Pehla Pyaar Doosri Baar Movie Review: First love, old crushes and unfinished romantic stories come together in Pehla Pyaar Doosri Baar, a youthful romantic entertainer directed by Anuj Saini. Featuring Sparsh Walia, Kunal Vaid, Sargun Kaur Luthra, Alisha Chopra, Sakshi Vaidya and Tushar Chhibber, the film brings a mix of friendship, romance, comedy and unexpected developments.
With its relatable characters, entertaining dialogues and a few surprising moments in the second half, the film offers a fairly enjoyable experience. However, some writing issues prevent it from becoming a truly memorable romantic comedy.
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Pehla Pyaar Doosri Baar Movie Details
- Movie Name: Pehla Pyaar Doosri Baar
- Director: Anuj Saini
- Cast: Sparsh Walia, Kunal Vaid, Sargun Kaur Luthra, Alisha Chopra, Sakshi Vaidya, Tushar Chhibber
- Genre: Romantic Comedy
- Music: Rochak Kohli
- Release Date: October 23, 2026
- Rating: 2.5/5
Pehla Pyaar Doosri Baar Story: What Is the Film About?
The story revolves around three childhood friends, Gautam Govind Sharma (Sparsh Walia), Vedant Rawat (Kunal Vaid) and Shivi Pradhan (Sargun Kaur Luthra). They live together in a flat in Delhi-NCR, work at the same company called Cyber Nexus and share one common problem: none of them seems particularly happy with their professional or personal lives.
Things take an interesting turn when they receive an invitation to their school reunion in Mussoorie. Initially, none of them is particularly excited about attending. But their decision changes after discovering that their old school crushes will also be there.
Gautam hopes to reconnect with Gehna Gundecha (Alisha Chopra), Vedant is interested in meeting Simran Sandhu (Sakshi Vaidya), while Shivi still has feelings for Karan Shergill (Tushar Chhibber).
For the three friends, the reunion becomes an opportunity to revisit their first love and perhaps give their romantic dreams another chance. However, things don't unfold quite as they imagined.
What follows is a series of romantic encounters, funny situations and unexpected developments that take the story in a different direction.
Pehla Pyaar Doosri Baar Movie Review: Story and Direction
The idea of reconnecting with an old school crush isn't particularly new, but the film manages to find some entertaining moments within this familiar concept.
The screenplay by Luv Ranjan, Jehan Handa and Anuj Saini keeps things light for most of the runtime. The dialogues are among the film's strongest elements, with several genuinely funny exchanges that add charm to the characters.
Director Anuj Saini does a decent job of introducing the three friends and establishing their individual romantic interests. Each love story has its own personality, which helps the film avoid feeling repetitive.
One of the more interesting aspects is the way the narrative changes direction in the second half. A few developments are quite unexpected, especially because they haven't been prominently revealed in the promotional material. These moments bring some freshness to an otherwise familiar romantic comedy.
However, the writing isn't equally strong throughout. Some situations feel difficult to believe, while certain character reactions happen without enough explanation.
For instance, Vedant's harsh behaviour towards Simran is never properly addressed through an apology, making her quick forgiveness feel somewhat unconvincing. Similarly, Gautam's discomfort with Gehna's possessive behaviour could have been established more naturally.
A few scenes also seem unnecessarily exaggerated, and some developments happen too quickly to have the desired emotional impact.
Overall, the direction is simple and effective, but a tighter screenplay could have made the film considerably better.
Pehla Pyaar Doosri Baar Movie Review: Performances
The film introduces six relatively fresh faces, and all of them manage to make a decent impression.
Sparsh Walia as Gautam brings an appealing screen presence to the character. Kunal Vaid plays Vedant with enough energy, although a few scenes feel slightly overacted. Sargun Kaur Luthra is likeable as Shivi and fits comfortably into the film's youthful atmosphere.
Among the female leads, Alisha Chopra, Sakshi Vaidya and Tushar Chhibber perform reasonably well in their respective roles. All six actors look convincing as young professionals dealing with their complicated romantic lives.
Some of the actors playing the younger versions of Gautam and Vedant struggle with their performances, but the supporting cast provides adequate support.
Rajkummar Rao's special appearance is another pleasant surprise. Even with limited screen time, he manages to leave a strong impression.
Music and Technical Aspects
Music plays an important role in maintaining the film's romantic atmosphere. Rochak Kohli's compositions work particularly well when experienced alongside the story.
'Zulmi' stands out as one of the more catchy tracks, while 'Kamaal' is enjoyable, especially with its choreography. Other songs, including 'Purane Din', 'Jaane Kis Mod Pe' and 'Pyaar Manga Hai Tumhi Se', fit the narrative without interrupting its flow.
An interesting detail is that the three romantic tracks have their own distinct musical identities, helping establish the different relationships.
Hitesh Sonik's background score complements the mood, while Vidushi Tiwari's cinematography makes good use of the picturesque Mussoorie setting. The film looks visually appealing without turning every outdoor sequence into a tourism advertisement.
The production design by Amit Ray and Subrata Chakraborty is impressive, and Natasha Vohra Saini's costumes give the characters a stylish, youthful appearance. Manann Sagar's editing keeps the overall presentation reasonably smooth.
What Works and What Doesn't in Pehla Pyaar Doosri Baar?
What Works:
- Entertaining and relatable concept of school reunions and first love.
- Likeable performances from the lead cast.
- Humorous dialogues and funny situations.
- Catchy music and appealing choreography.
- Unexpected developments in the second half.
- Attractive visuals and youthful presentation.
What Doesn't Work:
- Several predictable romantic situations.
- Inconsistent screenplay in certain portions.
- Some character decisions lack proper explanation.
- A few unnecessary and exaggerated scenes.
- Limited promotional buzz may affect audience awareness.
Pehla Pyaar Doosri Baar Movie Review: Final Verdict
Overall, Pehla Pyaar Doosri Baar is a lighthearted romantic entertainer that has enough enjoyable moments to keep viewers interested. Its youthful cast, amusing dialogues, catchy music and unexpected second-half developments work in its favour.
That said, the film is held back by an inconsistent screenplay and a few poorly developed situations. It isn't a particularly fresh take on the romantic comedy genre, but it does offer some fun moments.
Interestingly, the film shares similarities with the kind of friendship-driven romantic comedy audiences enjoyed in Pyaar Ka Punchnama. With stronger promotions and greater audience awareness, it might have received more attention.
Final Rating: 2.5/5
If you enjoy youthful romantic comedies featuring friendship, old crushes and a little drama, Pehla Pyaar Doosri Baar may be worth checking out. Just don't go in expecting a completely new take on the genre.