Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ

Newbie writer/director Imtiaz Ali enters the Bollywood arena with the unexpected comedic gem, Socha Na Tha. Everyone wants Viren (Abhay Deol) to marry Aditi (Ayesha Takia); after all, they're both from the same religion, caste and social background. But Hindu Viren is more interested in proposing to his Catholic girlfriend Karen (Apoorva Jha) and Aditi can't be doing with this arranged marriage nonsense either. So the pair make a pact to reject one another - a plan that's great in theory, not so great in practice.

Thinking they have cleverly pulled the wool over their families' eyes, Viren and Aditi carry on with their lives until a chance meeting in a department store kicks off a chain of chaotic events. What begins as an innocent agreement soon develops into full-blown family feud. As the unsuspecting clans fight over why their darling children snubbed one other, the duo get closer and begin to wonder whether they have made a big mistake after all.

"AVOIDS THE COMMON ROMANCE CLICHÉS"

Dashing newcomers Deol and Takia make a charming screen couple, delivering endearing performances as the quirky young lovers hell bent on making life as complicated as possible. Ali's dialogue and direction is equally engaging and avoids the kind of clichΓ©s commonly found in such sugarcoated Bollywood romances (there's not a red rose, helium balloon or cuddly toy in sight). Don't be put off by the rather artificial premise: Socha Na Tha bobs along at such a delightful pace, you won't be the only wondering "Who would have thought?" by the end credits.

Music by Sandesh Shandilya