I, Me Aur Main, the new John Abraham movie, co-staring Chitrangada Singh and Prachi Desai, has its roots in new India: successful youngsters who pride in infidelity, silliness, self-styled egos and non-commitment in relationships. A bit of like Goldie Behl’s last movie, London Paris New York, staring Ali Zafar.

Mr. Abraham plays Ishaan, a conceited brat whose sense of self is pumped-up by bad parenting. Ishaan works as a music executive, where his ear for music (and savvies in manicuring talent for the spotlight) has made him a success in the biz. However, his puerility has the better of him in personal life. He has no real feelings for his girlfriend Anushka (Ms. Singh gorgeous and improving in performance) with whom he lives, except to what he feels on surface.

His is a retro world of short-dresses, flings, video games and whatever he feels the craving for.

The vestiges of the old world exist in pockets in I, Me Aur Main. A chic shalwar kameez (perhaps the only other conservative dress in the movie) moment happens in the film’s first act, when Ishaan deliberately runs away from his commitment to take Anushka to meet his parents (Anushka, though liberal about relationships, at least has the sense to dress for the occasion).

Ishaan is booted out of the relationship, finds a new home with a free-spirit neighbor (Ms. Desai) – his eventual romantic lead – and after a continuing war of ego’s with a newly hired executive (Raima Sen, wasted), leaves his music company to start the career of his newfound talent (Sheena Shahabadi)…after much whimpering, that is.

Mr. Abraham’s self-pitying character and those around him are a perfect fit within I, Me Aur Main’s metropolitan-evolved mindset. We notice that despite the solemnity of film’s more sensible-minded supporting characters (the cast includes Zarina Wahab, as Ishaan’s mother and Mini Mathur as his older sister),their world is of superficial meaning.

This, of course, creates an emotional vacuum, that makes caring for anyone a difficult (if not altogether impossible) enterprise.

For example: Ms. Wahab, who we never get to know the name of, leaves her un-seen husband because she couldn’t stand the sight of him (her rationality, like everything, is there to fit a piece of the movie’s narrative puzzle).

These are indeed sad times, but not because of what we see happening on-screen, rather by the potential of what we may have been.

I, Me Aur Main is predictably laid out and handled with inexperienced blandness by debuting director Kapil Sharma (his previous credits as an assistant was on Ghajini and producer Goldie Behl’s Drona).

It’s only kudos comes from Mr. Abraham’s insistence to seek flawed (and somewhat risky), roles – though, most times one needs a better script to go with the character.

I, Me Aur Main stars: John Abraham, Prachi Desai, Chitrangada Singh, Zarina Wahab, Mini Mathur and Sameer Soni.

Directed by Kapil Sharma, Written by Devika Bhagat, Cinematography by Himman Dhamija, Editing by Ranjeet Bahadur, and Music by Falak Shabir, Sachin-Jigar, Gourav Dasgupta and Raghav Sachar. Produced by Goldie Behl, Shrishti Behl Arya, Sanjeev Lamba.

Released by Reliance Entertainment, and rated U/A: Parents strongly cautioned, spoiling your kids will lead to them being the film’s lead character.