Review: 'Indoo Ki Jawani' is Kiara Advani’s show all the way

When a naive small-town girl, obsessed with the idea of hooking up with just about any young guy to gain 'experience', finds a perfect match on local dating app Dinder, her dreams of a one-night stand seem to be about to come true. Indira Gupta, aka Indoo, played with utter naivety and absolute charm by Kiara Advani in Indoo Ki Jawani, is as luscious as they come, and she's the object of fantasy of all the lustful teen Romeos in her Ghaziabad street as well as the lecherous old uncles, who can't seem to stop ogling her. The only ones who seem oblivious to her deadly beauty and youth are her family! So when they leave her alone at home to sort out her younger brother's admission in a nearby Engineering college, it is a dream come true for all concerned.

The 'Dinder' date who turns up at her doorstep, Samir (Aditya Seal) seems charming and absolutely decent. They bond over Kashmir Ki Kali, and the one-night-stand seems more than that, when events suddenly go awry. The local police are on the hunt for a suspected terrorist from across the border who has gone MIA in Indoo's locality and the action soon shifts to her house.

Mallika Dua as Indoo's well meaning girlfriend, Sonal, with the most bizarre dating advice is a riot. Sample this: All great romances start with one-night stands! Seal, who we last saw in SOTY2 does a pretty decent job as an educated, cultured young man from across the border caught up in the crossfire. The makers might have taken it a notch up in their attempt to cash in on the cross-border rivalry but it is all done with such good humour and most importantly both the youngsters make such a good case for their respective countries, that hopefully nobody will be upset!

The editing is slick and juxtaposes the suspense of a terrorist on the loose with the laughs that come our way courtesy the adult comedy. Despite the movie being just under 2 hours, it tends to lag at bit at the end, and the pedantic messaging about not judging a book by its cover and not hating anyone without actually getting to know them might seem too simplistic to explain the sensitivities of two nations at loggerheads. But the intentions are no doubt good and what Indoo Ki Jawani will hopefully be remembered for are the great laughs, good acting and a plot that entertains and attempts to educate! Not a bad mission for a small-time Bollywood movie.

Indoo Ki Jawani is currently playing in UAE theatres.