Shahid Kapoor’s ‘Teri Baton Mein Aisa Uljha Jiya’, which released on February 9, 2024, has performed well at the box office. The film has collected approximately Rs. 72 crore so far.. However, despite this, it is not a flawless attempt at storytelling.
‘Teri Baton Mein Aisa Uljha Jiya’ centres on a human who falls in love with a robot and wishes to marry her while keeping her actual identity a secret from his family. Things take a shocking turn when her motherboard crashes and she becomes a threat to everyone.
Fans usually expect some amount of originality from a film. ‘Teri Baton Mein Aisa Uljha Jiya’ doesn’t deliver on this front. Yes, it is a fresh take on the Bollywood rom-com genre but the overall approach transforms it into a routine “boy obsessed with a toy” story, which one is all too familiar with.
Mixing science fiction with romance is not exactly a brand-new theme for the audience. ‘Enthiran’ and ‘Bahu Humari Rajnikanth’ helped the audience familiarize itself with the same. Simply put, they expected something different from previous attempts but it was not delivered.
The film had its quirks and witty comments. The jokes are funny but not funny enough. This leaves the audience occasionally giggling but often checking their watches. The storyline and dialogues are average, making the movie predictable. For instance, in a light-hearted sequence, Shahid’s character runs away from his wedding. This trope is very common in Bollywood movies.
Coming to the individual performances, Shahid Kapoor proves that he is a phenomenal actor and dancer once again. He plays the character as naturally as possible. Kriti Sanon does a fine job playing a robot, ‘Sifra’ programmed to fall in love with a human being. However, she has been compared to Ridhima Pandit in ‘Bahu Humari Rajnikanth.’
The film presents some of the grooviest tracks of the year. The chemistry between the two protagonists is a mixed bag. Some viewers might enjoy this fresh chemistry between Shahid and Kriti while others might think it is not very good. Shahid Kapoor had impeccable reel chemistry with Kareena Kapoor Khan in films like ‘Jab We Met’ and ‘Chup Chup Ke’, which might have impacted the judgment.
Films are said to have the power to affect society’s outlook. There has allegedly been an increase in toxicity in films in recent times because of releases such as ‘Kabir Singh’ and Ranbir Kapoor’s ‘Animal’. ‘Teri Baton Mein Aisa Uljha Jiya’ too features a debatable scene where Shahid hits Kriti. However, it goes with the storyline. That said, it may make some viewers think that violence is the ultimate power move.
To sum up, the film has its merits but features noticeable flaws, which may make some wonder if this is truly an example of good storytelling.