Cast: Vinay Pathak, Gul Panag, Anuj Chaudhary, Siddharth Makkar, Ketaki Dave, Rasik Dave ; director : Parvati Balagopalan

What happens when you think you swing both ways? Tread a `tedha medha’ path, with trepidation, that’s what.

London-based Pinu Patel ( Vinay) is a virgin who will have anyone if she will have him. But a Smriti Irani clone back in India dumps him on their wedding day, because of his `uncool dhokla’ ways. All is despair, until Pinu discovers that he may have found the love of his life, but is it Renu ( Gul), the curvy yet wholesome cashier employed in his Indian eatery, or Kamlesh ( Anuj), pronounced without the `h’, crack chef-cum-wannabe-stand-up comedian?

Parvati Balagopalan finds her rhythm a trifle slowly. Post-interval, `Straight’ settles down to unspool several laugh-out-loud moments ( Pinu’s restaurant is called Gaylord, ha ha), mixed with sweet sentiment. And this time, unlike in her debut ` Rules : Pyar Ka Superhit Formula’, the director gets the mix right. It helps hugely that she’s snagged just the right cast. It’s heartening to see pudgy, about-to-lose-their-hair, no-longer-in-the-first-blush-of-youth regular guys play the lead in a love story, and smart good-looking ones ( Anuj) in supporting parts.

The `outing’ of Pinu’s very dude cousin Rajat ( Sidhharth) , full of `bonkety-doodle do’ jokes and bulging biceps, seems a bit too sudden, but everything else is in its right place. I’m a virgin, says Pinu. But I’m not, says Renu, drawing him close, her dimples deep enough to lose a coin in. This matter-of-fact expression of female sexuality, minus any sanction or baggage, is a happy augury for New Bollywood. All hail.

... contd.