Dil Dhadakne Do Reviews and Box Office thread! - Page 40

DNA India

Dil Dhadakne Do review: Would have been more fun had it been shorter, crisper and less indulgent

Film: Dil Dhadakne Do

Rating: **1/2

Starring: Anil Kapoor, Ranveer Singh, Priyanka Chopra, Anushka Sharma, Rahul Bose, Farhan Akhtar, Shefali Shah and Parmeet Sethi

Directed by: Zoya Akhtar

What it's about:

In Karan Johar's movies, you see large, happy, shiny families who live in castle-like homes and love each other no matter what. Zoya Akhtar introduces a dysfunctional family to her viewers. Kamal Mehra (Anil Kapoor) and his wife Neelam (Shefali Shah) invite all their friends to join them on a cruise to celebrate their wedding anniversary. The farce of their 'happy' family comes undone on this holiday. They nudge their son Kabir (Ranveer Singh) in the direction of Sood's (Parmeet Sethi) daughter who has only been invited because they see alliance with them as a good business proposition. They've done this before with their daughter Ayesha (Priyanka Chopra) who is now trapped in a miserable marriage. Farah Ali (Anushka Sharma) is a dancer on the cruise and Kabir fancies her, giving heartburn to his parents and to add to that, Ayesha drops a bomb too. Meanwhile, Kamal and Neelam's marriage is more fragile than ever. Throw in an ex-lover into this mix and you wonder how this dysfunctional family is going to reach the happy ending. But it happens..

What's good:

One thing you can expect in a Zoya Akhtar film is the experience of a different world. Whether it is the story, the locations, the characters and their lives. It's a world that only she explores. The last time around, she took the viewers on an thrilling adventure trip, which involved jumping from planes, deep sea diving and being chased by the bulls. This time, she takes you on a cruise but strangely keeps you indoors most of the time. The interesting part is all the quirky characters, even though they are the typical high-society cliches from films like Page 3. The three friends of Neelam will take you into flashback of a similar trio from Hum Saath Saath Hain. The portly Punjabi dost (Khanna), the snooty Soods and the adorable family dog Pluto (the narrator of the story) together cannot convince you to get on board with them but are likeable. The part of DDD that does connect is the brother-sister relationship (reportedly this is inspired by director's closeness to her brother Farhan). Everyone in the cast plays their part effectively but it is Anil Kapoor who stands apart. He is simply brilliant, whether he is selfishly manipulating his children, fighting for them or begging for his wife's forgiveness. If you thought that Ranveer Singh could only play loud and dramatic characters, you will change your opinion after seeing his performance in this film. He plays the caring brother so well that he might just have girls running after him with a rakhi now. Anushka matches Ranveer's energy in a small role. Priyanka is restrained. Farhan is perfect in his cameo. Shefali will make you squirm in your seat when she stuffs her face with desserts.

What's Not:

The film just seems to go on for longer than it should. It's almost a three hours ride. It's not a bad journey but it's largely flat. Save a few funny (Zarina's Wahab's long list of illnesses) and emotional moments (Kamal's heart attack), the story doesn't hit any of the right spots. There is an ensemble cast but the story revolves only around the Mehras. The constant narration by Pluto gets tiring after a point. The feeling that like DDD could have been a better film but it never reaches its potential stays with you as the credits roll.

What to do:

DDD would've been a lot of fun had it been shorter, crisper and less indulgent.

Mensxp

'Dil Dhadakne Do' Is A Star-Studded Cruise Trip You Must Take This Year

Rating : 4

Review:

It is not a big spoiler to reveal that the narrator of 'Dil Dhanakne Do' is a dog named Pluto Mehra. Pluto, of course, belongs to the Mehra family comprising of patriarch Kamal Mehra (Anil Kapoor), a Delhi-based businessman of high repute, his wife Neelam (Shefali Shah) who is constantly told to watch her weight, their daughter Ayesha (Priyanka Chopra) who has opened a successful travel agency post her marriage and their son Kabir (Ranveer Singh) who is trying and failing to get the ropes of Ayka, the company his father built.

The movie starts off fairly soon after these introductions aboard a cruise ship where the Mehras are celebrating their 30th wedding anniversary. The dysfunctional family's problems are about to hit the family with the speed of a hailstorm as Ayesha looks for a divorce from her overbearing husband Manav (Rahul Bose) and mother-in-law who suffers from every ailment known to man. Kamal and Neelam plot to hitch their son to a prospective buyer's daughter of their company before Kabir falls for Farah Ali (Anushka Sharma), a member of the dance troupe aboard the cruise liner. And let's not forget Sunny Gill (Farhan Akhtar), who makes a late appearance but helps in the unravelling of the entire movie.

Director Zoya Akhtar hits the high notes of her previous film 'Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara' with a few scenes but overall the storyline is slightly hackneyed. Farhan, in particular, got applause from the theatre in a scene where he captures the misogynist mindset of Indians perfectly. Feminists, your wait for a new poster boy is over. The A-list of actors also do their bit to keep things moving and elevate this movie. Ranveer and Priyanka in particular are noteworthy, while Anil Kapoor seems to have shed his reluctance to play daddy roles with gusto.

There's nothing here that you haven't seen before but the glossiness of the locations help to take the mind off the somewhat-mediocre storyline. Especially with the addition of Pluto and the relationship-based story revolving around marriage, 'Dil Dhadakne Do' sometimes feels like an updated version of 'Hum Aapke Hain Koun..'! This isn't bad in itself, except that Zoya Akhtar is capable of raising the bar much higher than what is on display. Another problem is the length of the film. At 170 minutes, 'Dil Dhadakne Do' tests the limits of the narrow plot in which it plays. There aren't many standout songs to keep you entertained too.

In the end though, Zoya still manages to make you believe that you got your money's worth. The acting talent on display, some really witty banter, Ranveer's mad antics and Anil Kapoor enjoying a meaty role to the fullest will have you leaving the theatre with a smile on your face. This dysfunctional family's tale is definitely worth a trip to the theatre this weekend.

Watched the film, will write detailed review later

What happen to PC Starpower? Ranveer Singh the Experimental Rising Star? 20-25% Opening 🤣

Rediff

Review:Dil Dhadakne Do is charming fluff

Rating: 4

Dil Dhadakne Do unravels like an entire season of soap opera condensed into a nearly three-hour movie, writes Sukanya Verma.

Preserving wealth is a lot of hard work. When a man has laboured life long to project enviable luxury, it's essential that he appears to relish it with his family and flaunt it among his friends.

Footing in a large bill every single day for a group he requested to come along on a scenic Mediterranean cruise to celebrate his 30th wedding anniversary, Kamal Mehra (Anil Kapoor) feels the pinch of keeping appearances.

A self-made billionaire, he's still in touch with his middle-class values when it comes to matters of the money. Everything else is as superficial as it gets -- be it his jaded marriage to ace cupcake-chomper Neelam (Shefali Shah), his tediously old-fashioned expectations from kids Ayesha and Kabir (Priyanka Chopra, Ranveer Singh) or his relationship of convenience around his equally catty tycoon friends.

Zoya Akhtar's breezy outlook and aversion for melodrama are something I've constantly appreciated in all her previous films.

Her latest Dil Dhadakne Do retains this virtue whilst exploring the woes of well-heeled lifestyles without turning them into caricatures of a dysfunctional family.

Farhan Akhtar's pat dialogues contribute significantly -- they're the best takeaway from this cruise confection. As is the spot-on timing they're delivered in.

In one fine scene, Ayesha is discussing incompatibility issues in her marriage with her mother. The latter brushes it off arguing how her husband (Rahul Bose) provides her with everything she needs. And there you have it -- "Aisa tha toh phir meri mall se shaadi kar dete (If that was the case, you should have married me to a mall?"

In another, a hysterical Kabir goes on a spontaneous spree of puke-themed jokes ranging from Vomatino' to Louis Vomiton.'

One cannot say the same about the voiceover provided by Aamir Khan for Pluto Mehra, the darling mastiff pet of the Mehras. His sagacious captioning of scenes (in Javed Akhtar's words) robs Dil Dhadakne Do of much of its delicacy and caters to Bollywood's annoying tendency to see, what just happened there?'

For a script that's bold enough to sail without a plot, simply as a whimsical slice of freewheeling vacation and untapped impulses, Dil Dhadakne Do is surprisingly stale in fleshing the circumstances of its protagonists.

Bickering parents, daughter trapped in a loveless marriage, son whose heart is not in running the family business, progressive ex-flame around the corner, free-spirited Londoner facilitating a long-due coming-of-age, competitive uncles and their matchmaking-obsessed wives -- all these are lamentably one-note or familiar facets from her past work.

It's an eclectic group of impressive actors led by Anil Kapoor, Ranveer Singh and Shefali Shah, making sure they own their respective parts.

Right from the moment Kapoor delivers his first punch line clad in a pair of spiffy golf pants to the final scene seizing his vivacious, winsome grin, he crackles the screen with his portrayal of a deliciously calculating Punjabi patriarch.

Alternately refined, bumbling, rascally and vulnerable, Kapoor is the life of Zoya's opulent multistarrer. Though unfairly neglected to highpoint her livewire co-star, Shefali bites into the part of his disenchanted sounding board just as avidly as her diet in the movie.

I've always found Ranveer Singh's excessive energy to be a major deterrent but here he contains it so deftly making his low on ambition, dry-humoured albeit tender Kabir a delight to watch. Easily his most realised, assured and nuanced delivery.

Priyanka Chopra's Ayesha invites judgement in her submissiveness and silence as a self-deprecating achiever who allows her husband to think he allows' her to work. All the more so because she doesn't look the part even if her chic styling is right on mark.

Also cast against type, Rahul Bose has more success in getting the tone of his chauvinistic mamma's boy (a terrific Zarina Wahab) just right.

Farhan Akhtar and Anushka Sharma remain at the periphery triggering romance, realisation and rebellion into the complex Mehra kids. Even if their role isn't as meaty, their lovely, likeable persona infuses quick, believable chemistry.

There are occasions when Zoya digs into their darker spaces -- pity sex, history of infidelity only to retreat back into the safety of all that is cosmetic, chirpy just like the Mehras.

Clearly, the leisurely-paced family dramedy isn't in a rush to get anywhere.

Cinematographer Carlos Catalan's sublime visuals, whether he's capturing the gorgeous ocean, majestic heritage sites, Zoya's expressive cast, the lavish breakfast buffet of freshly baked goodies, are effortlessly attractive.

Unfortunately, it doesn't lead up to anything distinct. Despite all the gyaan Pluto belts out, the movie wraps up hastily in a rather unfulfilling, problematic manner. Except that the actors play out the ensuing irrationality with such infectious gusto, it doesn't bother straightway.

Zoya Akhtar's Dil Dhadakne Do unravels like an entire season of soap opera condensed into a nearly three-hour movie that observes the clichs surrounding the affluent through wit and warmth but is, ultimately, too facile to rise above the charming fluff.

Originally posted by: LaFUNgA

What happen to PC Starpower? Ranveer Singh the Experimental Rising Star? 20-25% Opening 🤣

Originally posted by: LaFUNgA

What happen to PC Starpower? Ranveer Singh the Experimental Rising Star? 20-25% Opening 🤣

areey bhaisaab pehle opening collection toh aane toh do , fir ROFL marna 😳

Have a feeling it will grow by leaps in evening and tomorrow. I am having the victory dance because all my fav stars films have done well critically and commercially this year. First Piku and then TWMR. Hopefully DDD does great like the other two. And ofcourse hopefully Shaandaar also repeats same victory march. I have to be the happiest fan now.

And defense of Priyanka