If you make a film and decide to 'follow' a
cult classic in the process, you need to make absolutely sure you make stuff
that can hold its own. And if the cult classic is called Dilwale Dulhania Le
Jayenge, you better be extra careful. Incorporating escapades in trains,
mustard fields, and a Punjabi wedding can hardly match, let alone beat, the
original.
The spirited Kavya ( Alia Bhatt) from Ambala is about to be married to an NRI ( his father's friend's son) and wants a designer lehenga worth 5 lakhs for the wedding. When her father disagrees, she decides to travel to Delhi to meet her uncle and try her luck to earn that money. She stumbles upon Humpty Rakesh Sharma ( Varun Dhawan) , the son of a bookshop owner, who has tied up the uncle ( the professor in a college) to extract good grades in his exam. In spite of themselves, they fall in love, she returns to Ambala to get married to NRI, Humpty follows. Girl's father has him and his friends beaten black and blue; Humpty refuses to budge; Girl requests father to at least give Humpty a chance as a prospective groom. Girl's father has a condition: if Humpty can find a single fault in the NRI guy that makes him unsuitable for Kavya, he would give him his daughter's hand in marriage.
Predictable, huh ? That is the trap that this film often falls into, in spite of rip-roaringly funny dialogues at times, and some solid performances from the actors. The scene where Humpty professes his love for Kavya to her father stinks of the nineties : 'Agar mujhe ek roti mil jaaye to main adha Kavya ko de dunga aur baaki adha Papa ko' - I mean, grow up! And the scene where Kavya plans to run away in a train is SO DDLJ.
The first half is funny and interesting, with the crazy antics of HUmpty and his friends, the 'original fake' Manish Malhotra gown, the 'affair' between an older woman and an younger man; the film slogs post-interval, and gets lost in an maze of cliches and predictable situations; the strict father who is worried about his family's honour more than his daughter's life; the naacha-gaana in the Punjabi wedding; the meeting of the lovers on the roof ( so DDLJ, again); the impeccable NRI groom who jogs like an Olympic athlete and cooks like a Michelin chef; the bashing of the goons by the hero to save his girl . Except Samjhawan ki, the songs are forgettable; the choreography repetitive and distracting.
But the film remains watchable because of the leading actors. Alia Bhatt works her role like a dream; headstrong, emotional, chirpy - she has it all; her dimples are infectious, her expressions immaculate. dancing isn't exactly her strength, but acting definitely is. Here is a star kid who looks all set for a long and eventful innings in Bollywood. Varun Dhawan is entirely believable as the flirty, confused, good-natured Humpty Sharma; the two share a sparkling chemistry in the film, whether they discuss their dreams after two bottles of beer in Humpty's father's shop, or share burnt roti, dal and 'ok-ok' sabzi in a store-room. (Ahem, ahem, don't they look a tad too comfortable between the sheets ? ). Ashutosh Rana does a brilliant job as the father who believes that his choice would be the best for his daughter, but lets affection take the better of him in the end. Gaurav Pandey and Sahil Vaid impress with their superb comic timing as Humpty's friends Shonty and Poplu.
Overall, a 6.5/10, though the 0.5 belongs to Alia. Or her speech atop the truck. Watch it if you want to spend a pleasant two-and-a-half hours watching mushy stuff. Or till you hunt out your DDLJ dvd.
The spirited Kavya ( Alia Bhatt) from Ambala is about to be married to an NRI ( his father's friend's son) and wants a designer lehenga worth 5 lakhs for the wedding. When her father disagrees, she decides to travel to Delhi to meet her uncle and try her luck to earn that money. She stumbles upon Humpty Rakesh Sharma ( Varun Dhawan) , the son of a bookshop owner, who has tied up the uncle ( the professor in a college) to extract good grades in his exam. In spite of themselves, they fall in love, she returns to Ambala to get married to NRI, Humpty follows. Girl's father has him and his friends beaten black and blue; Humpty refuses to budge; Girl requests father to at least give Humpty a chance as a prospective groom. Girl's father has a condition: if Humpty can find a single fault in the NRI guy that makes him unsuitable for Kavya, he would give him his daughter's hand in marriage.
Predictable, huh ? That is the trap that this film often falls into, in spite of rip-roaringly funny dialogues at times, and some solid performances from the actors. The scene where Humpty professes his love for Kavya to her father stinks of the nineties : 'Agar mujhe ek roti mil jaaye to main adha Kavya ko de dunga aur baaki adha Papa ko' - I mean, grow up! And the scene where Kavya plans to run away in a train is SO DDLJ.
The first half is funny and interesting, with the crazy antics of HUmpty and his friends, the 'original fake' Manish Malhotra gown, the 'affair' between an older woman and an younger man; the film slogs post-interval, and gets lost in an maze of cliches and predictable situations; the strict father who is worried about his family's honour more than his daughter's life; the naacha-gaana in the Punjabi wedding; the meeting of the lovers on the roof ( so DDLJ, again); the impeccable NRI groom who jogs like an Olympic athlete and cooks like a Michelin chef; the bashing of the goons by the hero to save his girl . Except Samjhawan ki, the songs are forgettable; the choreography repetitive and distracting.
But the film remains watchable because of the leading actors. Alia Bhatt works her role like a dream; headstrong, emotional, chirpy - she has it all; her dimples are infectious, her expressions immaculate. dancing isn't exactly her strength, but acting definitely is. Here is a star kid who looks all set for a long and eventful innings in Bollywood. Varun Dhawan is entirely believable as the flirty, confused, good-natured Humpty Sharma; the two share a sparkling chemistry in the film, whether they discuss their dreams after two bottles of beer in Humpty's father's shop, or share burnt roti, dal and 'ok-ok' sabzi in a store-room. (Ahem, ahem, don't they look a tad too comfortable between the sheets ? ). Ashutosh Rana does a brilliant job as the father who believes that his choice would be the best for his daughter, but lets affection take the better of him in the end. Gaurav Pandey and Sahil Vaid impress with their superb comic timing as Humpty's friends Shonty and Poplu.
Overall, a 6.5/10, though the 0.5 belongs to Alia. Or her speech atop the truck. Watch it if you want to spend a pleasant two-and-a-half hours watching mushy stuff. Or till you hunt out your DDLJ dvd.
Movie review by Anwesha Sengupta
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