Review: Luv U Alia is a path-breaking film

Film: Luv U Alia (U/A)
Director: Indrajit Lankesh
Producer: Sammy’s Magic Cinema
Writers: Indrajit Lankesh, Janardhana Maharshi
Cast: Chandan Kumar, Sangeetha Chauhan, V Ravichandran, Bhumika Chawla, Sunny Leone (cameo)
Music: Jassie Gift
Runtime: 141 minutes
Rating: 1/5

Rarely do we come across a film that redefines storytelling and filmmaking. Director Indrajit Lankesh’s Luv U Alia falls in that elite category.

Seriously, how often do you see a film that keeps you guessing about its story and the motto of its characters for most of its runtime? This is an out-of-the-box way of exploring the mystery genre, something in which Indian cinema has been lagging so far.

Before listing more of its laurels, let us venture on to the challenging task of figuring out the storyline. A young man named Kiran (Kumar) runs an unusual business: he plays matchmaker for singles. Nothing extraordinary there. But he also helps married couples break up. People around him keep mouthing lines like “Marriages are made in heaven and broken by Kiran”, and “Humare boss jodne mein Fevikwik, todne mein very quick.”

During one such escapade, Kiran meets Alia (Chauhan) and falls for her. Continuing with the 1990s hangover, his various ways of flirting are presented as romance until Alia agrees. But here comes the big twist – Alia refuses to marry Kiran despite dearly loving him. The reason is related to her parents – Dr Ravi (Ravichandran) and Bhoomi (Chawla).

Here are some other aspects worth looking at:

- The posters and promotional materials feature Sunny Leone prominently. However, she only has a five-minute song appearance in the film, during which she shows enough skin to appease her target audience. The soulful lyrics act as a bonus – Kamakshi Kamakshi, Aankhon se tu kill karti Sonakshi.

- The character of V Ravichandran is presented as a dangerous gangster. But it is only after the interval that we realise he is a gynaecologist. And since he doesn’t appear convincing from any angle, he keeps mouthing emotional monologues on how great it is to be a ‘Maa.’

- Chawla plays the heroine’s mother (that’s it, this point ends here). 

- The first half is presented as a gangster saga with a weird-looking Zulfi Bhai (P Ravi Shankar) hogging lots of screen time. Apart from giving constipated expressions while making lustful advances, he specialises in clicking selfies in every situation, that too without a front camera in his phone! But the most memorable thing about him is that he vanishes after the interval. A blessing indeed!

- Semi-porn star Shakeela is also part of the cast. This is the makers’ way of executing KSRY (Kanti Shah Rozgar Yojana). 

- South star Sudeep is seen giving an interview at the start of both halves. But he has no part in the film. Maybe there was some symbolism here, which normal audiences will not understand.

- Some serious dialogues go like: (1) Maa baap ka alag hona tsunami se bhi bhayanak hota hai. (2) Kya main tumhari caller tune sun ne ke liye tumhe phone karta hoon? (3) Isi tarah usme ego aa gaya aur usne mujhe “you go” keh diya.

In a nutshell, there are various reasons to catch this unconventional piece of cinema that challenges the usual norms of filmmaking.