There was a time when loud Bollywood comedies filled theatres with whistles, exaggerated reactions and endless confusion-driven humor. Hai Jawani Toh Ishq Hona Hai clearly wants to bring that era back. Directed by David Dhawan in what is being promoted as his final directorial venture, the film reunites the filmmaker with his son Varun Dhawan for a chaotic comedy built around mistaken identities, relationship drama and nonstop madness. The problem is that while the film desperately chases nostalgia, it rarely manages to recreate the charm that made those older entertainers work in the first place.
In an industry that has slowly evolved its comedy sensibilities over the years, Hai Jawani Toh Ishq Hona Hai often feels like it arrived from a completely different decade. The film throws joke after joke at the audience, hoping quantity will make up for quality. Sometimes it lands a smile, but more often it leaves viewers waiting for a laugh that never really arrives. What should have been a breezy family entertainer ends up becoming a tiring exercise in noise and confusion.
Two Pregnancies, One Hero and Endless Confusion
The story revolves around Jas, played by Varun Dhawan, a man whose already complicated life turns upside down when two women end up expecting his child. His marriage to Bani has fallen apart after disagreements over starting a family, with Bani wanting to focus on her career rather than motherhood. Instead of treating that conflict with maturity, the film often frames her ambitions as a problem, which makes several emotional moments feel surprisingly outdated.
After the separation, Jas quickly finds himself moving on with Preet, a free-spirited woman he meets in the UK. Their romance develops at lightning speed and before long another unexpected pregnancy enters the picture. Suddenly Jas is caught between his estranged wife and current girlfriend, both carrying his child, while he desperately tries to hide the truth from everyone around him. The screenplay then launches into a cycle of lies, cover-ups, misunderstandings and increasingly absurd situations that become more exhausting than entertaining.
The biggest issue is that the film mistakes chaos for comedy. Every scene seems determined to raise the volume rather than the humor. Instead of building clever comic situations, the script repeatedly relies on characters shouting, panicking and making irrational decisions. By the second half, the confusion becomes so repetitive that the story starts running in circles without offering anything fresh.
Performances Keep It Watchable, But The Writing Lets Them Down
Varun Dhawan returns to the exaggerated comic style that made him popular in films like Judwaa 2. He throws himself into the role with plenty of energy and commitment, but the material rarely supports his effort. There are moments where his comic timing works, yet the character is written in such an over-the-top manner that even his strongest scenes struggle to create a lasting impact. The performance feels less like evolution and more like a return to old habits that no longer feel as effective.
Mrunal Thakur once again proves she can elevate weak material through sheer screen presence. Unfortunately, her character receives very little depth despite being central to the story’s emotional conflict. Pooja Hegde faces a similar problem, with Preet written more as a plot device than a fully realized person. Both actresses do their best, but neither is given enough substance to leave a major impression. Jimmy Shergill and Mouni Roy provide some of the film’s better moments, while the supporting cast works hard to inject life into scenes that often feel undercooked on paper.
As David Dhawan’s farewell film, Hai Jawani Toh Ishq Hona Hai carries a certain emotional significance. The veteran filmmaker helped define mainstream Bollywood comedy for decades and delivered several memorable crowd-pleasers throughout his career. However, this final outing feels more like a reminder of how much audience tastes have changed rather than a celebration of his strengths. The film occasionally captures glimpses of the old David Dhawan magic, but those moments are too scattered to save the overall experience.
With a runtime exceeding two hours, the comedy starts feeling stretched long before the finish line arrives. There are a handful of amusing scenes and a few performers who manage to rise above the material, but they are not enough to overcome the film’s outdated humor and weak storytelling. In the end, Hai Jawani Toh Ishq Hona Hai feels less like a triumphant farewell and more like a comedy formula that has finally run out of fuel.
Rating: 2.5/5
