One of my all time favorites.

Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

The film may be flawed, but its message is not.

...and the worst part is not only that BREAK KE BAAD is retelling such a clichéd tale but with poor execution and little to no direction. From the first five minutes you can already tell how the film is going to end but still the director probably assumed that its fresh and attractive cast, scenic locales, supposedly hip lingo and ambition could and would save his script. Sadly, he was wrong. The main leads (Imraan Khan and Deepika Padukone) end up looking foolish and wooden in their roles of lovebirds needing some space in their relationship, with a role reversal of the guy being the one who wants to settle down and the girl being the one who wants to find herself and defy society's norms. Sigh! It's all been done before and way, way better.

Honestly, Break ke baad could have been a great movie.....but content-wise the movie fails miserably. Poor performance by the leads - Deepika Padukone and Imran Khan adds to your nerves....esp Imran's underacting and lack of emotions.Positives of the movie - Stylishly shot - Some of the locales are really nice....but it just feels wasted in a bad movie.Good production values - The movie has been shot really well. Every frame is neat and looks-wise every scene feels complete.Hard as I may try......there is nothing else positive in the movie.Negatives of the movie - Pathetic performance - The leads supposedly have been together for 10 years....but when they break up OR get back together OR meet each other as friends OR learn that the other one is getting married........there are absolutely no emotions on their faces.....which actually adds to the confusion in the story! When Aaliya and Abhay talk to each other...you really don't know whether they are talking as friends, or trying to get back together...or are they lovers again. Imran Khan needs to get rid of his smile....he seems to be smiling even in sad scenes!Poor character development - Aaliya is supposedly a bitter person....because of her divorced parents (calls her mom by name)....but I just don't see why she is such a selfish bi_tch....even to the guy who has been so nice to her (Abhay). She suddenly takes off to Australia for MassComm....pray why not tell the guy you even sleep with about your plans to take up the course?? It's really not clear why they 'go on a break' or break up. One year is no big deal to be apart....why can't they wait or try long-distance? No reason, again, why she decides that they shouldn't even talk over the phone during their 'break'?? There is one scene (which makes Abhay rush to Aus) where she drinks so hard in a party that she wakes up the next day. During her drinking binge, she fights with Abhay and throws the phone and walk away. Next when Abahy calls, another guy picks up the phone and says that "He's in queue". Abhay panics and arrives at Aus. Seeing him, Aaliya breaks up, calling him "insecure" Honestly...if you are drinking with a few guys madly and a dude answers the phone and tells "you are in queue"....wouldn't that be a reason to panic???? Aaliya wakes up in the morning after her drinking binge in the party next to a guy and she wonders if she had sex with him...and starts beating him....her boyfriend joins in (surprise!)....and there is no surprise in Aaliya's face....instead she calls him "insecure". Wouldn't a guy feel insecure in such a situation....or at least concerned if the "woman of his life" is safe or not??Supposedly his "insecurity" leads to a break up...and Aaliya says that she doesn't want to deal with his problems....heck lady...what is a relationship for....even if you aren't in one....wouldn't you help as a friend?? When Aaliya, after graduation, gets a movie deal...everyone is disappointed.....so much so....that she quits the role and heads back to India. Frankly...can't people make amends and continue with her movie? Afterall....that's what she studied abroad for!Overall...Aaliya comes across as a very selfish person. I am far from the notion that heroines should be "perfect"....but in the end....they should realise their mistakes....even if they don't become perfect afterwards. Aaliya treats love like dirt....even after she makes amends with her mother and realises that "People don't love her because she's special, but she's special because people love her"....I see no reason why she doesn't try to get back together with her sweetheart with whom, she's been together for 10 years.Abhay underplays his role to an extent....that it hardly seems like a character. Matter of fact....he seems like a defective person...who can't feel pain, sadness, anger, determination. His love for Aaliya is so strong that he still wants her back when she dumps him, declares that she doesn't want to deal with his issues, etc. Great going, doormat!Disjointed script - The script just seems like a collage project where different scenes were stuck together with Fevicol. At one shot Abhay & Aaliya are buddies deeply in love. Next scene...she's in a flight to Australia. Suddenly Abhay is in Australia. Aaliya rarely is seen attending classes....suddenly she's graduating....then suddenly Aaliya's mom is in Australia....suddenly she's back home....suddenly Aaliya's back home after advice from mom.......suddenly Aaliya's back in Australia after mom suddenly feels that "Aaliya's much stronger than me"......suddenly Imran is heading home.......and suddenly he decides to marry......and suddenly Aaliya's back home. There seem to be no lead for the action. The director has wasted space showing "how deeply Aaliya and Abhay are in love", he could have given space for scenes that leads upto the actions of main characters. At no point is it clear if Aaliya and Abhay are talking as friends or lovers or ex-lovers.Senseless actions of Abhay and Aaliya - The film is break ke baad....but at no point does the break or break up feel justified...nor there seems to be any desperation for them to get back together. I frankly just don't understand that why they just don't try to work on their decade old relationship!!There seems to be nothing between Abhay and Aaliya that suggests that they've known each other for 10 yrs. They literally are like strangers!!So let me give a final score - Story - 5/10 Screenplay - 2/10 Performance - 3/10 Direction - 5/10 Music - 6/10 (feels good with movie...but nothing memorable) Visual - 10/10I do believe that the director is talented...but his first product is pretty amateurish.....it's too Americanised and frankly....10-year-old relationships don't end 'just like that'.....overall....I'd give the movie 4/10

Debutant director Danish Aslam serves us disappointing fare in Break Ke Baad this weekend - a crisp first half followed by a damp and soggy second half. The teekha first half has Deepika's sizzling act as Aaliya - bringing some life & vitality to her usually expressionless face. Imran plays the chocolate boy lover Abhay – a role he has done admirably in the past and is the likable meethi chutney. Together, against my expectation, they both produce a very likable dish and have a crackling on screen chemistry. However, that spark between them is completely doused by the insipid writing in the second half.The opening credits are a montage of two six year olds falling in love as they grow up, with a shared passion of Hindi movies. The girl grows up to be the impetuous Aaliya who is full of life, but sometimes does not care about anyone but herself. Abhay is the ultra-sweet guy who tolerates all her tantrums and still adores her. Maybe because he realizes he needs her more than she does. However, when Aaliya decides to fly off to Australia to study, the relationship cant take the strain and the 'break' happens.This is where the movie goes to dogs – as it starts focussing more on other characters and side-plots more than the lead pair. Sharmila Tagore as Aaliya's mother heads a useless track about the ills of the world of showbiz. She also seals my belief that yesteryear's charming heroines lose their expressive faces in the process of ageing (maybe to botox). And hence are better staying alive in old movie reruns rather than acting in newer movies. Jaya Bhaduri, Hema Malini and now Sharmila Tagore – their faces struggle to convey different emotions – and end up looking almost similar in all scenes.The movie meanders along for quite a while before becoming a coming-of- age movie for both Aaliya and Abhay. And this is the movie's biggest failure – since the scriptwriter clearly doesn't have the maturity to handle this topic as much as he has a handle on romance. The climax is stupid even by the low standards of rom-coms – and which is where you write the movie off as a failurePS - Something struck me a couple of days after I watched the movie – when you watch the movie, you can tell me if I was wrong or right. I thought Aaliya's character and idiosyncrasies were heavily based on Jab We Met's Geet . None of the Bhatinda Punjabi madness, but a calculated effort by the makers to use that quirkiness and happy-go-lucky nature. But then again, Geet was a million times better than Aaliya would ever be.You can read more of my reviews at http://bombaycinephile.blogspot.com

Danish Aslam's 'Break Ke Baad' is an average attempt, which tries to be super-cool, but falls flat. The characters appear confused after a certain point, the writing gets hyper, so hyper, that it even culminates unconvincingly.'Break Ke Baad' is about a couple, who take a Break from their decade old relationship. It's the chick who decides to do so. From there on, it's just how the boy tries to bring back things properly.The idea is fresh, and to give the writer-director his due, he even successfully starts the film. The first 30-35 minutes to hold your attention, and you expect the graph to just go upper. Sadly, the second hour, is a total mess. The writing isn't tight from there on, and even it's characters begin to bore. As far as the climax, it's the weakest link. It leaves no impact whatsoever! Music by Vishal-Shekhar is cool, and so is Deepika Padukone's performance. Imran Khan, however, doesn't leave an impression. The supporting cast lend able support.On the whole, An exciting idea gone wrong!