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ZARA HATKE ZARA BACHKE is the story of a couple that comes up with a novel idea to solve their woes. Kapil Dubey (Vicky Kaushal) is happily married to Somya Chawla Dubey (Sara Ali Khan) for two years. They reside with their parents Ved Prakash Dubey (Akash Khurana) and Mamta Dubey (Anubbhaa Fatehpuria) in a house in Indore. For the last six months, Kapil's maternal uncle Purshottam Mama (Neeraj Sood) and aunt Deepa Mami (Kanupriya Shankar Pandit) have started residing at their place. Kapil and Somya are compelled to give up their bedroom to them. They don't have any privacy, as a result. Somya, hence, suggests to Kapil that they should have their own house. They start house hunting but soon realise that real estate prices are quite sky high. One day, Somya learns about Jan Awas Yojna, a government scheme that provides houses for cheaper rates. Kapil tries to apply for it but is told that he is not eligible for it as the scheme is only for economically weaker sections and those who don't have a pucca house of their own already. Bhagwandas (Inaamulhaq), an employee at the Jan Awas Yojna office, bumps into Kapil and he assures the latter that he can get him and Somya a house. He has a condition: Kapil and Somya will have to get divorced. What happens next forms the rest of the film.

Maitrey Bajpai, Ramiz Ilham Khan and Laxman Utekar's story is relatable and a cross between LOVE PER SQUARE FOOT [2018] and HINDI MEDIUM [2017]. Maitrey Bajpai, Ramiz Ilham Khan and Laxman Utekar's screenplay is fine till a point but then falters in the second half. Maitrey Bajpai and Ramiz Ilham Khan's dialogues are funny in several places. But emotionally, the one-liners should have been more impactful.

Laxman Utekar's direction is decent. He rocked the show with his last film MIMI (2021) but here, he doesn't seem to be in the best form. To give credit where it's due, he has handled some scenes quite well like the second anniversary celebration, Kapil and Somya pretending to fight in front of Kapil’s family, Kapil and Somya meeting Bhagwandas and their regular dates at a roadside eatery. The courtroom scenes in the first half are hilarious and also the best part of the film. Moreover, the aspiration of having one’s own house is a factor that many in urban areas will be able to relate to.

On the flipside, the film never really goes on a high. A lot of plot points seem sudden like the character of Mehjabeen (Srishti Ganguli Rindani), Kapil saving Somya's name as Gopi and Kapil's unpunctuality habit. These plot points had an important part in the story and should have been inserted in the narrative earlier rather than throwing it to the audience mid-way and bewildering them. The climax is intended to be moving but turns out to be pretty convenient.

Zara Hatke Zara Bach Ke | Official Trailer | Vicky Kaushal | Sara Ali Khan

Speaking of performances, Vicky Kaushal seems apt for the part and is quite likeable. He also plays his role with innocence and sincerity. Sara Ali Khan puts up a confident act and has a great screen presence. Neeraj Sood is decent while Kanupriya Shankar Pandit is memorable. Inaamulhaq is too good. Srishti Ganguli Rindani is lovely though she is let down by the writing. Himanshi Kohli (Advocate Manoj Bhagel) rocks the show. Sharib Hashmi (Daroga Raghuvanshi) is adorable as always. Vivan Shah (Sajjan; kid) is okay. Akash Khurana and Anubbhaa Fatehpuria don’t get much scope. Rakesh Bedi (Harcharan Chawla) tries hard to be funny but fails. Sushmita Mukherjee (Roshni Chawla) is hardly there. Atul Tiwari (Judge Anil Kumar Paliwal) leaves a huge impact in a small role. Dimpy Mishra (Dimpy Sir) is nothing special.

Sachin-Jigar's music is a mixed bag. 'Phir Aur Kya Chahiye' is very soulful and catchy. 'Tere Vaaste' and 'Saanjha' fail to register. 'Baby Tujhe Paap Lagega' is missing in the film. Sandeep Shirodkar's background score is a bit quirky as per the film’s mood. The instrumental versions of ‘Dekho Maine Dekha Hai Ek Sapna’ are great.

Raghav Ramadoss' cinematography is appropriate. Subrata Chakraborty and Amit Ray's production design is realistic. Sheetal Iqbal Sharma's costumes suit the characters and their economic status. Manish Pradhan's editing is neat.

On the whole, though ZARA HATKE ZARA BACHKE suffers due to the poor writing, it also rests on funny and memorable scenes in the first half and a very relatable subject, especially from the urban perspective. At the box office, it can benefit if its target audience, that is the families, give the film a thumbs up.