Cast: Vidya Balan, Pratik Gandhi, Ileana D’Cruz and Sendhil Ramamurthy | Director: Shirsha Guha Thakurta
“Do Aur Do Pyaar Review: The film shines brightly due to the extraordinary and perfectly matched duo of Vidya Balan and Pratik Gandhi, who portray a married couple that has grown distant after navigating through years of a stagnant relationship.”
“Do Aur Do Pyaar,” a film centered around the turbulent waves of double extramarital affairs, deftly avoids becoming just another chaotic Bollywood marriage saga. This narrative could have easily descended into a bewildering tangle, yet it maintains a coherent and straightforward trajectory, illustrating the complications when forbidden love spirals out of control.
Set against the backdrop of these affairs, the film introduces us to four central characters – a wife, her husband, and their respective lovers. Their lives interweave closely, yet the ensuing chaos remains neatly contained within their intertwined relationships, avoiding any spill into the film’s narrative clarity.
Directed by newcomer Shirsha Guha Thakurta, “Do Aur Do Pyaar” is crafted with a delightful mix of light-heartedness and serenity. The film skillfully balances the exhilarating peaks of secretive romances with the daunting challenges of concealing those forbidden entanglements. The cinematic journey is propelled by the unexpectedly perfect casting of Vidya Balan and Pratik Gandhi as the estranged married couple, whose relationship has stagnated over time.
Through nuanced performances, the leads authentically portray individuals trapped in a faltering marriage, seeking excitement outside their marital vows. The script, penned by Amrita Bagchi, Eisha Chopra, and Suprotim Sengupta, invites viewers into the mundane Mumbai life of Kavya Ganeshan and Aniruddh Banerjee, a decade after they eloped. Their marriage, once full of life, now merely lingers as they both engage in significant affairs – Kavya with a charismatic New Yorker and Ani with a spirited aspiring actress.
In this narrative, straightforward arithmetic of two plus two becomes complex. Secret texts and calls underpin their increasingly parallel lives, as both partners are well aware that their paths are diverging, yet they keep their escapades hidden from one another.
A familial bereavement forces the couple to revisit the hill town of their romantic beginnings. This trip stirs dormant affections and memories, offering them a fleeting chance at reconciliation. Adapted from the 2017 Hollywood film “The Lovers,” this version transplants the tale into the culturally rich milieu of a Tamil Brahmin and Bengali background, celebrating their differences through culinary delights and domestic disputes.
Despite years of companionship draining the passion that once united them, a forced proximity rekindles a forgotten intimacy. However, the question remains whether this reawakening is enough to reignite a seemingly extinguished marital flame.
“Do Aur Do Pyaar” avoids taking a moralistic stance on the infidelities, instead presenting a refreshingly neutral perspective on the complexities of marriage and desire. It’s a genteel film that finds profound beauty in the ordinariness of its characters’ lives, making it a subtle yet compelling exploration of love, loyalty, and the personal quest for happiness.
