahul. The fact that Rahul does not have a job, allows him to have too much time to spend with Riana. Of course, he never lets his parents know about his job loss and so-called marriage. Riana tells Rahul to come back to Mumbai and stay with her, considering that she has just got a job there.

Back in Mumbai (second half), Rahul stays with Riana in the company of her eccentric, broad-minded Christian family. He starts to develop romantic feelings for Riana who is more interested in mothering him, guiding him and finding him as great buddy to hang out with. When Riana feels that Rahul is romantically interested in him, she is upset and Rahul is peeved. In the meantime, Rahul happens to meet his mother, and has to do a lot of explaining to his family. Will Rahul get out of his father’s shadow and prove his individuality? Will Riana fall in love with Rahul? Find answers to these questions in the movie Ek Main aur Ekk Tu.

Plus points of Ek Main aur Ekk Tu
The treatment is refreshingly, light-weight and interesting. Some of the sequences are quite interesting and can make you smile. There is no interesting Farhan Akhtar-type one-liners but still the proceedings make for an engaging watch.

Director Shakun Batra seems to be someone who has grown on a staple diet of subtle English romances(Hugh Grant-Julia Roberts variety) and Chris Columbus movies. Writers Ayesha Devitre and Shakun Batra do a good job with one-liners and witty scenes.

The cinematography of Ek Main aur Ekk Tu is fantastic; David Mac Donald shows that he is brilliant with his work, and those images of Las Vegas do impress.

The good thing about the Ek Main aur Ekk Tu is that it is not dramatic and not too candy-floss. It treads the middle path, and looks more ‘slice of life’, albeit, a premium one. No loud background score to heighten the emotion, no screeching, no manipulation of emotions, no saccharine sweetness, but stil the movie has light-hearted moments and sequences that you may relate to.

Minus points of Ek Main aur Ekk Tu
You will not find much story in this movie, there is just screenplay, sequences are used right from a few parties thrown in to the merriment in the family. There is not much conflict in the story apart from the fact that Rahul has to develop his indivdiaulitist streak, a premise that has been seen in many movies of late, like 3 Idiots and Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara.

Since the plot moves on the basis of conversational chemistry between the two, it feels like you are watching a Westernized rom-com serial rather than a movie. You may love the school visits, the celebrations, and the camaraderie but if you are looking for a core story, you may have to be happy with the trivial peripherals.

The music also could have been better, Amit Trivedi disappoints Auntjee Auntijee is a good situational number, but some romantic ditties and a good funky background score would have helped.

The marriage annulment part looks contrived, the movie could do without that premise too. The fact that the ending of the movie is something that has never been seen in a Hindi movie (open to argument) may either be appreciated or go down badly with the audience would have loved a logical or should we say, filmi ending. Also, this particular ending takes the ‘Valentine’s Day’ effect away from the movie.

Performances in Ek Main aur Ekk Tu
Kareena Kapoor has never looked so vivacious, she acts effortlessly and it is quite a treat whenever she is on the screen. She never goes overboard and is totally adorable. Check her out in the scene where she has a pillow talk with Imran, Kareena Kapoor looks absolutely beautiful in the luminance of the bedroom light.

Imran Khan has to act deadpan, something he is quite good at (and this is not an intentional statement!) He manages to strike a very good chemistry with Kareena. The character actors are quite impressive, the person who is Kareena Kapoor’s father is fantastic. Kareena’s family are fresh faces, and they are all very convincing and entertaining. Wish they got more screen-space!

Imran Khan’s mother played by Ratna Pathak Shah is absolutely wonderful as the elite fashion-friendly mom. Boman Irani as the business-minded father, sleep walks through the role and we are not complaining. Sonia Mehra is fantastic in the one-scene cameo and Ram Kapoor who just  has one odd scene, does not have to do much.

Best scenes in Ek Main aur Ekk Tu
1. The Dinner Table Scene- One of my favorite scenes , this particular scene is the best scene in Bollywood in recent times, perhaps after ‘Chamatkar Balatkar’ of 3 Idiots. The dinner table scene which has Imran Khan’s volatile outburst has everything in one scene- seduction, emotion, comedy and individuality.
2. The scene where Imran Khan and Kareena Kapoor have a talk about their background while on bed. She looks very pretty and the conversation is quite heart-to-heart
3. Sonia Mehra trying to seduce Imran Khan, which goes all wrong.

Conclusion –Ek Main aur Ekk Tu is an un-dramatic love story, or rather one should say a buddy movie between a boy and a girl. Do not keep high hopes, especially at the end. Or who knows, you may love the end (pun intended) !

Ek Main aur Ekk Tu Movie Rating

- *** (Good)