Tedha hain, lekin kisika nahin!

Tedhi-Medhi Kahaani!

Love's not Time's fool, though rosy lips and cheeks 

Within his bending sickle's compass come: 

Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks, 

But bears it out even to the edge of doom.

   If this be error and upon me proved,

   I never writ, nor no man ever loved. 

Mr. Kunal Kohli should have signed “Hence Proved” at the end of his latest venture. Inspired thematically, and of course heavily, form a Taiwanese film Three Times, Teri Meri Kahaani is a tried, tested, boring romance; "Thrice a Love Story"  that is a disappointment. 

Set in three different era, 1910, 1960 and 2012, in three different places, Lahore, Poona and U.K., the film touches upon the loves of two people who are in love. The film celebrates love and how the lovers unite, inspite of the social, moral and blah blah blah obstacles. The director understands love well and his last releases especially his Hum Tum and Fanaa bear testimony to his mastery in treating love. Here, unfortunately, “As flies to wanton boys”, so are Priyanka-Shahid to Kunal Kohli, he kills them in the hands of a weak screenplay, for his own fun. He has taken care of a brilliant production design, thanks to the Muneesh Sappel and this has been done meticulously. But seeing the trams on Bombay roads or watching Chaplinesque movements of the hero will not be able to save a faltering storyline and a lame script. A historical setting of 1910 Lahore and a well-crafted Poona and Bombay of 1960s are the master strokes of the production designers. But what about the content? Love, Love, Love, Alone., that will perhaps lead the director-saab to leave his throne.

Aradhana/Rukhsar/Radha, Priyanka Chopra is as lively as she can be in the three different roles of the damsel. Javed/Govind/Krishh, Shahid Kapur, with his articulated movements struggles not to be the "fly". Three eras and three contexts; sometimes capturing the Indian independence movement, sometimes the Hindi film industry and sometimes the Skakespeare's Fest at Stratford-Upon-Avon, the film has touches of a moving history. Yet, everything turns bland. There's no Midas touch to reconstruct the age-old love stories strewn together to capture the triumph of love. Kohli only subverts the concept of a runaway bride and replaces that with a runaway groom, who is ready to have his nikaah accomplished with a married lady.

Except (re)educating the audiences on the net-izens’ lingo, Lols, and Rofls, and significance of smileys, there’s nothing novel for Kohlito deliver. Sajid-Wajid’s music is the only respite. Wish we could have a little more of the pretty ladies, Prachi Desai and Neha Sharma!

The next time you bump into somebody, in a train, on the terrace or on the road, remember a kahaani might be in the offing.

And for the director sir,Thank you Mr. Kunal Kohli for not making the film a punar-janam tale, you were kind enough to think of your viewers! And I remember, long back in 1997 when you hosted Chalo Cinema on Zee TV, you had severely criticized Dil To Pagal Hain for the lack of “family members” in the lives of the three characters in the film! The film went on to become a super hit sir. What is your take now? Times have changed sir, Shakespeare’s Dark Lady is now replaced by the Youth. Make something interesting next time, a bromance perhaps will fetch a few accolades!