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A long drawn out journey
Dil Dhadakne Do doesn't take itself seriously; there is no reason you should either, writes Deepa Gauri
- PUBLISHED: Sat 6 Jun 2015, 9:30 PM UPDATED: Wed 8 Jul 2015, 3:08 PM
Narrations are the weakest story-telling props known in cinema, and having Javed Akhtar look at the idiosyncrasies in the lives of a dysfunctional ultra-rich Indian family through the eyes of a dog does not make Dil Dhadakne Do any more innovative. The philosophical insights thrown at you might raise a chuckle but that is it.
And when the three Akhtars – Javed, Zoya (as director) and Farhan (as actor, writer, singer etc etc) - come together, it must cater to each one’s indulgence.
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Dil Dhadakne Do cruises on and on, until it hits creative bankruptcy and finishes off in vintage Bollywood ‘we are a family’ style.
Is the journey boring? Yes, a trifle, because you know on which shore this one will end up. After all, isn’t that the formula that both Zoya and Farhan have been practising all along? Bundle the protagonists into a journey and help them ‘discover themselves?’
The discovery in Dil Dhadakne Do too focuses on ‘chasing one’s dreams,’ ‘doing what you love to do’ and all those subtle ‘inspirational’ lessons you get in self-help books.
There is no ‘real story’. This is about a bunch of people living a pack of lies in their lives, and finally addressing them when they are left with little other choice.
This must have been a very hard film to write because telling a story, ‘where nothing really happens,’ takes a lot of effort. Emotions here are never loud, the cause and effect of friction is understated and people largely behave the way they will in real-life situations.
Full credit, therefore, to the writing team. If so much thought went into the film, why pray, this contrived approach to ‘let us clean it all up in 10 minutes’ rush in the climax?
Star-power is what really lifts this movie to ‘watchable’ fluff status. Director Zoya gets the best out of a group of superbly talented actors. Dil Dhadakne Do, however, belongs almost entirely to three people – Anil Kapoor, Ranveer Singh and Shefali Shah.
That is not to say the rest of the actors including Priyanka Chopra, Anushka Sharma, Farhan Akhtar or Rahul Bose disappoint. It is just that they are drowned out in the absolute earnestness and inspired performance of the other three.
As Kamal and Neelam Mehra, Anil Kapoor and Shefali have an effortless naturalism.
And as for Ranveer, check him out in the scenes where he is supposed to be an onlooker and you realise why he has got all the notes right. As loveable brother to Ayesha (Priyanka), obedient son to his father, doting ‘beta’ to his mother and romantic partner to Farah Ali (Anushka), the actor is in top form.
With some amazing camera work (including a single-shot song), hummable music, well-defined characters and a feel-good message, Dil Dhadakne Do is an almost sterile popcorn movie for a lazy weekend - nothing ground-breaking, nothing to be dejected about either.