When was the last time there was a comedy film that made one absolutely forget all the worries of the outside world and just invest in some plain and simple laughter with hundreds of other audience members in a packed theater? I am unable to recollect any, frankly. Yes, there may be a film or two that may have come and done some decent business too but by and large, comedy is just a forgotten genre.
Just look at 2026 itself. The big ones are Dhurandhar – The Revenge and Border 2. Then there is Bhooth Bangla and there too comedy was intertwined with the horror elements. Prior to that too the year had started with Chhaava and ended with Dhurandhar. In between the other film which did great business was Saiyaara. Thamma and Jolly LLB 3 had comedy but then at the core of it there was horror and drama respectively.
The only film which actually had comedy as the running thread was Housefull 5, though there too the slasher element was introduced this time, hence diluting the genre. One can only imagine that had the film been an out and out comedy and stayed on to be true to its mindless genre then the film would have only been a lot bigger at the box office.
This is where I trust Hai Jawani Toh Ishq Hona Hai to deliver, and that too big time!
First and foremost, it has David Dhawan returning to the scene. His last theatrical release was Judwaa 2 and it was a clean hit. He is the master of the genre and knows how to entertain audiences. Secondly, the trailer of the film promises an absolutely unpretentious affair where you are not expected to take any scene seriously. You just want to have good laughs and so far it looks that one would get that in abundance. Thirdly, and very importantly;, Varun Dhawan is pretty much at home with this genre. He has seen this up, close and personal with his father along with Govinda delivering countless such comedies and he himself has delivered hits in Main Tera Hero and Judwaa 2.
While good looking leading ladies, chartbuster music, presence of an out and out comic supporting cast and good production values are many other advantages that the film carries, it’s the three aforementioned reasons that make one a lot more sure that in the times of a lot more misses than the hits, this one looks more like a success in the making.
Of course it all boils down to whether audiences are indeed in mood to watch an out and out comedy and are not just willing to let their guard down but also be absolutely unpretentious in acknowledging that this is a genre that once guaranteed great entertainment, especially when enjoyed in a dark auditorium with hundreds of other patrons around. In the era of quick-scroll entertainment where one moves from one content to another in a matter of just 10 seconds, hopefully David Dhawan will show this generation all over again what it takes to have a riotous unfiltered laugh.
