Aryan Agnihotri is a successful robotic engineer who falls in love with the gorgeous Sifra during a work trip to the U.S. However, in a surprising twist, Aryan discovers that Sifra is actually a groundbreaking robot being tested by his aunt. Shocked by this revelation, Aryan must grapple with the ethical and emotional implications of their relationship. Despite his initial reservations, he decides to introduce Sifra to his family. Can their unconventional love story withstand the challenges they face?
Written and directed by Amit Joshi and Aradhana Sah, the 2024 romantic-comedy “Teri Baaton Mein Aisa Uljha Jiya” promises fresh material for Bollywood fans, where a dashing eligible bachelor romances a dazzling AI. Although the Hindi serial “Karishma kaa Karishmaa” introduced Indian audiences to a lifelike robot in the early 2000s, itself a remake of the American show “Small Wonder.”
Visually, “Teri Baaton Mein Aisa Uljha Jiya” is a captivating spectacle, and Kriti Sanon is perfectly cast as Sifra, a lifelike robot who mimics humans almost flawlessly. Kriti’s Sifra is intelligent (duh right, she is AI), and extremely perceptive of human emotions as she can read facial expressions. Shahid Kapoor plays protagonist Aryan Agnihotri, a cynical young robotic engineer who is weary of his family pressuring him into marriage. His character, unfortunately, comes off as somewhat one-dimensional; he’s overly picky about his ideal partner, and as the plot unfolds, it becomes apparent that Aryan’s concept of an ideal partner is a girl who is gorgeous, shares the same interests as him, can cook right, and serve him great black coffee. Sounds like he needs a good-looking maid, not a wife. And while there may be more depth to his character, the film fails to showcase any additional facets of his personality. So, it’s obvious that Aryan falls in love with a robot programmed to do his bidding.
Dimple Kapadia shines in her supporting role as Aryan’s aunt and boss, Urmila Shukla, a smart, analytical and practical boss-woman. She heads the robotics firm and leads the team responsible for developing the lifelike Sifra. The rest of the cast is pretty middling in the movie, serving to play up the “mad Delhi family” which is just interested in getting Aryan married off. The marriage subplot grants the creators ample freedom to incorporate lively desi songs and vibrant pre-wedding rituals, which adds to its visual appeal.
Overall, “Teri Baaton Mein Aisa Uljha Jiya” is pretty formulaic, despite exploring new territory for Bollywood — what does it mean for a human to fall for an AI? Of course, since it’s a romantic comedy film, it’s too much to expect the plot to explore the theme seriously, but even the comedy is pretty mediocre and there are very few laugh-out-loud moments in the script. The climactic twist is glitchy and dragged out, even though it does contain some surprise factor, and it also steers clear from becoming preachy or too emotional. Kriti Sanon’s simple and charming portrayal of Sifra makes the film worth a one-time-watch. At least it’s a lot better than “Wifelife”, a film which explores what life would be like for AI robots like Sifra, once they are launched in the market.
Rating: 5.5/10. Stream the film on Prime Video.
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