Movie review: Aashiqui 2, a musical romance partially infectious

New Delhi: A rockstar, so infectiously addicted to liquor, that never tried to care about his drooping career that foots his bills. He roared loud in the international football arena while at the peak of his career and serenaded each music follower by his catchy tunes, but now, he is miffed even if he has to wait outside a recording studio. The former superstar is now so depressed with negative vibes that he unwontedly consumes all his despair, aggression and lethargies by taking recourse to Bacchus. Surely Mohit Suri hasn't reloaded the sincerity of the prequel in ‘Aashiqui 2', but has still maintained the decorum in it. Rahul Jaykar (Aditya Roy Kapoor) has all the fame in his baggage but sooner he becomes a slave to intoxication. He is so badly trapped by alcohol that his will power diminishes.Bumped out of a rock concert, he comes across Aarohi Shirke (Shraddha Kapoor), a singer at bar whom he feels has an angel's voice and could be the singing sensation of tomorrow. Rahul nourishes and grooms his ladylove to offer her a ladder to stardom but the leftover stardom of his pawn career starts diminishing thereafter. How will there love survive? Mohit Suri's saga is all about this.To the narration sounding similar to 1973 ‘Abhimaan', with Amitabh and Jaya in the lead roles, Mohit Suri here explores the romance and life of the lead stars with a different perception. The conclusion to the flick is not what we have witnessed in the former, but yet is a not that eye-catching. The director has ditched the sleazy formula of sex and skin show associated usually with the Bhatts and has reinvented the romance of the Nineties.The chemistry between the couple is never short of the passion required. Be it a recording soundtrack, convincing each other, even heartbreak moments at numerous intervals has a decent intensity.But despite all the frenetic movement in space that Aashiqui 2 offers, the film really goes nowhere. It feels strangely static.You may sympathize with the addicted Devdas Rahul but won't condone his reckless attitude towards his own existence in order to take the right path. Even while he strums his guitar, he looks out of beat. Adding to the hurdles of the band performance, the worse we noticed in the opening tune of the flick where one of the long haired band members plays down a sitar and we force our ears to catch the tune out of it which is never heard as it's never the part of the musical instruments used while recording the song.But despite a bizarre stage show, the flick's music done by Mithoon, Jeet Ganguly and Ankit Tiwari is not even an inch below the mark. The background score compliments the drama and emotion surfacing between the couple. Solo tracks mainly Sun Raha hai, Tum hi ho, Bhula dena may stay on the charts.Aditya Roy Kapoor, fails to hit the right chord. He struggles and delivers the aggression and intensity in bits and pieces.Shraddha Kapoor devotes the perfect innocence which her character requires. She looks beautiful and is admirable in highly dramatic scenes. Other stars namely Shaad Randhawa and Mahesh Thakur have done a decent job.I will go with 2 and a half star for Aashiqui 2, you won't get back the magic which its precursor had on its admirers, but Aashiqui 2 would be loved by loving couples, because it is invigorating, innovative - which we witness less in today's cinema.