Skip to main content

Dil Dhadakne Do

DIL DHADAKNE DO

The best part about being on vacation is that you can catch an early show without the clutter of the reviews. However even then I did glimpse reviews that had rated the movie 4 and 4.5. Those almost made me dig in my heels and not go for the movie. But addicted as I am, I was at the movies and this movie if I had to rate, would say 4 for the first half and a 3 for the second…. Certainly not a 4 or 4.5 overall!
So Zoya Akhtar’s forte is eking out histories and back stories for her characters. Like she did in Luck by Chance and even her counterpart Reema Kagti did in Honeymoon Travels. And she does this so well here again. Also her angst against the upper crust continues in its own subtle way. The movie portrays a dysfunctional family headed by Anil Kapoor, who is busy trying to prop up his business by bartering his son. His wife is Shefali Shah who is assertive yet submissive, a trait shared by her daughter Priyanka Chopra who is stuck in a loveless marriage. The spark of the family or literally the chiraag of the khandaan is Ranveer Singh.
And the sutradhaar with a continuous voice over by the most beloved family member – the dog is a fine touch and goes down so well. The voice over is done by Aamir Khan and took me until the end of the movie to figure that one out.
Anushka Sharma and Farhan Akhtar have special appearances but that doesn’t matter coz the movie belongs totally to the Uncle-Nephew team of Anil Kapoor and Ranveer Singh. Also superb is Shefali and Zarina Wahab is perfect. A rare appearance by Parmeet Sethi was also good. I love the fact that Excel Entertainment keeps bringing back these people.
What surprised me is that in Zoya’s movies the city, or the locale plays the part of a character almost, like Mumbai did in Luck by Chance and Spain did in Zindagi … I missed that here. The first half of the movie does have a very Woody Allen type feel to it, it is the second half that meanders along and could have been crisper. The total length of the movie was 170 minutes…. Too long…
After The Slumdog Millionaire, this has to be Anil Kapoor’s best movie. He is too good. Also Ranveer Singh take a bow, you have outdone yourself. I wish the music had been better. The dialogues are by Farhan Akhtar ( God! Isn’t there anything this man can’t do?) They go down well, my fave was Zarina Wahab saying – “ I don’t drink because my arthiritis doesn’t let me hold a glass” Hee hee!
Although I am wary of donning the mantle of a soothsayer, I would say this movie isn’t going to pull in crowds the way Tanu weds Manu did or even Piku did.
Saw the trailer for Wazir and Bangistan and am awaiting them eagerly.

Ciao till Hamari Adhuri Kahaani…..

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Qala

Anvita Dutt, is a master story teller. And she, tells this one well too. She and Kanika Dillon have a knack of painting their leading ladies in shades of grey. Whilst Kanika brings in the whacky and the wild, Anvita brings in the angst. It makes for great entertainment.  This movie seeps in slowly and is for those of you who like the slow burn. There is drama and angst and tragedy and it leaves you wondering, what did I just watch? Was this a movie or sheer art? And it is a movie that stays with you for a bit.  The visuals are stunning, particularly those of the boat on the water. The noir-ish feel of the movie fits the mood perfectly. One does know what has happened and why, but the visuals and the artistry keep you in thrall. This is the story of a woman, who learns to be competitive in her mother's womb itself. Her quest for survival began in the womb itself. She then spends all her childhood and teen years having only her mother and constantly craving her validation. Is ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Monica, O My Darling

Straight off the bat, let me tell you that I went into this movie cold. I just saw the trailer and put it on my watch list. I was totally enamored with the cast and the premise. I knew I was going to watch this one, so I didn't delve into the promotional shenanigans.  So if you are of the same bent of mind, stop reading and start watching.  And on your behalf, I did Google Ankola, it is a town in Karnataka and is not to be confused with Akola in Maharashtra. Ha ! Ha! Netflix has been delighting us with gems like Raat Akeli thi, Haseen dilruba and Bulbul. Add this one to that list and think Gehraiyaan. I need not stress on the proficient star cast. They are masters of their craft. Starting with the sneaky Rajkummar Rao, the sultry Huma Quereshi and the wily Radhika Apte, the ensemble includes the creepy Sukant Goel, the beleaguered Zayn Marie and many others. For me Sikandar Kher was a standout. A shoutout to his intensity and his baritone.  The dialogues are spot on and t...
Post a Comment
Read more

Suicides

I am sorry, I am going to come across as terribly insensitive when I have said this but, what is all this fuss about? A celebrity was unable to cope with the pressures of the life he had chosen and gave up on living. I mean have you ever seen a rejected sportsperson commit suicide? And the person in question here actually had a degree from a very prestigious institute and could have looked for another job, but he didn't.  So my take on this is: 1- Nepotism is a fact in all walks of life. 2- A person who is suffering from Clinical Depression is a person who needs to be constantly monitored and a care-taker needs to be assigned, because patients of such depression always experiment with dosages and such. They also cease to take their medications. 3- Here it seems to have been the sister who was the designated care-taker, so why isn't she being questioned? 4- Also the doctor who was treating him said that SSR had discontinued his treatment. The correct protocol is to m...
Post a Comment
Read more