Hai Jawani Toh Ishq Hona Hai (2026)

Movie · 2026 · Romance, Comedy · 2h 16m · HI

Curator score: 1.0/10 (12.7K ratings)

Overview

When Jass leaves his marriage over conflicting priorities, a new romance abroad is upended by shocking revelations, forcing him to confront love, loyalty, and the true meaning of commitment.

Ratings

Director

David Dhawan

Production

Tips Industries, Maximilian Films Ltd.

Cast

Varun Dhawan, Mrunal Thakur, Pooja Hegde, Maniesh Paul, Chunky Panday, Jimmy Shergill, Mouni Roy, Rakesh Bedi, Ayesha Raza Mishra, Kubbra Sait, Rajesh Kumar, Ali Asgar, Manoj Pahwa, Rajpal Yadav, Johny Lever, Kriti Sanon, Varun Sood

Curator Review

Verdict

A loud, glossy romantic comedy with a few star-powered moments, but the overall reception points to chaotic editing, thin writing, and a recycled, overstuffed comic style that overwhelms the romance. It may work as a guilty-pleasure watch for fans of big, unserious Bollywood farce, but most viewers are likely to find it messy and exhausting.

Best for

  • fans of broad Hindi slapstick and maximalist family-comedy energy
  • viewers who enjoy glamorous, low-stakes star vehicles
  • audiences looking for a so-bad-it's-entertaining crowd reaction movie

Skip if

  • you want a coherent romance with emotional payoff
  • you are sensitive to frantic editing and sketch-like plotting
  • you dislike outdated gender politics or crass, repetitive comedy

Overview

This is the kind of glossy, overcaffeinated romantic comedy that lives or dies on momentum, and here the momentum seems to collapse under its own chaos. The setup promises a messy love triangle with emotional stakes, but the audience response suggests a film that keeps sprinting from one set piece to the next without earning any of it.

Worth noting

There are flashes of the old-school commercial Hindi cinema charm: bright visuals, big entrances, and a lead actor who can still sell a joke when the material is thin. But the dominant impression is of a film stitched together from bits of dialogue, fashion, and spectacle rather than a story with shape. The romance feels secondary to noise.

Bottom line

If you enjoy flamboyant, unserious Bollywood excess, there may be enough here to watch with friends and laugh at the absurdity. For most viewers, though, this looks like a case where style, repetition, and tonal clutter drown out the charm it is trying to manufacture.

Top Letterboxd reviews

mayureshojha18 (1★) · 107 likes

went in with expectations lower than Coolie No 1 and somehow the film still managed to disappoint. The entire movie felt like an endless stream of Instagram reels stitched together with scenes changing every few minutes and no real flow. The editing was worst, making it hard to stay invested in anything happening on screen. Pooja Hegde was the only saving grace for me, she was absolutely stunning throughout. This is easily among the worst from Varun Dhawan and David Dhawan poorest films.

Sahil Memon (1.5★) · 85 likes

made it out alive

Aseel (2★) · 85 likes

Varun Dhawan should file a restraining order on his own father so he stops ruining his career.

Yash (2★) · 56 likes

can i really critic a film where “i am vegetarian but i smell something fishy” is an actual dialogue

Junaid Khhan (3.5★) · 39 likes

Varun dhawan is the saviour of this cringe movie

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1995 · Comedy, Drama, Romance · 3h 10m · G · Curator 8.4/10 (51K ratings) · Where to watch: Netflix, Netflix Standard with Ads

For viewers drawn to romance, family tension, and commitment as a central emotional question.

Topics

rom-com, Bollywood, slapstick, glossy visuals, relationship drama, marriage, miscommunication, farce, commercial cinema, guilty pleasure

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