‘Hai Jawani Toh Ishq Hona Hai’ movie review: Varun Dhawan channels Govinda in this crazy entertainer & more related news here

When on form, the infectious, chaotic energy of David Dhawan’s cinema can make even the most cynical critic melt. After a lull at the box office, the sultan of slapstick summons a title from his inventory of funny songs and recreates the vibe of an era in Hindi cinema when logic is politely pushed aside to make way for a relentless cascade of laugh-out-loud misunderstandings.

Dressed in a sleek, contemporary cover, it teams up with writers Yunus Sajawal and Farhad Samji to deliver the fast-paced, rhyming situational humor that once defined the Govinda-Dhawan tempo. In his son Varun Dhawan, he has a performer who can convey Govinda’s frenetic spirit and channel the charm of a lovable scoundrel.

While the dynamics of relationships change over time, watching a sweaty, breathless hero fabricate a growing web of lies is a formula that hasn’t fossilized at the box office. The narrative revolves around wedding photographer Jass (Varun), whose career-driven five-year marriage to Bani (Mrunal Thakur) implodes due to a fundamental clash of priorities. His burning desire to start a family is thwarted by his professional focus. Seeking a fresh start, Jass travels to London and quickly falls into a whirlwind romance with the beautiful Preet (Pooja Hegde), who has an archetypal and intimidating Punjabi brother, Randhawa (Jimmy Shergill). The comic trap closes when expected secrets are revealed, culminating in a scandalous and classic Dhawan twist: Jass discovers that both his ex-wife and his new girlfriend are pregnant at exactly the same time.

A frame from the film | Photo credit: Movie Tips

Veterans will remember that David has constructed many fantastic stories around the plot of a man caught in the chaotic crossfire of two concurrent relationships. Saajan Chale Sasural (1996), Gharwali Baharwali (1998), Biwi No.1 (1999) and Do Knot Disturb (2009) were pulled through a similar narrative engine, where it deals bigamy not as a moral defect but as a playground for antics.

Here tryto create a bridge between two distinct eras of his own filmography, using his signature style, in which lines are designed to fit together like puzzle pieces, creating an artificial, overlapping flow of dialogue that sounds like a breathless argument in real time. David’s editing experience continues to dictate his directing style. He cuts scenes to the exact rhythm of a punchline or physical reaction, never allowing a joke to breathe or linger.

While the writers infuse the lives of career-oriented millennials with sexual urges, baby problems, and biological accidents, the comedy’s musical identity is designed to function like a time machine, telling the audience exactly what pure, old-school cinematic universe they’re entering.

The film dismisses the idea that a man must choose between a traditional woman and a modern one. Here, Bani and Preet are not reduced to a visual stereotype. In fact, they appear to be from the same designer! But unlike their ancestors, instead of embarking on a guilt trip, they confront Jass in the little time and space that the charade allows them to reason with. Mrunal is more comfortable in emotional interaction, while Pooja treats the screen like a fashion runway. Beyond the central trio, the narrative is populated by seasoned actors like Chunky Panday, Rakesh Bedi, Johnny Lever, Rajpal Yadav and Maniesh Paul, who ground the madness with their comic flair.

A frame from the film | Photo credit: Movie Tips

As expected, the film suffers from a bloated middle section. The story of the double pregnancy drags on, the pace stops and Farhad Samji’s pun-filled dialogues go beyond clichés. The final act, where another cliché – Mouni Roy lands as the mothership – rescues the experience as Dhawan systematically revitalizes the theater through the old slapstick that makes us submit to the rhythm of the ridiculous.

Hai Jawani Toh Ishq Hona Hai is currently running.