> MP3-Mera Pehla Pehla Pyaar

Director
Robby Grewal

Cast:
Ruslaan Mumtaz-Rohan
Hazel- Ayesha

Music Director
Ashutosh Pathak, Dhruv Ghanekar

MP3- MERA PEHLA PEHLA PYAAR is a flick that takes you back to your school days.Back to the times when you had your first crush,first love , which one cannot erase from memory.. It is cliched but has an inherent sweetness to it. For teenagers, ‘MP3’ is a film they can directly relate to. For adults, it is a trip down the memory lane. And mind you, memory never fades when it comes to one’s first love. You always remember it...

MP3 isn't great cinema & promises no path-breaking story either, but it succeeds in taking you back to those years in life when even holding a girl's hand was a big high.There's a certain innocence that this film captures effectively: the rawness that the characters exude, the shortcuts that teens undertake to impress their friends…

All said,MP3 has soul, something that's missing in most movies these days and everything about the film is surely refreshing.It has a refreshing storyline, two new faces (and captivating ones at that), youthful music (not necessarily addictive), good cinematography, and fine direction from Robby Grewal...

STORY

The film opens up with Rohan [Ruslaan], the male lead, catching a little more than the usual forty winks. As he wakes up just on time to scuttle away on his bicycle to school, en route his close friend Sudhir joins in.

Enter Ayesha [Hazel], a bright young fresher on her first trip to school, who ends up having this bizarre first-time experience with Rohan. While the latter is bunking class, he uses her as a shield to protect himself from the seething school principle. The meet ups thereafter are full of drama and gradually, the two fall in love.

What follows is the usual teasing and bantering by their friends. But there are also those who don’t want the love story to succeed and a misunderstanding ensues and an upset Ayesha leaves for France.Rohan, on realizing his mistake, reaches the airport to say SORRY. But, with the flight being delayed, he ends up sleeping in the waiting area even as Ayesha boards the flight. Missing her immensely and wanting to propose her, he leaves for Paris with his friends' help. In an unknown country, with very limited money in his pocket and no information about Ayesha, it's a tough task ahead for Rohan. How he succeeds in his mission is what the rest of the film all about.

The one thing about MP3 is that MP3 doesn't attempt to make the bachchas behave like grown-ups and that's one of the reasons why it works.Robby Grewal has tried to tell the film’s story not from an adult’s perspective but from the point of view of a teenager.The jokes and pranks in the film are somewhat childish,but in sync with the mood of the film& it doesn’t put you off.Rather, you relate to them and smile indulgently.The last 20 odd minutes, when he asks her to reach the Eiffel Tower, and their respective journeys to the monument, is the best part of the enterprise.

Acting
Ruslaan makes a confident debut.Ruslaan does very well. Good-looking, camera-friendly and confident, he has the potential to be the new kid on the block & has got what one needs to be a teenage heartthrob.Hazel looks pretty & compliments him perfectly. Their chemistry makes the film work. Never once do they look like newcomers. Kanwaljeet Singh playing Ruslaan's dad is nice. The actors playing Hazel's mom and aunt pitch in fine performances.Gaurav Gera (Nandu of Jassi fame) does a fine job.The three actors who play Ruslaan's friends pitch in with a good show & are natural.

Music
For any love story to strike a chord, it ought to be embellished with a lilting musical score & Dhruv Ghanekar and Ashutosh Pathak provide a youthful score. But one can't understand why the best track from the film,the song that has been publicized the maximum, 'Mera Pehla Pehla Pyaar', is missing from the film. Strange..

Direction
Robby Grewal shows a definite growth as a storyteller. His second outing has a cohesive script and the execution of a few scenes is just perfect.His characters look real and his handling of the subject will be liked by the audience (youth) at whom the film is targeted.

Script
MP3's script has a soul and ample contemporary situations which many of us can identify with - the adult DVD watching craze during adolescence, friends chipping in with monetary help in times of crisis, an understanding dad who can read his son's mind and help out, the anticipation of the first kiss. All such things are blended perfectly in the film. The second half shot in Paris is immensely good and the climax shot against the backdrop of Eiffel Tower sets your heart racing.


Overall,MP3 is a cute film that succeeds in its mission of pleasing its target audience -- the teens & is worth watching once,you will surely find the movie eminently enjoyable.This is the quintessential romantic movie this rainy season...

Rating:6.5-7/10