With his signature style of chaos, David Dhawan has returned, but initial online reactions indicate that viewers may have had enough of that. Hai Jawani Toh Ishq Hona Hai’s trailer came out after two days on Saturday and has not generated much excitement on social media. Words like ‘dated’ and ‘bizarre’ are the first impression one has of this movie which is set to be the big comedy getaway for June.
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The idea on which the film is built seems to have been ripped from the late-90s Govinda film. There Joaquin is struggling with a messy divorce case with his wife, Baani, (Mrunal Thakur), Varun Dhawan plays Jass. Jass, played by Sridhar Chotu, suddenly introduces himself to single Pooja Hegde as Jass in a club, causing a lot of confusion in the court.At a club, Jass introduces himself as a single, to Pooja Hegde, named Preet, which creates a lot of confusion in the court. Soon, both women announce that they are pregnant, and Varun’s character finds himself caught up in a series of loud confrontations, fast-paced dialogue (written by Farhad Samji) and slapstick situations.
This casting choice caused a stir!
Although the plot of the double trouble was somewhat chaotic, there was a particular casting choice that got the most attention online. Mouni Roy has been cast as Varun Dhawan’s fake mom in the movie. As soon as they were introduced to the viewer, internet sleuths and onlookers immediately noticed the numbers and did the calculations: Mouni Roy is 40 years old while Varun Dhawan is 39.
It was met with memes and some really funny commentary on social media, asking the question why a nearly age matched actress is being pushed into a mother role, whether it’s real or fake? This practice of casting actors of different ages is deeply embedded in the film industry, and moviegoers derided it as “absurd and lazy.” The criticism of the trailer revolved around the one-year age gap, eclipsing the comic timing the creators were attempting to sell.
A tired formula for a modern audience
This is the fourth film that David Dhawan has helmed with his son, after Main Tera Hero, Judwaa 2 and Coolie No. 1 remake. Their musical partnership has been a success commercially, making ample use of the nostalgia angle, but seems to be running out of steam.
The three-minute-fifteen-second trailer got some complaints from viewers for its recycling of tropes. Many expected a more contemporary romantic comedy when they were met with the use of loud background music, lots of physical humour and the 1999 song Chunnari Chunnari from Biwi No. 1. The scenes the dialogue is in and the way it’s framed do not seem to reflect contemporary movie tastes and many critics have called the situation “out of touch”.
Represented by lawyers, the parties have to overcome legal and scheduling issues.
The rough trailer reception, which can be an already complicated journey for the production, is added to that. The project, which has been produced by Tips Films’ in-house producer, Ramesh Taurani, has been slated for multiple release dates for 2025 and 2026, with the last confirmed date set for June 5, 2026.
In addition to the calendar shifts, there is also a legal battle. While the singer’s group, Tips, was reportedly sued by Pooja Entertainment for violating copyright, a court in Bihar has issued a status quo on the issue. Following its legal entanglements and the amount of harassment it has received online, it’s quite a challenge for Tips as it gets ready for its big screen release.
