The script of ‘Dil Dhadakne Do’ redefines the Bollywood family drama. Though the movie is quite amusing and entertaining but originality is something that is lacking from the film. While the dialogues are delightful and adds up to the humour, it also gets repetitive many a times. The movie has a idiosyncratic approach towards family bonds which might not be digestible for everyone. Talking about the star performances, Anil Kapoor has won everyone’s heart as Kamal Mehra, he got into the skin of his character and played the role so well that no one else can be imagined playing the role. Ranveer Singh too, was quite impressive. While Priyanka Chopra, Farhan Akhtar and Shefali Shah entirely justified their roles, Anushka Sharma was average in her performance. The movie seemed to be unnecessarily stretched towards the end as the content becomes weak. ‘Dil Dhadakne Do’ is a high society family drama that might not be everyone’s cup of tea. It is a decent movie but offers nothing extra ordinary. Being a Zoya Akhtar film which created a lot of buzz since the time it was announced, expectations were much higher.
Despite Ranveer-Priyanka, this cruise goes nowhere. The music of the film is another average fare. There is hardly any takeaway from Dil Dhadakne Do and its characters are not likely to stay with you for long. Also, it would be hard for you and me to identify with the doubts and troubles of the morally ambiguous Mehra family. However, the film has a good starcast and that can dictate the game at the box office.
This is a classic example of how when a pertinent, contemporary story (Reema Kagti, Zoya Akhtar) meets a stellar star cast and near perfect direction (Zoya Akhtar), it results in a wholesome film good enough to be taken home to mum. While the dialogues (written by Farhan Akhtar) are mostly delightful and keeps the humour quotient going, at times it gets a bit forced and repetitive. The cruise takes us to some of the most scenic places, which includes glimpses of Turkey, France, Spain, Tunisia and Italy. But more importantly, it also takes us to a journey within, as it raises the mirror to the hypocrisies and double standards that we have either been propagating or suffering in silence in Indian families. If this film looks like an entertaining, escapist film at the outset, it is, but it is also much deeper than that. Watch it for sure.
Zoya Akhtar's Dil Dhadakne Do is a film that has its heart in the right place but its beats are terribly irregular. It is an overly caramelised and flaky dysfunctional family drama that strives - and fails - to strike a balance between the sly and the syrupy. It is a mix of updated Jane Austen, Honeymoon Travels Pvt Ltd (minus the gay man sub-plot) and Bollywood excess on a super ship that brings out the worst in its passengers. It is a film that is beautiful to look at, but it says pretty much nothing that is startlingly original. It tells us that it is best to let our hearts lead the way no matter how complicated matters may become as a result of our words and deeds. Hindi cinema history has seen one big film about "loving your parents". Dil Dhadakne Do is about "hating your parents" and in the process compelling them to change their ways. Yawn! Dil Dhadakne Do is a snoozefest and a surefire cure for insomnia.
A round-trip luxury cruise is a perfect metaphor for Zoya Akhtar’s Dil Dhadakne Do: it’s glossy, it’s picturesque, everything on board costs far more than it ought, there are some pretty people, a few of whom make a scene, a family shakes a leg quite memorably, there is some motion sickness and -- for something that ends up precisely and predictably where it started -- it takes a helluva long time going nowhere. Dil Dhadakne Do is like a really long episode of Sarabhai Vs Sarabhai where Satish Shah doesn’t show up. The heart, it wants what it wants, and that’s all very well, especially if it wants the kind of watery climaxes where hugs solve everything. But ah, how I wish this film hadn’t gone doggy style.
Priyanka Chopra and Anushka Sharma, who trails off, are better than the parts written for them. Anil Kapoor and Shefali Shah bring a real sting to their interactions; she is the best part of this film, and he is not far behind. By the second half, the film starts to stretch over the horizon. In all this, my heart developed a big beat for Mr and Mrs Mehra, was attentive to Ranveer, skipped a bit for Farhan, and kind of floated over the rest. High-society hi-jinks on the high seas. This, in short, is what ‘Dil Dhakakne Do’ comes off as primarily, even if there are multiple straining-for-depth strands in it. Of creeping middle-age and dwindling love. Of gender imbalance caused by dominant males, and the making of submissive women. Of lineage and privilege and position. Of life lessons from the wisest of them all, a dog named Pluto.
A DESI FAMILY DRAMA - WITH GLOBAL STYLE! Dil Dhadakne Do goes behind the glossy grins of Indian family life, presenting screaming, sobbing dysfunction, heart-ripping extramarital affairs, bitter gender discrimination and heavy parental control. Yet, it has a light hand, not preachy but breezy while sensitively making modern points. But these are fleeting clouds on an otherwise beautiful sea, hosting a cruise which hilariously combines butter chicken with bruschetta while searching beyond Bollywood's emotional Botox for a family's warts - and its heart.