Aap Jaisa Koi REVIEW: R Madhavan, Fatima Sana Shaikh’s Middle-Aged Romance Is A Sasta, Confused Copy Of Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani

Film:
Aap Jaisa Koi

Director: Vivek Soni

Writer: Radhika Anand, Jehan Handa

Cast: R Madhavan, Fatima Sana Shaikh, Ayesha Raza, Manish Chaudhari, Namit Das

Runtime: 115 minutes (1 hour, 55 minutes)

Platform: On Netflix

Aap Jaisa Koi Review

Just as said in the film 50s are the new 40s and the rise in middle-age, old-age love stories forming integral parts of films is proof that audience are loving this trope. After seeing both middle-age and old-age romances in Metro… In Dino, we now have a sweet, simple but already seen before story of single 30 and 40-year-olds looking for love and companionship.

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The narrative follows the lives of 42-year-old Shrirenu (R Madhavan) – an awkward virgin who is a Sanskrit professor. After several failed attempts at finding a partner, he gets on a sex chatting app – Aap Jaisa Koi (AJK) at the insistence of his friend Deepak (Namit Das) and have a good time talking freely. Soon after, he receives the too-good-to-be-true rishta of French professor Madhu (Fatima Sana Shaikh). Despite being an arranged relationship, the duo soon bond and fall in love. Soon after they get engaged but this take a turn for the worst just days before they are set to marry. What happened that a relationship built on love crashes?

The answer to this question is what makes up the rest of the film while also addressing issues such as patriarchy, respect for one’s partner, middle-aged love and more. Scroll below to read our Aap Jaisa Koi review.

What Works

‘Shrirenu’ R Madhavan and ‘Madhu’ Fatima Sana Shaikh deliver believable performances despite the done and dusted narrative. The climax scene is one of the few shots that manage to touch the hearts of the viewers.

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What Doesn’t Work

There’s too much happening and all too soon. While the initial sequences – involving Shrirenu’s stint as a professor and his initial meetings with Madhu, are light and fun to watch, the narrative soon turns into chaos as a loving family soon turns into one filled with misogynist who look down at the women in their lives and want to control them. Maddy – who never fails to impress, soon turns into a man who gets insecure with his fiance’s sexual freedom.

Technical Analysis

Direction

Vivek Soni – you could have done a much better job.

Story & Screenplay

The Story of Aap Jaisa Koi is something we have seen time and time again in Bollywood, with one of the most recent being the Ranveer Singh-Alia Bhatt starrer Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani. Similar to RARKPK, here too we have a narrow-minded, misogynist North Indian family (Shrirenu’s family) and a progressive Bengali family (Madhu’s family) who give the women freedom to follow their dreams. The storyline is pretty similar to the 2023 film, included an expected climax.

The sub-plots too seem half baked. We wish writers Radhika Anand and Jehan Handa had concentrated a little on giving the characters more depth and an arc the audience would love.

Music

The music of Aap Jaisa Koi – composed by Rohit Kohli and Justin Prabhakaran, is average, however, it fits the moods of the narrative.

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Aap Jaisa Koi Cast

R Madhavan is a talented actor and that was clearly visible in several scenes of Aap Jaisa Koi despite the limitation of the poorly-written script. He does manage to form a connection with the audience, however it doesn’t remain constant like Rocky from RARKPK due to his patriarchal upbringing and mindset. Fatima – who recently impressed the massed in Metro… In Dino, manages her holds her here too. Be it the confidence with which she carried herself or the rawness she displays during emotional scenes, Fatima has delivered as much as possible given the limitations of the script.

Fatima and Madhavan share a good chemistry, however that changes from scene to scene and emotion to emotion.

Watch the trailer of Aap Jaisa Koi here:

Hope our Aap Jaisa Koi review helps you in deciding whether or not to watch the film.

For more reviews, news and updates from the entertainment world, stay tuned to Bollywood Bubble.

Also Read: Aankhon Ki Gustaakhiyan REVIEW: Vikrant Massey, Shanaya Kapoor’s Sightless Love Story Opens The Eyes To A Beautiful Relation

Grinell Jacinto

With nearly 10 years of experience, Grinell Esther Jacinto is the Desk Head of Bollywood Bubble. Her interests lie in everything that is kaleshi and she loves to dig deeper into the lives of B-town actors. She has a problem though – she loves horror films but will have chills the minute the theatres lights dims. She’s previously worked with Koimoi, UrbanAsian and SpotboyE.