A
film
like
Thoda
Pyaar
Thoda
Magic
makes
you
nostalgic.
It
takes
you
back
to
the
light-hearted,
feel-good
cinema
made
by
directors
of
calibre
like
Hrishikesh
Mukherjee
and
Basu
Chatterjee.
The
focus
was
on
narrating
a
simple
story.
A
movie
that
put
a
smile
on
your
face
even
if
you
walked
in
with
a
frown.
Thoda
Pyaar
Thoda
Magic
does
exactly
that!
Strangely,
for
some
reason,
the
film
lacks
the
hype
associated
with
a
biggie.
Perhaps,
the
string
of
flops
the
premiere
production
house
[YRF]
churned
out,
indirectly,
took
a
toll
on
this
movie.
But
Thoda
Pyaar
Thoda
Magic
should
reverse
the
trend.
A
bit
of
Mary
Poppins.
A
dash
of
The
Sound
Of
Music.
A
sprinkle
of
Enchanted.
Thoda
Pyaar
Thoda
Magic
may
not
be
the
most
original
script,
but
the
sweet
and
tender
moments
in
this
enterprise
elevate
it
to
a
watchable
status.
That
Kunal
Kohli
is
a
fine
storyteller
has
already
been
proved
[Hum
Tum
and
Fanaa
were
accomplished
works].
Now
watch
him
handle
a
simple,
uncomplicated
story
with
dexterity
and
you'd
agree,
Kunal
has
only
matured
with
time.
To
put
a
long
story
short,
Thoda
Pyaar
Thoda
Magic
is
a
simple
story,
well
told.
It's
one
of
those
films
you'd
enjoy
watching
with
your
family,
without
feeling
embarrassed
or
red-faced.
It's
sure
to
put
a
smile
on
your
face
when
you
exit
the
auditorium,
which,
frankly,
is
a
rarity
these
days!
Ranbeer
[Saif
Ali
Khan],
a
leading
industrialist,
is
a
loner,
not
by
choice,
but
because
he
lost
everyone
he
ever
loved.
He
is
now
faced
with
a
peculiar
and
uncomfortable
situation.
In
a
rare
and
landmark
court
verdict,
he
is
to
look
after
four
orphan
children.
The
orphans
hate
him
and
want
revenge
from
him.
The
children
do
not
want
to
live
with
a
man
they
hate;
he
too
cannot
face
them
or
look
them
in
the
eye
for
certain
reasons.
Their
life
together
is
very
unhappy.
One
day,
the
kids
pray
to
God
for
help
and
He
does
help
them.
He
sends
his
most
mischievous,
childlike,
lovable
angel
to
the
rescue,
with
a
mission
to
bring
Ranbeer
and
the
kids
together.
Geeta
[Rani
Mukherjee]
comes
bicycling
down
a
rainbow...
and
bursts
into
Ranbeer's
house
as
the
self-proclaimed
new
nanny.
And
then
starts
the
roller
coaster
ride
of
fun,
emotions,
magic
and
love.
An
angel
who
doesn't
know
what
love
is.
A
man
who
always
lost
love.
Four
orphans
who
need
love.
Kunal
Kohli
opens
the
cards
at
the
very
outset.
The
car
accident
and
the
subsequent
court
judgment
set
the
story
in
motion.
But
the
first
half
isn't
without
its
share
of
flaws.
The
pranks
played
by
the
kids
to
harass
Saif
fall
flat.
They're
anything
but
funny
most
of
the
times.
Ameesha's
character
is
another
sore
point.
Actually,
the
film
could've
done
without
this
irritating
character.
However,
Rani's
entry
in
the
story
adds
magic
to
the
goings...on.
Her
interaction
with
the
kids
and
how
she
eventually
wins
them
over
is
enjoyable.
The
kids,
of
course,
are
the
actual
heroes
of
this
enterprise,
but
more
on
that
later.
It's
the
second
hour
that
takes
the
film
to
a
different
level.
How
Saif
bonds
with
each
of
them
and
the
turning
point,
an
incident
that
makes
the
kids
see
Saif
differently,
is
simply
excellent.
Ditto
for
the
finale,
which
may
seem
Bollywoodish,
but
you
don't
mind
it.
Kunal
Kohli
has
worked
with
the
best
of
stars
[Aamir,
Saif,
Hrithik,
Kajol,
Kareena,
Rani],
but
the
real
test
is
to
extract
performances
from
four
unknown
kids
and
that's
where
he
deserves
brownie
points.
It's
easy
to
handle
grown-ups,
but
kids
can
be
really
tough.
Also,
Kunal
doesn't
[thankfully]
make
the
proceedings
melodramatic
with
rona-dhona
thrown
in
to
make
it
a
perfect
'family
film'.
The
emotions
are
subtle,
but
nonetheless
move
you.
Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy's
music
is
a
letdown,
barring
just
one
track,
'Pyaar
Ke
Liye'.
Sudeep
Chatterjee's
cinematography
is
perfect.
The
effects
are
eye
catching
at
times.
Saif
fits
into
the
sauve
millionaire
part
[Richie
Rich
-
the
poor
little
rich
guy?]
very
well.
And
the
best
part
is,
he
never
'acts'.
He's
a
complete
natural!
It's
a
pleasure
to
watch
Rani
in
a
role
that
does
justice
to
her
talent.
She's
lovable.
But
why
is
she
sporting
the
same
outfit
throughout?
Ameesha
doesn't
work,
mainly
because
her
role
looks
like
an
add-on.
And
what
is
she
wearing
throughout
the
movie?
But
she
sizzles
in
the
'Lazy
Lamhe'
track.
The
four
kids
are
adorable.
Each
of
them
is
terrific,
but
the
one
who's
bound
to
walk
away
with
taalis
is
the
cute
Sikh
kid
called
Iqbal.
Watch
him
break
into
the
'Main
Nikla
Gadi
Leke'
song
from
GADAR;
it's
bound
to
bring
the
house
down.
Rishi
Kapoor
is
likable
in
a
cameo.
Taraana
is
okay.
On
the
whole,
Thoda
Pyaar
Thoda
Magic
is
a
simple
story
told
very
effectively
and
efficiently.
At
the
box-office,
it
may
be
a
slow
starter,
but
should
gradually
gather
momentum
with
a
strong
word
of
mouth.
Business
at
multiplexes
will
be
the
best.
Go
watch
it,
it's
a
treat
for
your
entire
family!