Starring Saif Ali Khan, Preity Zinta, Arshad Warsi, Jugal Hansraj, Kunal Vijayakar, Javed Jaffri; Directed by Siddharth Raj Anand.

"My heart goes mmmmmmmm..." That's one of the eminent tracks in this romantic film that hums and sings songs of urban relationships...It could well be the anthem for debutant Siddharth Anand's film.

A dishy look at mores, sexual or otherwise, in the extremely urban setting of mouth-watering Melbourne, "Salaam Namaste" bends the rules of mainstream Hindi cinema. It flows against the currents by going fiercely current.

But the contemporary feel of the presentation isn't in-your-face. Never do you feel the characters, even the minor ones, being with-it for the heck of it. A glorious spirit of ebullience takes over the film even when in the second-half things get incredibly grim between the love pair, Nicky (Saif) and Ambar (Preity).

It isn't easy to film a story where the characters grow through events that define their lives without over-dramatisation. The rhythms of a routine courtship in a far-off city are marvellously mellow in tone. You never feel the weight of the Nicky-Ambar love story.

Gosh, these are lovebirds who probably laugh their heads off while watching Laila-Majnu and Romeo-Juliet do their mythical love turns.

And yet, "Salaam Namaste" doesn't take love lightly. Beneath the vibrant veneer the film makes a very telling and serious comment on commitment phobia, especially among the ambitious 25-plus urban male who would rather have his cake and sleep with it too.

Saif Ali Khan's consummate skills as the modern urban yuppie with an attitude that screams a scoffing rejection of sentimental attachments to long-lasting relationships has gradually brought into focus a new kind of Hindi film hero who's hip and yet not impolite about homespun values. He is a ticklish mix of the young and the bewildered.

The constant search for answers about the quirks and whims of the female species was also a presiding theme in Saif's earlier romantic comedy "Hum Tum".

"Salaam Namaste" goes a lot further in terms of exploring the ever-expanding parameters of the man-woman relationship. Ambar's obstinate decision to have Nick's baby after sharing a live-in relationship with him might seem like a saucy repudiation of traditional values. But the director never aims to shock. He takes the opposite route by generating a sense of bonhomie within the messy conflicts in the couple's life.

The scenes are effectively and intelligently written to accentuate the lead pair's individual charm and collective charisma. While we watch Saif and Preity, we also see Nicky and Ambar emerge from the two actors' personality.

Then there's the ever-dependable Arshad Warsi playing Saif's best friend. Warsi's daunting marital subjugation gives the film a revealing sub-plot while providing a broader canvas for the director to suggest his ideas on the way a man sees a woman, and vice versa.

There are some truly magical moments of love and lovemaking. That whole interlude from the time when a gigantically pregnant Ambar craves for a particular brand of ice cream to the time when Nicky finally finds a place that serves up her desired delight, is done in a wondrously chocolaty enchanting mode.

You just have to see Preity pigging on ice cream and Saif's expressions of alarm, amusement and pleasure as he watches her gorge to know what truly effortless screen chemistry is all about.

But "Salaam Namaste" is more than a triumph of the together spirit. It also gets high points for creating scenes that spotlight the urban sensibility in words that flow naturally and yet make you stop to listen. Abbas Tyrewallah's skills as a dialogue writer are on full display. You can't but chuckle at the way Saif says the words, as though he just thought of them. Clever but casual, hip but hefty.

The rippling repartees and the exceedingly enchanting mood of romantic banter keep the narrative's spirits up till the jolting climax where, Abhishek Bachchan playing a goofy, forgetful doctor, delivers twins for Nick and Ambar, with one more bawling baby thrown in for Nick's pal and his wife.

The film scores high marks in two major departments - the look and the mood. The debutant director cuts across the clamouring streets of Melbourne without a glamorous anxiety accompanying his storytelling.

Treatment is all in "Salaam Namaste". The plot on its own amounts to nothing much. But watch Saif and Preity, with some help from Arshad Warsi and Javed Jaffri. And you have what could safely be termed a romantic comedy with plenty of whoops and wows.