Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara

Bollywood heads to Spain with this ‘buddies with issues’ road trip flick. Middle-class, Indian, middle-aged ‘lads’, Kabir (Abhay Deol), Imraan (Faran Akhtar) and Arjun (Hrithik Roshan), hook up in Barcelona intent on ‘painting it red’ before Kabir’s upcoming nuptials. Predictably, this stag holiday changes their lives forever. Made with support from the Spanish tourism authorities, the film highlights the usual tourist hot-spots, often at the expense of the drama. Never gaudy, this overlong film rambles on at times, intent on being ‘sophisticated’ and ‘sensitive’ fun within the widest commercial context. It largely succeeds due to its charismatic, handsome leads and a cracking ‘Spanglish’ soundtrack. Also, female director Zoya Akhtar instils fresh energy into a familiar ‘coming of age’ journey. Ole!