Do aur Do Pyaar’s first half is so refreshing and pleasant that the second half, especially the last forty-five minutes or so made me sad. The charm and joy left the screen. The lightness blew away. The spark died.

That is the heart of the problem. That this film is 20 minutes over 2 hours, when it ought to have been 10 under, if not 20.

How? For instance, the writing adds flourishes to its protagonists' characters that are subtle and get you interested in them. They do feel like the man, woman, and couple next door. Yet, they have a quiet uniqueness about them. You want to know more. You notice that the supporting cast is not as detailed, but you don’t mind because enough is going on in the story.

But suddenly, it becomes too identifiable, too ordinary, too dreary. So much so that, you know they could end up in one of two ways as a couple. And you aren’t interested in either. From the feeling of, “Wow, not a single frame has been wasted”, in a matter of 10-15 minutes I transitioned to “When will this be over?” My heart broke as I realised this.

And none of this is because the actors lose steam. Ileana D’Cruz and Sendhil Ramamurthy, have less and less to do as the movie progresses, but they are present, they make you believe them and their actions. Vidya Balan and Pratik Gandhi are only a notch farther up. They do not lose their charm from minute 1 to 140ish.

That is the heart of the problem. The film is 20 minutes over 2 hours when it ought to have been 10 under if not 20. There is only so much of the philosophy, the metaphorical fireworks, the characters’ dilemma that you can watch on repeat. In its attempt to drive home the point, the makers unfortunately lose their audience which was not too long ago captivated.

- meeta, a part of the audience