From Sydney with Love : Return to Sender or Sydney Can Keep It

Director: Prateek Chakravorty; Cast: Sharad Malhotra, Evelyn Sharma

Rating: U/A

1.5 Stars

From Sydney with Love starts off seeming like a new age campus romance set in the spectacular Australian city at the University of NSW. However, it is nothing but a potboiler that ends up oversimplifying attempted complication. It dodders unsteadily until midway and then like a skydiver jumping off having forgotten a vital component, it goes into free-fall and ends up, well, messy.

Small town girl goes to study abroad. Boys of every kind – “normal/hero-type”, “negative/wheatish complexion”, “fat/good-heart” – fall for her. She comes back to India. Two contestants remain. One wins without good reason. Game over.

Even if the makers stuck to this story alone, it could’ve still – maybe – been a digestible film. Instead somewhere twelve hours into the second half you find yourself being told about the girl’s sister’s boyfriend’s character in great detail (the main girl forgotten) -- for a great amount of time -- with a great (not really) flashback thrown in. Why would anyone care? Especially if it’s lining up towards the climax it’s aiming for?

If a line of dialogue has been used in three or more Hindi films, it is in the FSWL script. You’ve heard every line of dialogue before. This is cleverly covered up by making the (non) effort seem intentional as philmi metaphors are freely used from the more familiar titles: Chak De, DDLJ, DCH, etc. This is typical of such B-movies that insist on playing safe: love story, a discount glossy look, a second half inspired by DDLJ. Move on, makers. Nobody wants to see clichés with newcomer actors with their set of stock expressions. 

Movie review, karan anshuman, From Sydney with Love, Evelyn Sharma, Life & More

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