Love Story 2050 (2008)

Directed by: Harry Baweja | 180 minutes | drama, adventure, romance, science fiction, musical | Actors: Harman Baweja, Priyanka Chopra, Kurush Deboo, Jimmy Dhinchuck, Boman Irani, Karan Mehra, Mehezabeen Sarela, Archana Puran Singh, Rachit Trehan, Harsh Vasisht

Bollywood films have a recognizable form, which is rarely deviated from. They are actually always musicals, with at least six or seven song and dance numbers incorporated into the story; it is almost exclusively a love story, and if possible a love triangle; and the playing time is usually around three hours. Within these conventions, in principle, a lot of different types of stories can be told, that is, within a variety of contexts. A Bollywood movie can take the form of a comedy, a drama, a thriller, an action movie, or pure romance, but a story set in the future, in a setting with spaceships and all kinds of technological gadgets, is fairly rare. ‘Lovestory 2050’ has thus created a potentially interesting background for an otherwise somewhat boring love story with many “references” to well-known science fiction films, annoying sidekicks and a lifeless protagonist. Lead actress Priyanka Chopra tries to make some of it and the supporting role of Archana Puran Singh, who plays her mother, also provides some fun moments, but for the rest only the appearance and setting of the film provide any appeal.

The film starts interestingly with an extreme sports theme, with Karan (Harman Baweja) trying to impress Sana with a difficult mountain bike race. This theme continues for the scene where Karan is running after Sana when he suddenly sees her sitting somewhere on the bus. He jumps over walls and under fences while being chased by a bunch of irritated men. A nice idea, only slightly ridiculous because every time he seems to have left the men behind, he jumps back under or over a fence to be able to show another “spectacular” stunt. But when he tries to woo her, things go wrong. Harman has a beautiful wavy haircut but has the charisma of a skippy ball and has no chemistry at all with Priyanka Chopra. It is also quite problematic in a Bollywood film when the music is unnoticeable. There is hardly a single song that sticks with the viewer, neither in terms of melodies nor choreographies. The humor sometimes provides some entertainment, such as the moments when Karan kisses an old woman who happens to walk by when he has just arranged a date with Sana. And once Sana’s mother steps in, who is ecstatic about Karan and does everything she can to keep him close to her Sana, the film suddenly becomes a lot more lively and interesting. Veteran Boman Irani, as an absent-minded professor, is sometimes quite nice to watch, although he will become a bit of an appendage in the future. Here he has the role of “Doc”, or Doctor Emmet Brown, from ‘Back to the Future’.

This film by Robert Zemeckis is one of the many science fiction films that can be seen in ‘Lovestory 2050’. His mentor Steven Spielberg is often borrowed. ‘Artificial Intelligence’, ‘Minority Report’ are a few prominent examples of his films from which elements have been “borrowed”, which are often literally copied in appearance. And if the credo “better stolen well than badly conceived” would still hold true… but this is certainly not always the case. David’s cuddly sidekick in ‘AI’, for example, is represented here in the form of teddy bear Boo. But where the bear in Spielberg’s film was still a moral supporter and sometimes cute and funny character, the one in ‘Lovestory 2050’ is especially annoying and therefore has more in common with Jar Jar from the ‘Star Wars’ prequels.

The appearance of the film is, in itself, fairly professional and slick. Perhaps it has to do with the fact that Peter Jackson’s effects studio Weta Digital contributed to the special effects, but the film is not inferior to a Hollywood blockbuster. And while the futuristic city with its flying taxis is a familiar sight (from ‘Bladerunner’, ‘The Fifth Element’, ‘Minority Report’, and ‘Star Wars’, for example), the cityscapes are nevertheless atmospheric and the chases and explosions all look pretty nice. Furthermore, attempts have been made here and there to add new ideas, such as a robot snake that tries to whistle up a fakir, and a kind of “touch pad” color palette with which Sana can change the color of her hair early in the morning with a simple finger movement ( luminous) walls can adjust.

Too often, though, the film’s content is a mess, with poorly developed characters and sub-stories, including one featuring an intimidating space villain wearing a Darth Vader-mask of sorts, with whom Karan has an inevitable confrontation. The science fiction approach is nice, but the execution is unfortunately uninspiring.