It helps that the material is directed by Homi Adajania, whose first film Being Cyrus was a dark, twisted look at a dysfunctional Parsi family. Adajania keeps it crisp. He reins in the melodrama, until the last half hour when emotions go ballistic and the plot gets needlessly convoluted, and the actors — Saif Ali Khan, Deepika Padukone and Diana Penty — bite into their roles. Cocktail is a fun, romantic romp.

Cocktail has just the right mix of fizz and flavour to allow the occasional and inevitable crinkles of triteness to flow well below the surface. It is definitely worth a visit to the multiplex.

So the story is about a compulsive flirt Gautam (Saif Ali Khan) who gets into a no-strings-attached relationship with the hot-n-happening Veronica (Deepika Padukone). Girl-next-door Meera (Diana Penty) is literally the girl Gautam takes home to his mother (Dimple Kapadia) to cover-up his live-in with Veronica. Until by interval point his heart starts fluttering for Meera. And the rest as they say is ‘history’.

You can’t hate a film like Cocktail nor can you love it in totality. If you’ve liked Ali’s storytelling before, there’s no harm in catching it at least once. Cheers!

On the whole, COCKTAIL has a fascinating first half, charismatic performances, harmonious music and the trendy look and styling as its aces, but the second half is not as tempting or intoxicating as the first hour. It pales when compared to the attention-grabbing first hour. Yet, all said and done, this one’s primarily targeted at the Gen Next, especially those in metros, who might identify with the on-screen characters.

For those who have loved Saif and Deepika’s ‘Love Aajkal’, ‘Cocktail’ will not disappoint you as it has some shades of the former. The storyline of the movie is gripping and will keep you hooked and booked.