By:
Taran
Adarsh,
IndiaFM
Saturday,
June
09,
2007
A
love
story
set
in
a
school
is
a
rarity
in
Bollywood.
MP3
-
Mera
Pehla
Pehla
Pyaar,
as
the
title
suggests,
is
about
the
first
crush,
the
first
love,
which
one
cannot
erase
from
memory.
MP3
is
different
from
films
of
its
ilk.
The
lovers
here
face
no
parental
opposition,
nor
is
there
a
rich
/
poor
divide.
The
problems
they
encounter
are
pretty
trivial,
so
common
amongst
adolescents.
MP3
isn't
great
cinema,
it
promises
no
path-breaking
story
either,
but
it
succeeds
in
taking
you
back
to
those
years
in
life
when
even
holding
a
girl's
hand
was
a
big
high.
There's
a
certain
innocence
that
this
film
captures
effectively:
the
rawness
that
the
characters
exude,
the
shortcuts
that
teens
undertake
to
impress
their
friends...
All
said,
MP3
has
soul,
something
that's
missing
in
most
movies
these
days.
The
film
opens
up
with
Rohan
[Ruslaan],
the
male
lead,
catching
a
little
more
than
the
usual
forty
winks.
As
he
wakes
up
just
on
time
to
scuttle
away
on
his
bicycle
to
school,
en
route
his
close
friend
Sudhir
joins
in.
Enter
Ayesha
[Hazel],
a
bright
young
fresher
on
her
first
trip
to
school,
who
ends
up
having
this
bizarre
first-time
experience
with
Rohan.
While
the
latter
is
bunking
class,
he
uses
her
as
a
shield
to
protect
himself
from
the
seething
school
principle.
The
meet
ups
thereafter
are
full
of
drama
and
gradually,
the
two
fall
in
love.
But
a
misunderstanding
ensues
and
an
upset
Ayesha
leaves
for
France.
Rohan
desires
to
meet
his
Lady
Love
again.
But
how
does
he
cross
the
umpteen
hurdles
to
reach
the
Eiffel
Tower?
There
have
been
school
/
college
romances
in
the
past.
Some
worked,
some
didn't.
MP3
doesn't
attempt
to
make
the
bachchas
behave
like
grown-ups
and
that's
one
of
the
reasons
why
it
works.
The
pranks
are
childish,
but
in
sync
with
the
mood
of
the
film.
While
there's
not
much
of
a
story
to
look
forward
to,
the
wheels
start
moving
towards
the
penultimate
reels,
when
the
boy
flies
to
Paris
to
meet
his
girlfriend.
The
last
20
odd
minutes,
when
he
asks
her
to
reach
the
Eiffel
Tower,
and
their
respective
journeys
to
the
monument,
is
the
best
part
of
the
enterprise.
Any
shortcomings?
Oh
yes!
For
any
love
story
to
strike
a
chord,
it
ought
to
be
embellished
with
a
lilting
musical
score.
In
this
case,
the
music
is
a
letdown.
Worse,
the
song
that
has
been
publicized
the
maximum,
Mera
Pehla
Pehla
Pyaar,
is
missing
from
the
film.
Strange,
isn't
it?
Robby
Grewal
shows
a
definite
growth
as
a
storyteller.
His
second
outing
has
a
cohesive
script
and
the
execution
of
a
few
scenes
is
just
perfect.
The
climax,
especially,
is
noteworthy.
Cinematography
is
up
to
the
mark.
The
locales
of
Prague
and
Paris
are
enticing.
Ruslaan
does
very
well.
Good-looking,
camera-friendly
and
confident,
he
has
the
potential
to
be
the
new
kid
on
the
block.
Hazel
looks
pretty
and
compliments
Ruslaan.
Ruslaan's
friends
and
also
the
actor
playing
Shantu
are
natural.
Kanwaljeet
Singh
is
nice.
The
actors
playing
Hazel's
mom
and
aunt
pitch
in
fine
performances.
Manoj
Pahwa
is
spontaneous.
Gaurav
Gera
does
a
fine
job.
On
the
whole,
MP3
is
a
cute
film
that
succeeds
in
its
mission
of
pleasing
its
target
audience
--
the
teens.
At
the
box-office,
the
patronage
from
its
target
audience
should
see
the
film
through
to
the
safety
mark.
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