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Saturday, December 19, 2015

Dilwale

Just as I was leaving for the movie, I was asked, "Which movie, then? The brainless one or the tortuous one?" (Of the two Hindi movies released)
Little did I know then, that I was going to get the combo in a single package. What was Shah Rukh Khan thinking when he made this movie, produced and acted by him?
There didn't seem to be a plot, no big LOL moments, no seeti-maars in the hall...a few that happened in the beginning died down eventually, no tear-jerker moments, no great acting...not even that famed hamming...no surprises, no twists, and... not even as many cars flying. This Rohit Shetty directed movie didn't even have the lunacy his films are famous for.
Well, looks like Shah Rukh thought of trying Salman Khan kind of movies, forgetting that only Salman can effortlessly and successfully pull off that illogicality. Shah Rukh didn't bother to turn on his charm or energy to infuse life into the romantic role he is so famous for.
The film begins with Shah Rukh Khan getting shot at and falling to the ground. That was the flash back. In the present, he and his brother Varun Dhawan together run a salon for styling and repairing cars.
Looks like Varun has tried to emulate characters from his father's famous comedy films but sadly lacks that acumen for comic timing. This is the first movie of Varun I went to see and he is as tepid as I imagined him to be.
The flashback takes us back fifteen years when Shah Rukh was a mafia don in his past and why he gave up all to lead the life of a common man. This flash back and what happens there with his lady love, Kajol looks thoroughly unconvincing and contrived.To the movie's credit, there is a twist in the tale at this juncture. And with it came a misunderstanding which could have been sorted out with some conversation but Shah Rukh and Kajol remain silent till Shah Rukh's brother, Varun falls in love with...you guessed right...Kajol's sister (Kirti Sanon). Of course, they are both against this match. But obviously in this most boringly predictable movie, all's well that ends well...the two couples are united.
No aspect of the story is developed adequately. Logic is all lost in the cacophonic medley of trying to throw a bit of everything in.
A lot of effort has been put into the lead pair look younger in the flashback and to ensure you got it, at a point in the movie, you are shown in quick succession, the alternate old and young faces of Shah Rukh and Kajol.
Boman Irani is supposed to be the comic villain but you need to look hard and very hard for those scant moments of humor. Wasted talent here.
There are also Johnny Lever, Varun Sharma and Sanjay Mishra but they look rather inadequate in the shoddily built plot.
Brief flashes of brilliance in Kabir Bedi's role as Kajol's father and Vinod Khanna as Shah Rukh's father. They both look good but I must say Bedi can still steal a few hearts.
Sometimes, a movie needs a star to elevate its story (Bajrangi Bhaijan, for example) but some movies make even their big stars appear diminutive. Dilwale is one such movie. Watch at your own risk...forewarned is forearmed.
I go with 1/5  just for the compelling chemistry between Shah Rukh and Kajol even after all these years.

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