Vanki Chuki Love Story Movie Review
Newz Daddy Ratings: 3.5*/ 5
Genre: Drama, comedy
Lead Star Cast: Puja Joshi, Parikshit Tamaliya, Bhavin Bhanushali, Miloni Jhonsa, Dharmesh Vyas, Shekhar Shukla, Chetan Daiya, Hemang Dave, and Hemin Trivedi
Writers: Prem Gadhavi, Aditi Varma & Nikita Shah
Directed By: Dhwani Gautam
Produced By: Nitin Narayanji Bhanushali & Vaishali Nitin Bhanushali – Nitishali Productions
Music: Rahul Munjariya, Bhavin Bhanushali, Gaurang Pala, Aghori Muzik & Dharmadev J Maniar
Language: Gujarati
Run Time: 2 hours 36 minutes
Recommended: Yes, absolutely
Also Read:
Review of the Gujarati Movie “Jai Mataji – Let’s Rock”
Review of the Gujarati Movie “Shastra”
In real life, love stories are never in a straight line. They are always wavy, meaning “Vanki Chuki” filled with many twists and turns.
I had the privilege to watch the premier show of the Gujarati film Vanki Chuki Love Story. Directed by Dhwani Gautam, it features romance, comedy, drama, and some tragedy. Let’s discuss my viewpoints after watching the movie.
The Plot
The story starts with Yug (Parikshit Timaliya ) and Mayra (Miloni Jhonsa), making her debut in Gujarati films. They love each other, but they break up as it usually happens in most of the love stories. We learn why later in the film. Three months later, Parikshit is set to marry Tithi (Pooja Joshi) as an arranged marriage. It is a big family wedding, and Tithi (Puja) insisted to do a destination wedding and that too in a resort in Kutch for a destination wedding.
The twist? The wedding planner is Mayra (Miloni) Yug’s (Parikshit) ex-girlfriend! You want one more twist? Then here it is. Yug’s cousin Dev (Bhavin Bhanusali) arrives at the wedding from London to add trouble for the family.
The story follows whether Mayra will help Yug and Tithi get married or try to win Yug (Parikshit) back. There is also a sub-plot involving Yug’s father, played by Dharmesh Vyas.
The Positives
- Visuals: The film looks amazing. Technically, it is very impressive. The shots of Kutch’s iconic places are awesome.
- Direction: Managing a big cast is hard, but Dhwani Gautam did a great job.
- Comedy: To keep the film from being boring, there are lots of comedy punch lines and humour. The jokes land perfectly and are the best part of the movie.
- The Twist: While the first half is just okay, the twist at the interval is shocking and brilliant.
- Performance: The backbone of the movie is the performance of the star cast; it ought to be the best since you have such an awesome star cast.
- Music: While only one or two songs are catchy, the background music (BGM) is very beautiful.
The Negatives
- Length: The movie feels a bit too long, especially in the first half.
- Unclear Backstory: The reason behind the father’s (Dharmesh Vyas) past actions isn’t explained well. It feels a bit confusing.
- Dragged Ending: After a big event between the lead actors, the film should have ended sooner. Instead, it was stretched out longer than needed.
- Few Shots seems clumsy and laughable, especially the helicopter shot. It made me laugh loudly, sarcastically.
The Performances
The acting is the strongest part of the film:
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Parikshit Tamalia: Parikshit is an excellent actor, and I have always admired his range. His on-screen chemistry with Pooja Joshi is a genuine treat and has been a highlight across many of their films. In this movie, I particularly loved his crying scene; the sheer authenticity he brought to that moment proves his acting prowess. Unlike Salman Khan, whose crying scenes I find quite difficult to watch. Parikshit looks incredibly comfortable transitioning between light comedy and heavy emotional beats. His monologue at the end is perfectly executed, hitting exactly the right note.
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Bhavin Bhanushali: Bhavin steps into the familiar “chocolate boy” role here. While his performance felt a bit shaky and weak during the first half, he truly redeemed himself in the second half, where he handled the emotional demands of the script with great maturity.
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Pooja Joshi: Pooja is lovely and delivers a solid, consistent performance from start to finish. She is as naturally beautiful on-screen as she is off-screen, bringing a wonderful grace to the film.
Miloni Jhonsa: For a debutant in Gujarati cinema, Miloni’s acting is nothing short of mind-blowing. Her facial expressions are of top-notch quality, showing a level of craft that is rare for a newcomer.
Dharmesh Vyas: Dharmesh Vyas brings his signature gravitas to the film. I have always loved his voice; it possesses a unique depth and a commanding pitch. In this film, he plays Yug’s father, a character with slightly grey shades, and he portrays it with great nuance.
Chetan Daiya & Hemang Dave: Chetan Daiya proves once again that he is a remarkably versatile character actor. I am still trying to figure out how he managed to deliver so many sharp punchlines so effectively while keeping his mouth filled with mavo (tobacco). The level of practice required to perform that consistently is impressive. Together, Hemang Dave and Chetan Daiya are the undeniable highlights of the movie, providing the spark that keeps the audience engaged throughout.
Final Verdict
Overall, I liked the film. It isn’t a masterpiece or something brand new, but it is very watchable. We have a new kind of content coming in the Gujarati film industry, one after the other, and that is why I always love to watch Gujarati films.