Somewhere deep inside Luka Chuppi is the film it wanted to be: a send-up of the tiresome rituals and hypocrisies which bind socially-sanctioned relationships, and an attack on religious bigotry.

I dozed off during one of the “hysterical” situations involving a temple and a beard (don’t ask), and woke up only to realize that everyone in the frame was still…speaking. Monsieur Aaryan was quiet, bruised, stunned, hands on head, oblivious to the noisy characters around him. At this point he looked like the existential protagonist of a social message drama about an abusive marriage between film critics and their rants about cash-grabbing comedies. That would explain the beard. And the tattered clothes.

The film has a positive message but it takes its own sweet time coming. However, I will take what we are getting in today’s political climate. Aparshakti’s Abbas, who has had enough of everyday religious bias, tells a man, “Alien nahi hu, Muslim hu.” The hypocrisy of vigilante justice in the name of saving our sanskriti is called out, “Yeh dharm nahi hai, mudda hai chunaav ke liye.” An extra half star, just for that.

Between not taking itself seriously and spewing gyaan over how to win youth votes, Luka Chuppi cannot decide what it wants to hide and where it needs to look.

Luka Chuppi isn’t without its moments, but its downside overwhelms its strengths by a big margin. It offers shallow entertainment at best. Watch the film only if that is good enough for you.

Don’t go with high expectations and you might end up enjoying ‘Luka Chuppi’ on a movie-date. 

Utekar directs what can best be defined as an overwritten dummies guide to live-in relationships. There is so much drag in this 126-minute film that even the occasional build-up of momentum is punctured by the next chapter of humourless nonsense, such as a bizarre dream sequence with a child getting married and a scene at a temple.

Be warned, ‘Luka Chuppi’ isn’t a life-altering romantic comedy which sets out to make some grave social comment. It’s a light-hearted film — with a scattered, almost fickle, storyline — bolstered by good performances from a sturdy cast. While you may not put a ring on this one, you can definitely live with it for a couple of hours of your life.