One by Two (2014) User Reviews

One-by-Two is two-in-one...

[binducherungath · 5/10 · 19 March 2014]

One by Two is a film which tracks down the lives of two protagonists parallelly. I can not actually put it under the genre of Romance or Comedy as such, but yes, it deals with certain complexities of love, profession, dreams, aspirations, ambitions, relationships, parental concerns in a lighter manner. Amit Sharma (Abhay Deol) essays the role of an individual whose left / right hemisphere of the brain both seems to be in conflict with one another adding confusion to his life. Though being a software professional whom boss / colleagues trust, he is neither at his optimum best in his professional life nor in personal life. He is complacent with the fact that he is boring in his approach towards life. His way of handling rejections in relationships are not overdone. His mood swings, casual yet sensitive relationships with parents, perseverance to win back the girlfriend, his annoying flatulence (though this humour was out of place), his approach in life with a spectator's attitude are effortlessly played by Abhay Deol. A nagging mother Meenu Sharma (Rati Agnihotri) and one-liner witty Susheel Sharma (Jayant Kripalani) portrayed their roles realistically. Another protagonist Samara Patel (Preeti Desai) plays the role of a dancer, aspiring to make it big. Choreographer Ashley Lobo's signature dance moves are well projected by Samara. Her efforts to give priorities / value to relationships, yielding in love at times, singing aloud 'Kaboom' on road soon after break-up projects the attitude of the character. The tumultuous life of a mother Kalpana Patel (Lillette Dubey) capsized in a drunken state handled by a loving and a caring daughter is quiet watchable. The film's portrayal of police officers less in action, more in Shero- Shayari adds zest to the whole plot. Darshan Jariwala's affectionate Mamu act to Abhay Deol is good. Other actors viz. Diwakar Pundir, Geetika Tyagi, Maya Sarao, Yudhishtir Urs, Anish Trivedi, Preetika Chawla, Tahir Bhasin, Yashika Dhillon also do a pretty decent job. Devika Bhagat's attempt to give a fresh approach to tell a story (of two) through her direction, story and screenplay is appreciable but one can not deny the fact that it has flaws as well. The first half is a drag. One keeps wondering and waiting for the two protagonists to meet each other but ….. oh, let me not reveal the same that when do their paths actually intersect. Lyrics by Amitabh Bhattacharya is good who has used catchphrases- Kaboom, Khushfehmiyan, Pakaoed, Khuda na Khasta… Shankar-Ehsaan-Leo have definitely unplugged melodious 'Khushfehmiyan…', 'Baat kya hai...' very well. One by Two is not for you, if you want to enjoy Romance or Comedy. One by Two is for you, if you want to watch a light-hearted movie with a feel-good factor (with occasionally just the opposite).

Indeed this is a One by Two movie since where this movie ends, it is left to the imagination of the audience whether it is actually an end or a new beginning for the protagonists appearing not in a split-screen but in single screen in a sequel.

Paaaakkkkaaaaoood !!!!

[ketgup83 · 1/10 · 16 February 2014]

Abhay Deol is the only actor from Deol's family who has always stood out with method-thinking role but with One By Two he loses sheen of performance which might prove to be fatal for his career.

One By Two tells the story of rendezvous between two different people Amit and Samara who are going through turmoil in their life.

First time Devika Bhagat gives an account of life in a metropolitan city but falls flat on the face with poor direction and extremely pathetic screenplay. The movie is unconvincing from start till end and baring few scenes is weak overall. Music is horrible considering coming from Shankar-Eshaan- Loy. Abhay Deol is just about OK but it is Preeti Desai and Lillete Dubey who gives an outstanding performances.

Overall, it is a weak film in all the merits. Poor 1/5

This is pathetically far away from the reputation build by the thinking actor Abhay Deol till date.

[bobbysing · 31 January 2014]

Without going into any introductory lines, I would straight come to the point giving you the shocking news that if you also had a strong opinion (like myself) that there ought to be something out of the box or path breaking whenever the thinking actor ABHAY DEOL goes for producing a film, then unfortunately we were all quite wrong. Because here is a film co-produced by Abhay in which he does try to go out of the box, but in the attempt, mistakenly kicks the ball so hard that it goes out of the stadium instead of the box, never to be found again.

In fact the above statement is the best way to express the experience of watching ONE BY TWO frankly, as in this too the viewer desperately keeps waiting for the story to begin in its entire 135 minutes, just like waiting for the ball to be brought back into the stadium. But the director is simply not interested in beginning her tale even till 125 minutes into the film and then decides to end exactly at the point where the story actually begins. So that should say it all if you really wish to know about the film's basic story progression. However for the fans, who are still eager to know more about this unexplainable, pale, boring & hard to watch film (featuring the thinking actor), then here are my one liner conclusions formed after painfully going through this badly made film, as mentioned below:

"It feels really great and intellectual watching the maestro WOODY ALLEN's films, but one shouldn't dare to try that ever…… if he or she doesn't have that deep understanding of life, vision, clarity & a dialogue writer by the side having a similar, gifted intellect."

"ONE BY TWO is probably the only Hindi Film in which the lead pair doesn't meet each other ever, till the last scene in the climax & yet its supposed to be a love story with all those interesting love songs."

"When there are so many reality shows thrown at our faces every evening through the numerous channels, do the film-makers still think that the viewers would be interested in watching another one on the big screen spending both their time and money?"

"Many a times, films are made just to establish a particular person and ONE BY TWO has clearly been made to establish PREET DESAI in the industry, since the film completely focuses on her, ignoring everyone else including the hero Abhay Deol. The girl looks pretty but gets totally betrayed by a poorly chosen script and her own foreign accent."

"ONE BY TWO is a film which repeatedly uses 'Toilet Humour' in its badly written dialogues in the most disgusting manner."

"It is undoubtedly the weakest, silliest and the most pathetic script Abhay Deol has ever featured in and the same can be said about his uncaring act in the film too."

"If you wish to watch a veteran like Rati Agnihotri hamming in the role of a mother then do watch ONE BY TWO"

"One of the songs of film goes with the lyrics, "I am just Pakaaoed……!" and that's precisely what one feels several times, while watching the film in the theater."

Summing up, there is indeed one out of the box, yet interesting feature of the film to be found in its fine SOUNDTRACK, which though remains completely wasted in the film, but still has many good tracks in it written thoughtfully. The best track of the album remains "Khuda Na Khaasta" sung by Arijit Singh, followed by "Khushfehmiyan" by Shankar Mahadevan, "Baat Kya Hai" by Clinten Cerejo, "Shehar Mera" by Thomson Andrews and "Kaboom" by Anushka Manchanda.

However listening to the tracks once again online, I really wish they were used in a different film with a decent amount of sanity in its script giving them proper justice. And yes, Abhay Deol was perfectly right if he was very much concerned about the music not reaching the audience in time, since the tracks do have a lot to say both in terms of rendition as well as the lyrics, moving ahead than many other OST's, honestly.

Anyway, as a film ONE BY TWO turns out to be the first highly disappointing film delivered by one of the most reliable and dependable actors of Hindi cinema i.e. Abhay Deol. And the actor shouldn't have really opted for such a useless script at all.

Beware of ONE BY TWO !

[karansharma3 · 1/10 · 12 February 2014]

I wish there is a 0 rating available to assign to this movie. Amazingly pathetic and no clue what the team of this movie was trying to say. I agree movie makers want to show confused young generation, come on but life is still not this dumb that they showed. and seriously, I did not expect Abhay Deol to do a movie like this.

Cut the long story short, Sheer waste of efforts, time and money by both Makers and viewers

Don't WATCH THIS Don't WATCH THIS Don't WATCH THIS

I did not have any words for this review. So I think 10 lines rule should be removed for such movies

Out of the box. Not so Bad.

[muhtashimurrahman2 · 6/10 · 2 March 2014]

This movie is indeed out of ordinary "A" level commercial movie we see. The story and the message behind it can not be seen by everyone. It can be called- not a romantic, not a comedy, not a family movie but mixture of one other in a "not quite correct" ratio. The music-some were good. But the music at flash dance, was not as exclusive it was tried to shown. rather the last song and dance were better. But the most negative impact was in the dancing clips- at the first dance, it was a ballet dance actually originated from Italy. But India do not have viewers of this kind of dancing I guess, whatever, The real ballet dance is far more superior then this only some leg and hand movements. If you want to show something, show it good. As a result, The heroin, in her dance movements showed no skills. But some funny parts like "washing powder jingle" and Poet reciting party as well as the hero's half-naked dancing in the engagement party was the main parts to watch I guess. The side-characters actors did indeed well jobs on their parts. Them and the story-these two things were the main strings to carry out the weight. The goal of the story was mainly to keep the viewers waiting to see when they meet. This is the reason I think may be it took Indian movies at a height, not so far from present, but yes a little bit.

frustration served right..worth your while!!!

[rollingrahul73 · 8/10 · 9 February 2014]

i find the film wholly entertaining.abhay deol has graciously played his role of pakaoed IT freak. not necessarily every movie should present it's lead actor as an inspiration for masses. the movie is full of wittingly sarcastic remarks. the plot is unexpected all along with it's highs and lows but never boring.music is refreshingly fresh with crazy lyrics. dialogues are as in normal conversation never superfluous. sidecharacters of shashika, ACP dhawan, amit's parents and friends are fun to watch. story could be common but presentation is entirely offbeat. the movie would definitely qualify for contemporary cinema. better watch it in theatre than wait for DVD print...

An Under-Rated Film!

[namashi_1 · 7/10 · 20 March 2014]

'One by Two' is An Under-Rated Film! An enjoyable, slice-of-life film, that is realistic, humorous & engaging. It might not follow the usual clichés that Hindi Film romances do, but it still has a fresh approach.

'One by Two' Synopsis: This is the story of Amit and Samara - two souls in Mumbai, a city of millions & how the universe conspires to bring them together.

'One by Two' is about two diverse souls, who are inter-connected with their each-other due to many circumstances. Its about a guy who's heartbroken after a failed love-affair & an ambitious dancer who's giving her best to make a name for herself. Its the diversity between its protagonists, which makes 'One by Two' a memorable affair.

But, there are some flaws. the slow-pacing, firstly, needed some serious persuasion. The pace is consistently slow, which tends to get to you at times. Also, the running-time, over 135 minutes, needed some trimming.

Devika Bhagat's Screenplay offers an interesting tale of two diverse individuals, with freshness & some really funny dialogue. Bhagat's Direction, on the other-hand, is simple. Cinematography is standard. Editing lacks sharpness.

Performance-Wise: Abhay Deol is natural to the core. He delivers a believable performance. Preeti Desai, keeping aside her faulty diction, is confident & shows off her dancing skills without any inhibitions. Amongst the supporting cast, Darshan Jariwala & Rati Agnihotri are a joy to watch.

On the whole, 'One by Two' is certainly worth a watch.

felt so refreshed after watching it...

[harshw_sgh · 8/10 · 21 June 2015]

Life is shown as quite complex for the lead actors and the mother of Amit(lead actor) tells him that life is so simple....hey' both are equally true....we just need to change our attitude towards life....as the Sameera (lead actress) said in end " i have stopped believing in fairy tales"....we all need to be realistic before situations become complex...

I liked the concept- a non-compromising behavior and i think it was such a beautiful way of representing...

I watched it on TV and the volume levels were quite up and down after each scene and i was required to continuously up/down the volume part... That was the only low side of watching it...

A must watch for everyone in young and middle-age generation to understand the complexities of life and winning over it without compromising for materialistic things...

Awesomeness redefined!!

[Greg-House · 10/10 · 3 June 2014]

The movie was an out of the box experience, literally!! It was just like reading a well written novel. The suspense was just about optimum and maintained right throughout the movie.

Normally, I am known to dole out bad reviews for most Bollywood films, but this one simply caught me by surprise! Great acting by Abhay Deol. He never lets me down in that department. Preeti Desai was okay. She put in a good effort.

The movie will come as a breather for those chronically frustrated by Bollywood's habit of dishing out stale melodramatic no-brain movies.

Thumbs up to the production team! This movie simply does not deserve such bad reviews from a moronic audience!

Another critic compelling movie from Abhay Deol ... Brain twister for easy going audience...

[lewis-61424 · 10/10 · 10 February 2016]

One by Two is definitely a super strong movie and has its charismatic appeal in the right segment of people. Watched it lately and disappointed over the poor rating from so called Khan lovers. Let me tell you first, its really of no taste who want just some stereotypical bollywood romance and drama movies... You will never find any item number, guy chasing girl, girl flirting guys, love-shaadi romance, bull fight over girl or family, and wtf... no villain... the complete disrespect to typical Khanllywood.

This movie is about life... handling life for a regular living-the-life-over-job type of person (Abhay Deol), rich yet-to-start starters (Preeti Desai), life in complete mess (Lillete Dubey) and other general daily life characters.

Abhay Deol played a typical Indian guy who is just dumped by her girlfriend over money and boredom and he is trying every bit to get her back in his life and at the end changed his mind and accept the s**t life throws at him by throwing it back. His journey from disheartened lover (Devdas) to a willing and overcoming character is marvelous and only Abhay can play this type of role better. Added to that is his typical witty one-liners he throws in all his movies.

Preeti Desai played an aspiring dancer who is over the time chose to learn how to handle emotional issues and overcome it by just wiping it out and you need not to throw it back each time. Being a daughter to a mistress of a rich and famous person, she chose to be with her mother over her career achievements. And throughout her journey she also learned how to make the weakest path the path of success (choreography of Abhay's song to get wild card entry in the competition). Though Preeti is not as talented as Abhay but she managed somehow to play her role near to perfect.

Lillete Dubey, one of my favorite, the lonely mistress of a rich businessman, a single mother, faced all the trauma thorough her life to raise her daughter. She never left her alone and being an alcoholic never gave her comfort also. Though a bit disturbing all the time, her love for her daughter and the way she support her is worth the character. No one in this real world can support their illegitimate heirs so perfectly. Her acting is just superb.

Rest supporting cast are also good. The ACP mamaji's humorous poetry specifically last one "Aisa bhi kya... Zindagi aur ration ki dukaan mein..." is a must watch. The friends of Amit (Abhay) played a good sport and their humor timing is worth a watch. The girl Amit was forced to see for marriage by her parents, Shishika, is also quite entertaining... Her all time force and the goodbye kiss was breathtaking. Amit's parents role was also bring dimple in your cheeks.

The story and the script is great. Screenplay is fantastic and not boring at all. Keeps you engage for the next. Music is enjoyable, has a lot of meaning and not at all typical bollywood type. And... direction is just superb. And yes, I always think is it Abhay who choose these directors or they choose Abhay as in all of his movies he just go with the flow of direction and you don't feel at all like watching a movie.

And finally its a underrated movie by these money churning star giving morons and idiotic audiences. If you wanna enjoy it alone or with some same age persons, you will find it more hilarious. Definitely a no child entertainment. Just take a DVD and watch !!! You will not regret watching it !!!

A so-so movie but big cities audience will love this

[bollywoodjuncture · 10 February 2014]

Release date: 31 Jan 2014

Banner: Amit Kapoor Abhay Deol Sanjay Kapoor Vikram Khakhar Viacom 18 Motion Pictures

Director: Devika Bhagat

Producer: Abhay deol

Writer: Devika Bhagat

Stars: Abhay deol,preeti desai

Story Line: How do like your soup to be served? Amit likes it one by two. Yes, it is the same Abhishek who is super-pakaoed with life. But why is Amit so pakaoed afterall? Well, there are many reasons. Samara, on the other hand, is frustrated with her life. She loves dancing, but success seems a dream too far-fetched for her. Devika Bhagat's One By Two tracks the lives of Amit (played by Abhay Deol) and Samara (played by Preeti Desai). If you are expecting a typical Bollywood masala flick, this movie is not for you. However, if you just want to relax and enjoy a good romantic-comedy, this is it. Amit is a regular guy, stuck in a monotonous life: work, home, sleep, repeat. To make matters worse, his girlfriend Radhika dumped him. And now his mom (played by Rati Agnihotri) wants him to get married to a girl named Shisikaa (yes, that's her name) from Prabhadevi. Well, now you can really imagine why Amit is so pakaoed. Samara is an aspiring dancer. But there is always something or the other coming in her way of success. What happens when these two meet? Is there any meet-cute situation? This is a film on self discovery and following one's dreams, and has been very well done for its quirky concept. Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy's music is melodic and groovy. Especially the track Kaboom by Anushka Manchanda – it is peppy, the kind of song which you can listen to in order to boost up your lazy mornings. Khushfehmiyan, by Shankar Mahadevan and Sheher Mera by Thomas Andrews are easy on the ears. Overall, the tracks are nicely done and are hummable. Why must you watch the movie? One By Two is a romantic-comedy without the usual syrupy melodrama. There are no saccharine-sweet dialogues or the usual hero-heroine song-dance sequence. The movie is about two people living two different lifestyles. Despite its flaws, the movie genuinely is a break from the recent torturous bombardment of loud and over-the-top Bollywood movies. We would definitely like to see more of Abhay & Preeti's togetherness on screen www.bollywodjuncture.com

Script Analysis: Two is a romantic-comedy without the usual syrupy melodrama. There are no saccharine-sweet dialogues or the usual hero-heroine song-dance sequence. The movie is about two people living two different lifestyles. Despite its flaws, the movie genuinely is a break from the recent torturous bombardment of loud and over-the-top Bollywood movies. We would definitely like to see more of Abhay & Preeti's togetherness on screen

Star Performance: Abhay Deol as Amit Sharma plays the role as written. But is not at his usual best. C'mon, I just can't get over the Abhay Deol from DevD and Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara. It is difficult to say, whether he was 'acting' pakaoed or was actually pakaoed in the whole movie. Most of the time, other then sulking, he farted, burped and… farted some more. Excuse me please. At times it gave some comic relief, but later, it became a tad redundant. Preeti Desai as Samara just dazzled. The viewers got a break from the sulky face (and potty talks) of Abhay Deol with her graceful dance moves and screen presence. However, the on screen chemistry of the real life couple didn't create as many sparks as was expected and hence became a rather disappointing affair. Lillete Dubey and Rati Agnihotri did a fine job playing the mothers of the respective protagonists – albeit with a little over-acting now and then. Jayant Kriplani and Darshan Jariwala also did a commendable job as supporting actors.

Direction, Editing and Screenplay: Devika is good at all and delivers a fresh movie.Sceenplay could have been better...