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Love Goals is a Hindi-language film written by Biswapati Sarkar and directed by Sameer Saxena. The story revolves around Meenu, an orphan from a small town who wants to be a successful magician. His family has an important legacy in football but he has no interest in it. The story unravels his journey toward becoming a magician, playing football, and marrying the love of his life. It may seem set up like a sports film from the trailer, but it’s never just a sports film.
The three things seem like they have nothing to do with each other, but somehow all of them are interconnected. Although Meenu is our protagonist, the story and screenplay give enough attention to our side characters, most of who are from his football team. The characters are unique and distinguishable and very relevant to the main storyline. They are also all very very humorous in their own ways.
While the first act of the film focuses more on his romantic adventures, the rest of the film switches the focus to football. We see the journey of the team who are massive underdogs in their quest to win the local football tournament, which becomes the most important thing in every team-members life, but for very different reasons. The film also juggles different genres as it can be a sports film, a rom-com, or a dramedy.
The background score and music lift the film at several points, as the pace does slow down quite a bit in the middle of the film. But despite having a 167 min runtime, the movie doesn’t necessarily feel long. The writing is excellent and has plenty of elements to keep you hooked throughout with many characters getting a redemptive arc.
The original Indian title ‘Jaadugar’ which means magician is an apt title as magic is an underlying theme throughout the film. The Director, who also has an extended cameo in the film, creates a narrative which never bores you or makes you disinterested at any point. But the style and the structure may not be for every kind of audience. It has a very classic-indian-masala film vibe attached to it, so it wouldn’t be surprising if people find things over the top or unrealistic.
At the end of the day, Love Goals is a film that is filled with laughter and emotional moments, that feel fulfilling and entertaining. I personally enjoyed this one a lot and even though it may not be everyone’s cup of tea, I would recommend people to give it a try. It will put a smile on your face and make you engrossed in the story.
Rating – 8/10
