(For the record, aversion to using birth control is a universal male phenomenon.) Rather than vehemently objecting, which would have been a believable reaction, he responds with what sounds like banter. She says, “no wonder you guys end up having so many kids”, referring to a widespread stereotype of Indian Muslims. That said, the scene featuring Jyoti’s comment needed greater clarity. The insecurity is unsurprising, considering the amount of propaganda all around us and possibly even the warnings she has personally received from ‘well-wishers’. (Spoilers ahead) At first, I was thrown off – and put off – by a comment about Muslims that Jyoti laughingly makes to Ashu, but as the film progresses, her ‘light-hearted’ remark connects logically to her underlying insecurity about this relationship that becomes evident during a fight between them. Sanya Malhotra, Vikrant Massey in a still from Love Hostel Love Hostel compels us to confront the reality that just as love can drive humans to rise above their upbringing and social conditioning, arguments and tension could well cause both to resurface. The common assumption about persons in inter-community marriages is that they would be virtuous and prejudice-free. The most intelligent, unexpected aspect of the screenplay is the characterisation of the lead couple’s bond.
He is a hate-filled man doggedly moving towards his aim of what he describes as cleansing society, so when he strays from his purposefulness with a round of impetuous bloodletting it is unconvincing. This unrelenting flow of activity is fitting in the first half, though the second half is in places lost to the cursory treatment given to a couple of seemingly significant supporting characters and episodes of violence that could belong to just about any underworld film, especially a scene in which Dagar’s actions get mindless. Love Hostel zooms in and out of the family at its centre, to give us a micro picture and a bird’s eye view of the socio-political reality that Jyoti and Ashu are battling. Shanker’s brilliant Gurgaon was a brooding deep dive into a dysfunctional family emblematic of their home city. Building on that courage, cinematographer turned writer-director Shanker Raman has made a thought-provoking film about a bleak real-life scenario. In the present political atmosphere pervading the country, where the reprehensible concepts of ‘love jihad’ and ‘honour killings’ have prominence in the public discourse, raising this question is nothing short of an act of courage. Besides, the subtitles are indispensable because of the Hindi-Haryanvi mix spoken by some characters and their heavy accents. Looking away even briefly could mean missing a crucial shot, a glance, a paper perhaps, that supplements the conversations. Watching Love Hostel is a challenging experience, one that does not allow a viewer any leeway to be distracted. Gauri Khan and SRK’s Red Chillies Entertainment is one of this film’s producers. Love Hostel has evoked curiosity ever since Shah Rukh Khan released the trailer earlier this month. Through Ashu, we see society’s puppeteers feeding the masses’ confirmation bias. It takes a while to realise that this is the case because members of persecuted communities are often strategically forced into specific brackets, then condemned for occupying those brackets, while the community as a whole is tarred with the same brush. Jyoti’s boyfriend, Ashu Shokeen (Vikrant Massey), fits certain prevailing stereotypes. She is educated, gutsy, spirited and in love. Sanya Malhotra plays Love Hostel ’s Jyoti Dilawar, the feisty granddaughter of a powerful politician.
Instead, without equivocation or apologies to dominant communities, it tells a chilling story of a young couple in today’s Haryana, and the destructive familial, societal and political opposition to their love. Shanker Raman’s sardonically titled Love Hostel does not rely merely on its brave theme. Social relevance and good intentions cannot guarantee quality cinema.
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