Mere Dil Mein: Arjun, Shradhha's peppy new Half Girlfriend song is best enjoyed without visuals

The new song of Mohit Suri’s upcoming romantic comedy Half Girlfriend, ‘Mere Dil Mein’, is unlike anything that its name suggests. It is not a breezy romantic number but a fast-paced EDM number with dialogues from the film peppered all over the song. Arjun Kapoor and Shraddha Kapoor, the lead pair of the film, just like all other songs and the trailer of the film, fail to crack a sizzling chemistry - a prerequisite for a romantic comedy. Since Shraddha’s character of Riya Somani is being built as the ‘half girlfriend’ of Arjun Kapoor’s character Madhav Jha, the chemistry may have been manufactured as only halfway there. On second thoughts, that does not seem to be the case. With his fake Bihari accent and with her layers of makeup that make her look anemic, Arjun and Shraddha come across as characters whom you are unable to touch, feel and smell. They are too distant and fail to make you believe that they are real. That is exactly why this song, composed by Rishi Rich, sounds catchy only when listened to in isolation. When it is accompanied by the visuals of the film, the cosmetic treatment creeps into the audio too and affects its overall impact. While the streets of New York and basketball court prove to be suitable settings for this hip hop number, the lead couple remain torn between their will to portray characters or their compulsion to play to the gimmick of being cool. Overall, the song has a unique touch to it, especially the chorus, but falters on its failed efforts to stay connected to the central narrative of the film. Half Girlfriend also stars Seema Biswas and is produced by Ekta Kapoor and Shobha Kapoor’s Balaji Motion Pictures. It is based on Chetan Bhagat’s bestselling novel of the same name. It is slated to release on 19 May.