Zara Hatke Zara Bachke follows the story of a couple who agree to undergo a divorce in order to gain access to a flat under the government scheme. And thus, the complications begin. Firstly, credit to the marketing team of Maddock on not releasing the trailer with information about key plot points of the film. The result being that the story does come across as interesting with a social commentary packaged in the form of a Rom-Com. The screenplay too isn’t bad for most of its runtime but it does stumble massively in the third act.

The drama does open on a pleasantly good note with the introduction of the two protagonists belonging to different faiths, who are married to each other. The opening sequence created of the cake comprising of eggs makes for a hilarious opening act wherein the conflict of privacy between the couple is also highlighted. From there on, there are some heartwarming moments sprinkled that had me smiling from ear to ear. There was a sense of innocence in the events that made them relatable while being affable synonymous to the films of Hrishikesh Mukherjee, which were often in a similar zone. The issue of the couple finding a house for themselves does occur in the form of a conflict wherein the couple have to ensure that they are separated at the time of acquiring the flat.

The proceedings are interesting in the first and second acts wherein I was invested in the journey of the protagonists. The confusion around their divorce and the reaction of the family did make for some hilarious moments in the narrative. There was also a sense of warmth in the narrative which I hadn’t expected when I ventured into the drama. With an interesting mix of characters around the protagonists and the situations created, I was quite enjoying the film. But alas, then came the final act that made the film slide!

The final act was an indifferent creative decision in itself given that the tone of the film changes from being a Rom-Com to turning into a straight up melodrama. I would have still given a pass to these proceedings had the melodrama been controlled upto a point of not heading in a totally different direction. While the problems between the couple was still understandable, a late subplot involving a health issue of a family member was really unnecessary and it took away the froth from the drama. Amidst this, even the writing became too convenient with the couple getting the keys to their new flat just randomly. There was no head or tail to the final act wherein the writers may have run out of ideas to end the film. Barring that one moment involving the character of Sharib Hashmi, the final act falls flat and ends up spoiling the overall rating of the film too.

In addition to this, there could have been a separate story on the loopholes of the government scheme which could have taken the drama into a zone of relevancy as opposed to being frivolous throughout. That would have added a lot of meat and purpose to the drama with an interesting twist. Too much to ask for? I think not! Overall, the screenplay has its moments but ends up as a missed opportunity.