The Zoya Factor

For a rom-com which needs to be light on its feet, hitting fours and sixes as it goes along, the writing is not as supple as it should have been. Too many slog overs here.

The ditzy manner of the impeccably clad Sonam Kapoor works only up to a point and becomes pesky when stretched over two hours.

To put it in cricketing terms, The Zoya Factor plays out too many dot balls, which undermine a plot that seeks to blend the comedic and the solemn. The coalescence is tenuous at best.

The pneuma of Garry Marshall, the irresistible appeal of Mills & Boon, the artificial allure of a Coco Chanel advert - these jewels are embedded in the storytelling of The Zoya Factor, a cute romcom with unexpected depth.

Really light storytelling...some unnecessary classism... this film, while exploring this manic side of society, doesn't delve too deep into its psyche.

Though the central premise of the film is thin, it's the feel good factor that holds your attention.

The film strangely focuses on parody - the horribly simulated cricket matches, the tacky ad films within the film, the comedy-circus-style commentary - instead of humanizing the concept of cricket superstitions...

So yes, The Zoya Factor trips up on a very crucial front, but where it works, it works well, being funny and thoughtful all at once.

The Zoya Factor feels especially let down by Sharma's insistence to take refuge in crowd-pleasing spoofy filmmaking, which after a while gets too laboured, too on-the-nose, and too silly to even be entertaining.

Salmaan's camera-friendly manner and outsized charm stand out in a movie that mashes together romance, cricket and advertising in the hope that at least one of the themes will stick.