Ek Din Review {2.5/5} & Review Rating
Star Cast: Junaid Khan, Sai Pallavi
Director: Sunil Pandey
Ek Din Movie Review Synopsis:
EK DIN is the story of a man in an unusual situation. Dinesh Srivastava aka Dino (Junaid Khan) works in the IT department of a Noida-based company, Mycon Digital. He is very shy, and his personality is such that he often gets ignored and overlooked. He is madly in love with Meera Ranganathan (Sai Pallavi), who also works at Mycon. However, Meera is in a relationship with her boss, Nakul (Kunal Kapoor). Nakul is married to Ritu (Jenifer Emmanuel), and he tells Meera that he is about to get divorced. Meera continues the relationship, assuming that she can marry Nakul once he separates from his wife. The company makes huge profits and hence, Nakul takes the whole staff to Japan. It is a five-day trip for the whole team; however, Nakul tells Meera that he’ll stay back with her for two extra days. All is going well until Meera learns a harsh truth about Nakul, leaving her devastated. While Nakul returns with the rest of the team after five days, Meera decides to stay behind alone for two days. A concerned Dino also stays back, without Meera’s knowledge. Meera is involved in an accident, and Dino saves her life. She wakes up the next day, on February 12, and has no memory of being in Japan. This is because she is diagnosed with Transient Global Amnesia (TGA). The doctor, Ketki Patel (Reshma Shetty), assures Meera and Dino that this is a temporary condition and that once Meera wakes up the next day, she’ll regain her memory. However, she won’t remember the current day, that is, February 12. The doctor assumes that Dino is her boyfriend, considering he takes good care of her. In order to prevent her from getting stressed, Dino tells Meera that he’s Nakul and that they both are in a relationship. Meera assumes he’s telling the truth. Both then decide to explore Hokkaido and other places in Japan. This way, Dino gets to finally be with Meera, albeit for just one day. What happens next forms the rest of the film.
Ek Din Movie Story Review:
EK DIN is adapted from the Thai film, ONE DAY [2016]. Sneha Desai and Spandan Mishra's story is lovely and will tug at the heartstrings of the viewers. Sneha Desai and Spandan Mishra's screenplay is breezy. However, it raises some questions and gets unconvincing later on. Sneha Desai and Spandan Mishra's dialogues are conversational.
Sunil Pandey's direction is decent, especially for a newcomer director. His biggest strength is simplicity. The plot is complicated but he ensures that one doesn't get confused in understanding what's going on. The characters of Dino and Meera are very real; many would be able to relate to their joys, sorrows and challenges. Japan has never been depicted so beautifully in a Hindi film, which adds to the visual appeal.
On the flipside, the narrative stagnates in the middle of the second half. Some developments are difficult to digest, especially the way Meera behaves when she regains her memory. Anyone in her position would have immediately scanned her phone—especially the messages and pictures—during the long flight between Japan and India, to understand what happened on February 12. However, she doesn't. The film also becomes unintentionally funny in a few scenes. Moreover, the second trailer has given away most of the storyline and it's shocking how it was even allowed. Lastly, the crowded release period can prove detrimental.
Ek Din Movie Review Performances:
Sai Pallavi makes a smashing debut in Bollywood. Her girl-next-door looks, expressions and deep understanding of the character contribute immensely to her performance and the film at large. She’s known for her killer dance moves and she displays them in full glory in one crucial scene. Junaid Khan delivers a lovely performance. He seems much more in control here than in LOVEYAPA [2025] and perfectly gets into the skin of his character. Kunal Kapoor is dependable as always, while Jenifer Emmanuel lends able support. Reshma Shetty does well; however, her Gujarati accent seems forced. Kavin Dave (Samarjit Hathiramani aka Sam) does well in a small role. Neha Vyaso (Monu; office colleague) and Chakori Dwivedi (Meenu; office colleague) perform ably, though their dialogues were a bit over-the-top. Samta Sagar is fine.
Ek Din movie music and other technical aspects:
Ram Sampath's music is soulful. The title track is touching and well-picturized. 'Khwaab Dekhoon', 'Behke Yaar' and 'Tadapnaa Judaa Judaa' come next. 'Konichiwa' is forgettable. Ram Sampath's background score is in sync with the mood and theme.
Manoj Lobo's cinematography is breathtaking. Japan is depicted beautifully and at the same time, the lensman ensures that the film doesn’t seem like a tourism video. Vikram Singh and Parul Rai's production design is rich, while Arjun Bhasin's costumes are realistic yet classy. Labyrinth Cinematic Solutions' VFX is satisfactory and Ballu Saluja's editing is functional.
Ek Din Movie Review Conclusion:
On the whole, EK DIN tells a complicated love story in a simple and effective manner. However, its impact gets diluted in the second half due to a stagnant narrative and a few unconvincing plot points. Moreover, releasing a film of this kind, which needs to be nurtured and allowed to grow through word-of-mouth, in a crowded weekend might go against its box office prospects.