Love In Vietnam Review: Shantanu Maheshwari & Avneet Kaur's Love Story is Pure Trash

RATING - ⭐✨1.5/5*

Love In Vietnam Review Movie Talkies:

Rahat Shah Kazmi attempts to make a film based on Madonna in a Fur Coat by Sabahattin Ali, but the result feels like something entirely detached from the spirit of the original literature. What unfolds on screen is technically awkward, emotionally hollow, and narratively exhausting. Love In Vietnam is a film that seems to have no sense of rhythm, timing, or storytelling clarity. It becomes a waste of both time and money in almost every sense. The storyline drags endlessly for two hours, but it feels like an unbearable three-hour headache. That imaginative extra hour of frustration lingers in your head, and by the end, you walk out asking yourself—why on earth did I just waste two hours of my life on this cinematic disaster.

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Love In Vietnam Story:

The story revolves around Manav (Shantanu Maheshwari), a young man who has never excelled in studies and instead harbors a passion for singing. Under his Dadu's forceful insistence, Manav is sent to Vietnam to study farming. His childhood bestie, Simmi (Avneet Kaur), follows him there, unable to stay away because she has loved him since childhood. Once in Vietnam, Manav stumbles upon a painting of a Vietnamese girl and immediately becomes obsessed. He eventually finds the girl, Lin (Khả Ngân), and falls head over heels in love. But when he briefly returns to India for his sister’s wedding, Lin suddenly disappears. From that point on, Manav spirals into an absurd and frustrating quest to find her, ignoring his family, responsibilities, and Simmi’s devotion. What follows is his “stupid” journey, which is less of a love story and more of a test of patience for the audience.

Rahat Shah Kazmi and Kritika Rampal’s screenplay is a confusing mess that reminds you of bits from Laila Majnu, Saiyaara, Rockstar, and a host of other intense love dramas, only here they are thrown together in the most soapy, unbearable manner possible. The absurdity of the narrative is shocking—Lin disappears for eight years just because of a single phone call and somehow manages to remain hidden from everyone. And then, as if nothing happened, she conveniently shows up as a dancer at Manav’s sister’s wedding? How ridiculous is that! Meanwhile, Manav spends years searching for her, but neither his body nor his looks reflect the passage of time. He is portrayed as the same boyish college student, with no maturity or physical transformation. The same goes for Simmi, who remains frozen in time despite the supposed eight-year gap.

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Speaking of Simmi, her character is written with no depth or dignity. She is rejected again and again by Manav, yet never moves on. She keeps returning to him, clinging to false hope, as if no one else exists in her world. What kind of female character is this? The writing makes her look desperate rather than strong or resilient. On the other hand, Manav himself is a selfish, frustrating lead who forgets about everyone around him—his family, his friends, his responsibilities—while obsessively chasing one girl. The climax, which is supposed to be a twist, instead feels like an insult to the audience’s intelligence. Those last five minutes are more torturous than the already unbearable two-hour runtime. You’re left wondering how such writing was ever approved for production.

Love in Vietnam Cast:

As for the performances, Shantanu Maheshwari and Avneet Kaur are still waiting to deliver their first truly mature outing. Acting in daily soaps or making Instagram reels is one thing, but holding a feature film together is an entirely different game—and they have not figured it out yet. To their credit, they occasionally manage to perform decently in certain scenes, but those scenes are buried under such terrible writing that it hardly matters. Khả Ngân, who came in without the baggage of prior work in India, surprisingly fares better. She delivers a reasonably decent performance, which is refreshing in comparison to her co-stars. Raj Babbar is passable, Farida Jalal is wasted, and Gulshan Grover along with Mir Sarwar fail to leave much of an impression. The supporting cast, overall, contributes little to elevate the film.

Technically, the film could have at least been redeemed by its presentation, but even that falls short. The Vietnamese locations are breathtaking, and Dudley’s cinematography occasionally captures their beauty well. In fact, the visuals could have made for a wonderful travelogue. Sadly, when viewed as part of the film’s narrative, they carry no weight. Sanjay Sankla’s editing is inconsistent, making the film feel even more disjointed and dragging. The music is overbearing and quickly becomes exhausting. Production design is adequate considering the modest budget, while costumes are uneven—some realistic, others laughably out of place. For instance, the idea of a bride showing up to her wedding in an outfit revealing half her cleavage was not just distracting but outright absurd, as if lifted from a glossy fashion photoshoot rather than a heartfelt family moment.

Love In Vietnam Movie Review:

At the end of it all, Rahat Shah Kazmi’s direction is the final nail in the coffin. Love In Vietnam is a textbook example of how not to make a romantic drama. It lacks story, depth, and any real emotional impact. Kazmi’s inability to grasp poetic nuances or present love in a subtle, meaningful way turns this film into a melodramatic television soap, stretched painfully onto the big screen. The movie has no vision, no heart, and no purpose. In short, Love In Vietnam is an unpleasant, frustrating, and almost insulting cinematic experience. It is the kind of film that tests your patience, squanders your time, and leaves you with nothing but regret.

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