Harshit G
One of the best rom-coms I have ever seen. I Hate Luv Storys is a must watch for anyone who likes the "romantic-comedy" genre. And it has one of the best and most complete soundtrack albums in Bollywood. Simply put, I Hate Luv Storys is one of my favourite Bollywood films..
Rated 5/5 Stars •
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
10/28/23
Full Review
Audience Member
Bollywood review:
I Hate Luv Storys is a humorous modern love story with all the flare and drama of a Bollywood classic. Jay and Simran have great chemistry and the development of their relationship captivates the audience. Although the premise of the movie is grander than grand, the two meet on the set of a Bollywood film and fall in and out of love with each other time and time again, the audience can relate to the ups and downs of their courtship. The songs are great to sing along to and the internal monologues of Jay and Simran give the characters more depth than is sometimes afforded in Bollywood.
This film builds off of the Bollywood classic themes seen in films like Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge and Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak of a young couple willing to do whatever it takes to be together. However, unlike these films, the protagonists don't instantaneously fall in love and are often falling in and out of love with each other. The portrayal of love in I Hate Luv Storys is more natural and realistic than that seen in classic films. Additionally, the character of Veer, the director, has a style similar to KJo. Part of what makes this film to endearing is the Bollywoodiness of it all- the big dance numbers, the sets, the music, the drama. Since KJo is a producer of this film, we see his trademark over the top Bollywood style that film scholar Sangita Gopal says is more of the same, but brought to the extreme. This film is so fun because it is over the top!
Bollywood review:
I Hate Luv Storys is a humorous modern love story with all the flare and drama of a Bollywood classic. Jay and Simran have great chemistry and the development of their relationship captivates the audience. Although the premise of the movie is grander than grand, the two meet on the set of a Bollywood film and fall in and out of love with each other time and time again, the audience can relate to the ups and downs of their courtship. The songs are great to sing along to and the internal monologues of Jay and Simran give the characters more depth than is sometimes afforded in Bollywood.
This film builds off of the Bollywood classic themes seen in films like Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge and Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak of a young couple willing to do whatever it takes to be together. However, unlike these films, the protagonists don't instantaneously fall in love and are often falling in and out of love with each other. The portrayal of love in I Hate Luv Storys is more natural and realistic than that seen in classic films. Additionally, the character of Veer, the director, has a style similar to KJo. Part of what makes this film to endearing is the Bollywoodiness of it all- the big dance numbers, the sets, the music, the drama. Since KJo is a producer of this film, we see his trademark over the top Bollywood style that film scholar Sangita Gopal says is more of the same, but brought to the extreme. This film is so fun because it is over the top!
Rated 4/5 Stars •
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
02/16/23
Full Review
Audience Member
I Hate Luv Storys is a classic Bollywood love story hidden behind modern Hollywood aspects. It does an excellent job of maintaining Bollywood film characteristics while also poking lighthearted fun at them. One of the most iconic aspects of I Hate Luv Storys is its several references to other classic Bollywood films. Right off the bat, we learn that our main character is named Simran and is engaged to Raj - just like the classic couple in Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (DDLJ). There are also several references in regard to the props on the movie set this film takes place on. A picture of the parents from Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham is hung by one of the main charactres, Jay, and at one point a drawn heart is crossed out like in Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak. Similar to Veer-Zaara, Simran and Jay's love haunts them throughout parts of the film. We see a love that is so strong that our main characters cannot stop thinking about one another. For anyone who has seen several classic Bollywood films, I Hate Luv Storys becomes a very entertaining film to watch simply by trying to spot all of the references!
As Ashis Nandy states in "The Popular Hindi Film: Ideology and First Principles," Bollywood film successfully integrates Indian traditions and Western aspects. He states, "In a society where arranged marriage is still the ideal and also the most popular mode of negotiating a relationship between two families, Hindi films have created a new legitimacy for love-marriage..." As we see in I Hate Luv Storys, our two main characters, Jay and Simran, fall in love simply due to their feelings, not because their parents arranged it. We, the audience, know Jay and Simran are rightfully supposed to be together to fulfill the 'moral Bollywood world.' We are rooting for a couple that wants to be together and who met because of their predetermined fates. Even someone who is not the biggest fan of Bollywood film can appreciate a fated love story as these are also seen in some Hollywood movies.
Overall, I Hate Luv Storys is an entertaining, lighthearted movie that contains Bollywood film aspects while at the same time makes fun of them. I highly recommend this film to anyone who has not seen a Bollywood film since I Hate Luv Storys also has a modern feeling to it. The sets, costumes, and songs are well done and can be appreciated by anyone.
Rated 5/5 Stars •
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
01/16/23
Full Review
Audience Member
Bollywood has a typical formulaic way of building classic love stories that the audience can't get enough of. In some aspects, I Hate Luv Story's follows that same formulaic romance of classic Bollywood films and it does so with intent. In others, its efforts to be satirical yet bring forth a young refreshing Bollywood romance, fall short. The 2010 film, I Hate Luv Story's pokes fun at the sappy, melodramatic feel of Bollywood hits while becoming its own "love story" in the process. I both hated and enjoyed the film in the best way possible. I have to admit it was kind of cute after the initial overwhelming irony presented in the endless film references throughout the film. But to begin, the presentation of Simran and Jay's first encounter fell a little short. Jay was presented as almost annoying in character while Simran felt very over the top and slightly obnoxious. Frankly, I understand this was part of the film's irony in addressing how unrealistic Bollywood romance is, but it didn't work for this film. Then there was the whole "Simran and Raj" duo, which made a direct reference to DDLJ, in an effort to really exemplify the almost too perfect relationship Simran was in. From the very beginning, we knew what would happen; Jay falls in love with Simran, she loves him back, happily ever after... classic Bollywood in that sense. Once their romance begins to take shape, the film is enjoyable in every sense; as the audience you root for their love despite Simran's engagement and at the end, you are thrilled when true love overcomes both her "Simran and Raj" fantasy, but also his dreadful hate towards love and its story's. Overall, it was overall corny (with intent) but still enjoyable.
What was particularly interesting about I Hate Luv Story's was it's very obvious reference to a gazillion other films like Kabhi Kushi Kabhie Gham and Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (DDLJ), to name a few. Some of the references felt particularly out of place, but others were very suiting to the film. Specifically, the DDLJ reference brought forth a parallel romance. Just like Simran disliked Raj at first, and then found herself falling in love, Simran and Jay in I Hate Luv Story's have that same experience. There's a very direct and specific match in the way the love stories are presented; Girl hates boy, boy falls in love, girl falls in love, the two come together. Jay's characteristics end up falling directly in sync with those of Raj from DDLJ and it reminds us of how perfect Jay is for Simran. The film diverts from DDLJ in the lack of parental control, which makes sense considering the film is set for a modern Bollywood world in which parental intervention in love doesn't necessarily exist. Overall, the film, much like DDLJ, follows the Hindi love narrative described in Rachel Dwyer's Yeh Shaadi Nahin Ho Sakti; romantic love is for happiness and for a fuller sense of one's own being. In this way, Jay falls in love because Simran makes him happy and complete, and Simran falls in love because Jay makes her realize she is not complete or happy with her fiancé Raj. This is what makes the film enjoyable. I Hate Luv Story's presents us with a dynamic, lovable duo, who's love story becomes a favorite. Beyond the other the top cheesiness, I Hate Luv Story's is definitely a film to watch.
Rated 3.5/5 Stars •
Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars
01/19/23
Full Review
Audience Member
cute is the best i could use to praise its story...okay sort of funny in parts would be another maybe...but thats it.apart from looking like an unpolished screenplay with a dumber(read cute) storyline.the songs were the only good thing mostly.else,just an average movie! :/
Rated 2.5/5 Stars •
Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars
02/23/23
Full Review
Audience Member
I love Love history..
Rated 5/5 Stars •
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
02/14/23
Full Review
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