Love Per Square Foot Movie Review: Breezy, urbane romcom based on Mumbai's housing crisis

The opening frame of Anand Tiwari's directorial debut Love per Square Foot has Sanjay (Vicky Kaushal) standing on the rooftop of a building, brushing his teeth and staring at a house and its occupants in a neighbouring high rise. The frame instantly indicates that the film is about bigger dreams that we all see in life at some point of time. Moreover, the director's love for Mumbai is beautifully portrayed in the first few minutes of the film. From the local trains and train stations to the the Taj Mahal Hotel, each frame manages to capture the essence of Mumbai that is a melting pot of people and cultures. Written by Tiwari and Sumeet Vyas, the film is about two people from two different backgrounds working towards one goal - owning an apartment in a city with sky-high real estate prices. Sanjay who works as a software engineer at a bank is having a love affair with his boss Rashi (Alankrita Sahai) who is married. His railway announcer father (Raghubir Yadav) is on the verge of retirement while his mother (Supriya Pathak Kapoor) is constantly pushing him for marriage, coompletely unaware of the fact that her son is desperately looking to buy his own house so that he can persuade Rashi to leave her husband (Arunoday Singh) and marry him.On the other hand, Karina D’souza (Angira Dhar) who works in the same bank in the loan department, lives with her mother (Ratna Pathak) in a crumbling flat. A young woman craving independence along with modern-day romance, Karina is not very excited with the thought of moving in with her boyfriend’s family after marriage. Stuck with the very virtuous Samuel (Kunaal Roy Kapur) and a home that's falling apart, she is looking for a better quality of life.After meeting each other on the dance floor at a wedding, Sanjay and Karina are drawn towards each other by their common desire for a house. As they learn about a scheme which offers low-cost housing for married couples only, the stage is set for a predictable Bollywood-style scene where the two decide to opt for a marriage of convenience. They decide to sign a partnership deal in order to qualify for the housing scheme.The arrangement seems quite similar to that between visa-seekers who enter into a fake marriage for permanant residency in a country. However, Sanjay and Karina soon start to have romantic feelings for each other but things take a bit of a twist when Karina finds out about Sanjay and Rashi's "relationship with benefits". The film has its high and low moments. Cultural clashes between Sanjay’s Hindu family and Karina’s Christian side are fresh and interesting while Sanjay's relat‭ionship with his boss seems increasingly silly and unconvincing as the film progresses.However, what makes the film enjoyable and relatable is its good writing and terrific star cast that successfully delivers a romcom packed with humour, drama and heartwarming scenes. Watch it with a tub of popcorn on a cosy night and you're bound to have a good time!