For anyone walking in expecting a remake of One Day starring Anne Hathaway, this film will come as a surprise. It shares only the title and a loose idea around a single day, but the story is completely different. The earlier One Day was about one day repeated across multiple years, while this one stays focused mostly around one single day and what it leads to.
The story revolves around Dinesh Kumar Srivastava (Junaid Khan) and Meera Ranganathan (Sai Pallavi). They are office colleagues working under Nakul Bhasin (Kunal Kapoor). Dinesh quietly has feelings for Meera but never finds the courage to tell her. He carries that hesitation within him and continues to remain just a colleague in her life.
All of them travel to Japan for a five day trip, and this is where things begin to change. During the trip, Meera meets with an accident and develops Transient Global Amnesia (TGA) a sudden temporary loss of short-term memory, which causes her to forget that one day. Around the same time, Dinesh makes a simple wish (by ringing a make-a-wish bell) to spend just one day with Meera, to live the moment he never had the courage to ask for. That wish comes true, and what follows is a day where the two get a chance to be together in a way that life had not allowed before. Most of the film unfolds around this one day, and the later part looks at how that one day leaves a lasting effect on both of them.
The first half feels slow and a bit too stretched. It almost feels like the narrator is taking extra time to build things so that the emotional moments later can have more weight. The film begins with Dinesh’s self narration which feels slightly clumsy, and Junaid’s performance in those portions also reflects that awkwardness. As the story moves forward, things become clearer and more engaging.
Sai Pallavi as Meera is a delight to watch. She brings warmth, innocence, and a very natural charm that lights up the screen. She reminds you of the effortless cuteness once associated with Preity Zinta. Junaid Khan plays Dinesh as a simple, everyday person. He keeps the performance controlled and realistic. He does not come across as a typical romantic hero and instead looks more mature, which can be both a strength and a limitation depending on how viewers connect with him.
The pairing between them feels slightly unusual, but also real in a way that reflects how relationships can be in real life. It is not picture perfect, and that might actually work for some people while feeling odd to others.
There is a small comparison one can draw with Jab We Met in terms of character contrast. Meera has a lively and expressive side like Geet, while Dinesh is calm and reserved. But the story here moves in a very different and almost opposite direction in tone.
The film keeps its romance very simple and clean. The closeness between the two is limited to holding hands or a single hug, which makes it feel quite different from most modern love stories. It will be interesting to see how audiences react to this kind of simplicity today.
Visually, the film is almost entirely shot in Japan and often feels like a travel showcase. The locations look beautiful and add a fresh mood to the film. The music, especially the piano based background score in Aur Ek Din, stands out and gives a unique feel that is not very common in mainstream Hindi films.
Overall, the film feels like a different kind of romantic drama. It moves at its own pace and focuses more on emotions than big moments. It may not work for everyone, especially because of its slow first half, but it does have its own charm and will likely find its audience.
Movie: Ek Din
Directed by: Sunil Pandey
Written by: Sneha Desai, Spandan Desai
Based on One Day by: Banjong Pisanthanakun
Featuring: Sai Pallavi, Junaid Khan, Kunal Kapoor, Kavin Dave
Theatrical Release Date: 1 May 2026
Run Time: 2hrs 5mins
Ek Din
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