Some memories are buried in some corner of life, which can never be forgotten. Those innocent first crushes from school days, unfinished love stories and feelings that were never expressed can resurface at any turn through the dust of time. But the question is, can the unfinished love story get a second chance by living in the shadow of old memories? Or does this attachment to the past collide with the reality of the present and complicate relationships? Director Anuj Saini’s new film ‘Pahila Pyaar Doosri Baar’ tries to find answers to these complex questions through a brilliant romantic-comedy.
Inspired by the style of Luv Ranjan’s films, its script presents a beautiful blend of the world of today’s youth, their friendship, attraction, fear of commitment and complexities of relationships. The film’s canvas is colorful, its characters seem to belong to today’s generation, and there are many humorous moments throughout. Although the film seems to be indulging in its own woven formula in some respects, the acting of its energetic young cast and its melodious music make it worth a watch in theatres.
‘First Love Second Time’: Story and Plot
‘Pehla Pyar Dospi Bar’ revolves around three friends Gautam (Sparsh Walia), Vedant (Kunal Vaidya) and Shivi (Sargun Kaur Luthra). All three are busy in their corporate life, where work pressure, competition for promotion and loneliness in personal life have become part of their daily routine. As they grow up, the people around them move on with their lives and get married, while their own love stories remain unfulfilled.
A school reunion gives them a chance to relive old memories and admit their feelings for their first love. Gautam is a bit shy by nature and often gets lost in his romantic fantasies. At the reunion he meets Gehina (Alisha Chopra), who is attractive, confident and articulate. Gehna is also trying to recover from a recent heartbreak.
The two become close, and after spending a night together, Gehna begins to take their relationship seriously. But when it comes to living a life together and making a commitment, Gautham begins to hold back. Here, the film depicts an interesting dilemma of relationships today. It may be easy to be close to someone, but being willing to take responsibility for that relationship is quite another.
Meanwhile, Vedanta has feelings for Simran (Sakshi Vaidya) since his school days. Eventually he confesses his love, and the two begin to grow closer. Trouble begins when Simran’s fiance Vikesh (Gobind Singh Mehta) arrives to pick her up. With his wedding preparations already underway, Vedanta has little time to prove his love.
This part of the film depicts the conflict between unrequited love, past attraction and current relationships. While Vedanta’s feelings are understandable, the story forces the audience to ponder whether it is right for an old crush to reconsider such a big life decision.
Shivi’s story takes a different turn. She changes her personality and appearance to impress her school sweetheart Karan Shergill (Tushar Chhibbar). Karan is very popular with girls but he is more interested in beauty and fun than taking relationships seriously. Shivi becomes close to him, but gradually realizes that Karan’s feelings are not reciprocated. The meeting that she hoped would lead to love ends up leading to heartbreak.
Through these three different love stories, the film depicts the modern world of dating, where attraction, emotional connection and commitment mean different things to each person. When all the friends return from the reunion with their own complications, it becomes their new mission to help save Vedanta’s love story. It is from here that the comedy, misunderstandings and unexpected events begin to abound.
Although the premise of the story may be familiar, the film offers a lot of entertainment while striking a good balance between friendship and romance.
First Love Second Time: Acting
The biggest strength of the film is its young artistry. Sapush Walia has left a good impression in the character of Gautham. Gautham is a young man who dreams big romantic dreams, but gets confused when it comes to making decisions in real life. Sapush has handled his character’s hesitations, insecurities and funny situations with great ease. There is no artificial drama in her acting, and her presence on screen helps to move the story along.
Kunal Vaidya has played the role of Vedant very well. His desperation to get his old love back is the mainstay of his story. He has portrayed his character’s emotions and efforts to express them very effectively. Spash and Kunal’s chemistry is one of the strongest aspects of the film. Their interactions and natural chemistry between them make many scenes entertaining. Sometimes their friendship seems more interesting than the romantic stories of the film.
Sargun Kaur Luthra has shown a lot of confidence in the character of Shivi. She is easy going with her two friends, but when she tries to change herself to impress Karan, different sides of her personality come out. Sargun portrays his character’s charm, insecurities and heartbreak very well. Her chemistry with Tusshar Chhibber has also been effective for the story.
Alisha Chopra as Gehna is one of the biggest highlights of the film. Her character is not limited to a beautiful woman; In fact, he also has emotional insecurities, his personality is obvious and his approach to relationships is quite serious. Alisha has made the character very interesting with her dialogue delivery style and her screen presence.
Sakshi Vaidya has acted with great restraint in the role of Simran. Her character is a bit quiet in nature, but her character is not given much depth in the story. Gobind Singh Mehta has done a good job in his role.
The highlight of the film is Rajkumar Rao’s long cameo. He has portrayed the emotions associated with old love and undying love on screen in the popular style of Hindi cinema. His part adds a distinct energy to the film and may turn out to be one of the most memorable moments of the film for the audience.
First Love Second Time: Direction and Technical Aspects
Directed by Anuj Saini, the film is based on a familiar idea, but tries to relate it to the relationships of today’s generation. The writing team of Luv Ranjan, Zehan Handa and Anuj Saini has presented work life, dating, fear of commitment and undying love in a very light-hearted manner. Some of the dialogues in the film are relatable to the youth as they relate to their everyday experiences.
One good thing is that the film does not blame any one person for every relationship problem. Instead, it also brings out personal shortcomings, leading to misunderstandings and conflicts.
The first half of the film proceeds smoothly. School reunions, catching up with old friends and the return of unrequited crushes trigger a kind of nostalgia. However, after a point, the script gets bogged down in deciding which love story deserves more attention.
The second half of the film picks up the pace, where the friends’ efforts to save Vedant’s relationship create opportunities for comedy. The climax brings the story to a light-hearted and happy ending.
Cinematography and beautiful locations make the film attractive to watch. The hilly terrains of Dehradun and Mussoorie are perfect for the reunion and romantic parts of the story. The production design is bright, colorfully portraying the world of the young characters.
Music is the biggest strength of this film. Jubin Nautiyal’s songs, ‘Pyar Maang Hai Tumhin Se’ and ‘Jaane Kis Mod Pe’ help create a romantic atmosphere in the film. These songs evoke feelings that are not always easy to express through dialogue alone.
However, sometimes the background score has been overused. In both comedic and emotional scenes, the music sometimes overpowers the dialogue, reducing the natural impact of the moment. Even trying to be too enthusiastic in some conversations seems artificial.
First love second time: What’s good about the movie?
Despite these flaws, ‘Pehla Pyaar Dusri Baar’ has many qualities that make it worth watching. The first quality is the chemistry between the three friends; Their interactions and sense of helping each other bring out a beautiful and intimate aspect of friendship.
The film’s themes may appeal to younger audiences. Avoiding commitment, deluding attraction to love, and being caught up in inappropriate emotions—these are experiences that many viewers will relate to.
The acting of Sapush Walia, Kunal Vaidya, Sargun Kaur Luthra and Alisha Chopra strengthens the film. Rajkumar Rao’s cameo adds a special charm to the film, while the music adds to the romantic atmosphere. Also, the beautiful locations make the film visually appealing.
Most importantly, instead of reducing relationships to a mere ‘man vs. woman’ debate, the film tries to look at them from the perspective of personal insecurities and emotional immaturity. This is one of the most positive aspects of the film.
Love at First Second Time: What’s not to like?
The biggest weakness of ‘Pehla Pyaar Dusri Bar’ is that it relies heavily on the familiar romantic-comedy formula. Reuniting with school can be an exciting start, but turning old memories into a solid love story isn’t always easy.
It seems a bit unnatural for Vedanta to suddenly become serious about meditation, especially when they didn’t interact much during their school days. Even though Simran’s marriage is imminent, the fast pace of events makes the story seem somewhat artificial or convenient.
Gautham and Gehina’s relationship raises some interesting questions, but the film doesn’t delve into every situation. Shivi’s story could have created a strong emotional connection as well, but her experiences needed to be developed better.
In an attempt to tell three different love stories at once, some of the film’s characters are not fully developed.
Excessive use of background music, loud dialogues in some scenes and repeated attempts at comedy affect the natural flow of the story. The length of the film also seems a bit long at some places. The sharp dialogues and memorable confrontations that the audience got to see in Luv Ranjan’s previous romantic comedies are not present everywhere here.
The film has some good moments, but if the writing and editing were better, the film could have been more effective.
First Love Second Time: The Verdict
‘Pahila Pyaar Dusri Baar’ is a light hearted romantic comedy that tries to present the memories of first love, unrequited love and friendship in a new way. The performances of Sapsh Walia, Kunal Vaidya, Sargun Kaur Luthra and Alisha Chopra keep the film mesmerizing, while Rajkumar Rao’s cameo and melodious music add to its charm.
However, the story relies on an old and clichéd formula at several places, and some of its romantic twists are hard to believe. Still, the film has enough entertaining moments to make it a comfortable watch. Those looking for a light hearted romantic comedy based on young relationships can definitely watch it.
Rating: 3/5