Commitment-phobia
is
so
epidemic
in
today's
average
love
relationship
it
beats
the
HIV
virus
as
the
no.1
killer
of
our
times.
Like
all
those
lovely
movies
earlier
about
Nazi
atrocities
and
cancer
we
now
have
interesting
cinematic
takes
on
the
fear
of...gulp
choke...commitment
among
today's
couples.
In
first-time
director
Danish
Aslam's
Break
Ke
Baad,
Aliya
(Deepika
Padukone)
wants
so
much
space,
space,
space...instead
of
a
wannabe
actress,
she
could
be
an
astronaut!
Sometimes,
when
you
crave
for
too
much
space,
your
life
gets
spaced
out.
That's
where
the
voice
of
reason
and
sanity
comes
in.
Imran
Khan
as
Abhay,
Aliya's
sensible
childhood
chum,
movie-going
companion
and
wannabe
husband
and
shit-shoveler
is
such
a
steadying
factor
in
the
high-on-life
girl,
you
would
wish
him
in
every
denuded
potentially
self-destructive
girl's
life.
Imran
is
cleverly
and
perfectly
cast.
His
real-life
image
of
the
committed
one-woman
man
immediately
gives
a
cool
and
complete
credence
to
his
part.
Deepika,
one
isn't
too
sure
of,
to
begin
with.
The
space
she
occupies
here
seems
thrust
on
her.
This
is
clearly
Priyanka
Chopra's
territory.
But
hold
on.
Before
we
accuse
Deepika
of
being
miscast
(can
actors
be
accused
of
wrong
casting?
Hmmmmm...)
the
spirited
girl
begins
to
grow
into
her
character.
Soon,
Deepika
is
one
with
her
part
of
the
high-flying
utterly-selfish
and
brutally
unthinking
dreamer
who
wants
it
all
and
wants
it
fast.
As
a
pair,
Imran
and
Deepika
work
like
a
dream.
They
both
seem
to
understand
their
individual
character's
needs
and
their
need
to
fit
into
one
another's
life.
Of
course,
it
takes
the
stubborn
and
self-defeating
Aliya
the
whole
film
to
realize
rejecting
love
to
pursue
your
dreams
is
akin
to
losing
the
very
essence
of
your
dreams.
The
film
undertakes
a
lovely
and
illustrative
journey
of
self-realization.
Deepika
pulls
off
the
role
with
a
gradual
acceptance
of
her
own
blind
spots
and
embracing
the
world
of
love
and
companionship.
Some
sequences
between
Imran
and
Deepika
reveal
an
out-of-the-ordinary
empathy
with
the
dynamics
of
urban
relationship.
However,
the
writing
elsewhere
gets
uneven
and
sluggish,
considerably
diminishing
the
impact
of
the
plot's
core
relationship.
That
voyage
from
self-love
to
other-love
is
undertaken
in
Break
Ke
Baad
in
a
spirit
of
buoyant
joy.
But
the
lines,
between
Imran
and
Deepika
are
not
always
as
smart
as
their
chemistry
suggests.
Often
you
tragically
lose
interest
in
the
progress
of
their
relationship,
no
thanks
to
the
sketchy
writing
and
cardboard-like
incidental
characters
like
Shahana
Goswami
and
Yuvi
in
'Australia'
who
are
so
much
into
accessorizing
their
feelings
you
wonder
if
they
are
auditioning
for
the
sequel
to
Aisha.
But,
you've
seldom
seen
a
well-matched
couple
than
Deepika
and
Imran.
His
rapport
with
her
is
far
superior
and
credible
than
what
Imran
shared
with
Sonam
Kapoor
in
I
Hate
Luv
Storys.
Break
Ke
Baad
is
a
flawed
film
about
a
flawed
half
in
a
lopsided
relationship.
The
plot
moves
from
Delhi
to
'Australia'
(actually
Mauritius)
in
search
of
a
pure
healthy
air
to
breathe.
The
azure
sea
exudes
an
innocence
echoing
the
lack
of
artifice
in
the
Abhay-Aliya
alliance.
Break
Ke
Baad
finally
emerges
as
one
of
those
love
stories
with
a
potential
that
gets
squandered
in
an
attempt
to
be
constantly
clever
at
the
cost
of
sustaining
the
sensitivity
that
the
two
lead
players
build
into
their
relationship.
It
could
have
been
much
better.
But
Break
Ke
Baad
is
not
half
as
baaaaad
or
shallow
as
some
recent
'luv
storys'.
Imran
and
Deepika
get
it
right.
And
not
just
the
spelling.
Check
out
the
Box
Office
report
for
Break
Ke
Baad...Click
Here
Read
the
review
of
Break
Ke
Baad...Click
Here
Story first published: Monday, November 29, 2010, 12:07 [IST]