‘Zara Hatke Zara Bachke’ review: Duck-and-dive comedy is a hit-and-miss affair

The title of Laxman Utekar’s new film is taken from the lyrics of the unofficial Mumbai anthem Ae Dil Hai Mushkil. There are times when Zara Hatke Zara Bachke resembles a type of movie that the megapolis regularly inspires: the housing crisis drama.

Vicky Kaushal, who co-stars with Sara Ali Khan in Zara Hatke Zara Bachke, already has one such production to his credit. In Love Per Square Foot, Kaushal’s character enters into a marriage of convenience so that he may have a roof over his head.

A different game is afoot in the new movie, this time in Indore. Blissfully married Kapil (Kaushal) and Somya (Khan) manage to snatch snuggles when the rest of their extended family isn’t looking – which is rare. Things haven’t changed much since 1972’s Piya Ka Ghar, in which a newly married couple struggle to consummate their union in a small house shared with other family members.

If a fake marriage drove Love Per Square Foot, it’s Divorce Time for Kapil and Somya. A trumped-up legal separation, they hope, will solve their real-estate challenges.

The surprises are few. The slapstick humour is as familiar as the milieu (North Indian, middle-class,...

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