Zara Hatke Zara Bachke :a quirky romantic comedy with a twist, but falls short of its full potential

Zara Hatke Zara Bachke Review: A romantic comedy of errors set in a small town with quirky characters and an outrageous plot makes for a fun premise.

Director Laxman Utekar's directorial venture largely contributes to this. Once the audience is introduced to Kapil Dubey (Vicky Kaushal), his wife Saumya Chawla Dubey (Sara Ali Khan), and their joint family, it promises to be a laugh riot. All hell breaks loose when the pandit's family accidentally eats a cake that contains eggs. When Kapil's mom (Kanupriya Pandit) hits out at the Punjabi daughter-in-law for this fiasco, she tells herself that she wants to move out and away from the constant taunts. And so begins the pair's quest to buy a house, which turns out to be a proposition they can't afford.

Things take a bizarre turn when Saumya discovers a government scheme to get the flat. But here's the catch - since Kapil's family owns the house, he's not eligible. The dubious agent Bhagwan Das (Inaamulhaq) tells them that Saumya will be eligible for the women's quota if she divorces Kapil, and the two can remarry once the home is allotted.

The viewer is then treated to a comedy of errors as the couple fakes a fight to convince the family and the judge that they must divorce. A love triangle and nosy security guard Daroga (Sharib Hashmi) to make the ride crazier.

The basic plot of the film seems far-fetched when Kapil and Saumya decide to take a drastic step like separation (even if only on paper) to get a house when they don't really need it. The first half of the film is particularly ticklish, but the entertainment quotient drops after the interval due to unconvincing and over-the-top tracks like when the duo pretend to be brother and sister or when a government official turns up at Saumya's rented flat. verification and Kapil is also around. There's a medical emergency track that adds to the drama but doesn't move the story forward and leads to a climax that feels rushed and could have been developed better.

The supporting cast including Neeraj Sood and Kanupirya Pandit as Mom and Mom, Inaamulhaq, Rakesh Bedi as Saumya's father, Harcharan Chawla and Akash Khurana as Kapil's father give good performances. The Sachin-Jigar songs are catchy and the cinematography by Raghav Ramadoss captures the small town atmosphere of Indore and is well funny.

Overall, Zara Hatke Zara Bachke is an enjoyable one-off watch for funny punchlines, distant characters and performances. But an unconvincing story and lackluster screenplay keep it from reaching its full potential.