Film Review: Life Partner

'Life Partner' is a comedy about three split-minded friends who struggle to find marital bliss.
'Life Partner' is a story of Karan (Fardeen Khan) for whom 'love marriage is the perfect bet', Bhavesh (Tusshar Kapoor) who prefers arranged marriages, and Jeet (Govinda) - a divorce lawyer who has a 'No marriage' policy.
Karan and Bhavesh's lives turn topsy-turvy when they marry their life partners, Sanjana (Genelia D'Souza), a spolit rich girl caught up in various disastrous hobbies, and Prachi (Prachi Desai), a sensible Gujarati girl who stands up to her vain father-in-law (Darshan Jariwala). The post-marriage trauma begins when Karan is distraught by Sanjana's silly antics, while Bhavesh gets stuck between his progressive wife Prachi and his chauvinistic father. In order to free themselves from their marital mess, Karan and Bhavesh turn to Jeet. Jeet's advice only makes things worse for the married couples since he freely flirts with Sanjana and Prachi, and talks Karan and Bhavesh out of marriage.
How the couples save themselves from a marital mishap and re-affirm their faith in love and marriage all unfolds through funny incidents and tear-shed scenes.
The Cast:
Fardeen Khan as Karan Malhotra - The helpless lover who is madly in love with his nagging wife Sanjana and tries to cover up her many flaws. He's the domesticated husband who sleepwalks through his marital misery.
Genelia D'Souza as Sanjana Jugran - Karan's untalented wife, she's the spoilt brat who changes her profession every six months and believes marriage is just a formality.
Tusshar Kapoor as Bhavesh Patel - son of a wealthy Gujarati NRI tycoon, he's a family man who believes in arranged marriages but later takes a beating when his loyalty is put to the test; he must meet expectations of his demanding wife Prachi and respect his dictating father all at once.
Prachi Desai as Prachi Jadeja - a one-man woman who is set on her ways and expects her husband Bhavesh to support the decisions she makes.
Govinda as Jeet Oberoi - the cynical divorce lawyer who has convinced his pals, Karan and Bhavesh, they have made the biggest mistake of their lives by getting married. This Casanova skips the single women and freely consoles the divorced women.
The Crew:
Director: Rumi JafferyProducer: Abbas-MustanProduction House: Studio 18, Burmawala PartnersDistributor: Studio 18Music Label: T-SeriesScreenplay: Yunus SejawalStory: Rumi JafferyCinematography: Sameer AryaChoreography: Saroj KhanMusic Director: Pritam ChakrabortyLyricist: Javed AkhtarCast: Fardeen Khan, Tusshar Kapoor, Govinda, Genelia D'Souza, Prachi Desai
What Worked:
'Life Partner' deals with serious issues presented in a humorous way with straight-out-of-life vignettes, so it's easy to relate to whether you are for or against marriage. Some post-interval scenes are pretty funny - especially when Fardeen Khan dozes off while driving, or at Genelia's album launch party when she hits all the wrong notes while singing 'Kuke Kuke.'
The shots of Cape Town, South Africa and all of the song sequences choreographed by Saroj Khan (including the celebration song 'Gunje Angna') are a visual delight thanks to cinematographer Sameer Arya.
What Didn't:
Govinda is losing is comic charm. Although he makes you giggle in a few scenes, he's too loud and his lady-killer role is not convincing. Genelia is another high-pitched disaster as 'over-the-top Sanjana.'
The script is insensible and the plot, a mess! It's full of clichés - conservative in-laws clash with modern times, a henpecked husband who is torn between love for his wife and respect for his father, a rich brat who can't find her niche, and a progressive daughter-in-law, - all of which is followed by a lousy climax.
The Soundtrack:
Pritam's red hot soundtrack has created some buzz with a slew of tracks that stick with you after the first listen. 'Kuke Kuke' especially entertains since singer Antara Mitra purposely sings off key. Other tracks include the traditional Gujarati folk tune 'Gunje Angna,' sung by Sunidhi Chauhan and Kirti Sagathia, title track 'Aage Aage,' 'Poorza' and the romantic number 'Teri Meri Zindagi' sung by Soham Chakrabarthy and Shreya Ghosal.
Slated or Rated:
'Life Partner' is an all been "seen before" romantic comedy with a nice soundtrack, glossy foreign locales and a whole lot of marriage madness! If you're all for a deranged look at marriage, then go for it. Otherwise partner, your life can do without this one!