It's complicated, like the film's protagonist says about his relationship status. Radio, which has been penned and directed by Ishan Trivedi, works very well on a certain level as it tries a different take on the man woman relation in a metropolis, especially in an age of Facebook. The storyline, by itself is quite wafer thin, but it is the manner in which the director plots the journey of the protagonist from falling out of love with his ex wife and falling in love with the new woman in his life, that makes it interesting, though unnecessarily complicated, at times. But the film's narrative is very erratic and uneven. There are places where Trivedi really manages to hit the nail on the head, but in the very next moment, he goes ahead and spoils the effect with some insipid scene. Also, in those parts, where the film really works, one feels that a slightly more talented and aware cast, could have worked wonders.
In short, Radio is the story of RJ Vivaan Shah (Himesh Reshammiya), who has just gone through a divorce with his choreographer wife Pooja (Sonal Seghal) and is understandably bitter, bitten and full of low self esteem. That's when Shanaya (Shernaz Treasurywala) enters his life, and soon she and her madcap family become an integral part of his life. But Vivaan is still a little confused about his feelings for Shanaya and Pooja, his ex, who comes back into his life. He is not sure whether he is over Pooja and hence is scared to commit to Shanaya. To be fair, not all of this comes out so clearly in the movie, which is where the screenplay flounders. But at the same time, there is something which is very contemporary about the movie, its lingo and the manner in which presents a different side to relationships. Slightly more skillful writing could have resulted in a very different film altogether.
What really works for the movie is the manner in which the director divides it into different chapters, with some really weird names. One cannot also help but really be bowled over by the film's last scene when Vivaan actually proposes to Shanaya. The setting and the words really capture the essence of this contemporary love tale. Some of the other highs of this movie would be actor Zakir Hussian's portrayal of Shanaya's madcap father. In fact, the family scenes are quite interesting with a nice realistic touch.
Himesh really excels as a music composer in this movie. Radio's music really works. The songs are different and Himesh has tried to break through the mould in more ways than one. As an actor, however, he still has a long way to go. But there is no doubt that Himesh has improved immensely from his last outing as an actor. His new trimmed, simple, down to earth look, works wonders and he really tries hard. The manner in which he carries the last scene is quite remarkable. However, one of the problems with this movie is that Himesh does not really fit into the FB generation and seems a little out of place, especially when he is sharing the same screen space with someone as young as Shenaz. Of the two girls, she seems to be the one more at ease. The other actors who impress are Zakir Hussain and Rajesh Khattar as the Radio boss. One is not really sure where Paresh Rawal fits into the scheme of things but his nonsensical dialogues are quite hilarious.
Radio could have flowed more seamlessly with a tighter and clearer script. Trivedi's little touches, about the chapter titles, the plate breaking scene, the scenes between Vivaan and Shanaya's family, and the final proposal scene are the USPs of this movie, besides its music of course. As for the rest, it's a little clumsy.