Film Review - Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania

Partly Well Groomed 

Film Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania

Cast: Varun Dhawan, Alia Bhatt, Ashutosh Rana

Directed by: Shashank Khaitan

Duration: 2 hrs 15 mins

Rating:  * * 1 / 2

Almost two decades ago, Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge became the trendsetter and over the years we have had a host of films inspired by that Aditya Chopra film. Topping that list as of today will be Shashank Khaitan’s Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania, an unabashed tribute to DDLJ.  In one scene, the hero is also seen shedding tears while watching a re-re-run of that film. 

The triumph, if one can call it that, of Humpty Sharma lies in the fact that though it uses an oft repeated 20 year old formula & completely throws logic and sense out of the window from the top floor in the latter half, it delivers decent entertainment primarily because the characters are well etched. The chemistry between the lead pair also contributes immensely in pushing the film to the ‘not so bad’ category. 

Rakesh aka Humpty Sharma (Varun Dhawan) is a happy go lucky college boy in Delhi who doesn’t particularly excel in anything.  Enter Kavya Pratap Singh (Alia Bhatt) the girl from Ambala who has come to Delhi to shop for her wedding which is on the anvil and she wants to buy a designer lehenga that costs a bomb and Humpty Sharma comes to her rescue. They become good friends and even if you have landed from Mars you would know which way the story is heading. 

Back home, Ashutosh Rana plays Amrish Puri’s character. He turns grumpy when the word love is mentioned, his elder daughter was a victim of a love story that went awry. The first half of the film is a breeze and somewhat predictably, it goes downhill after that. 

Humpty, with a little help from his friends (Sahil Vaid and Gaurav Pandey),  tries his best to convince the Amrish Puri avatar that he is truly madly and deeply in love with the girl. For the strangest reason in the universe, papa gives him a chance – if he can find a single fault in the prospective NRI groom (Sidharth Shukla), then he will accede to Humpty’s wishes.

Thanks to the sloppy writing in the second half, the film seems much longer than 135 

minutes.  A tribute to DDLJ is fine but it doesn’t have to be an unimaginative one. Ultimately, it is the characters that drive the film and a fair amount of laughs are generated by Humpty’s two friends. As a trend in recent times we have seen that the  women character's are not stereotypes and it applies to this film as well- as a larger reflection of the societal issues, the three generations of ladies are seen discussing male issues, in one of the best scenes.

Both Sahil Vaid and Gaurav Pandey fit the bill in those roles and it is also good to see Ashutosh Rana back in action. Varun Dhawan and Alia Bhat are both hitting the right notes since they made their debut and they carry on in the same vein. Of the two, Varun’s performance is marginally better than hers. In sum, Humpty’s bumpy ride is fun in parts.

Published in The Navhind Times on 13th July 2014

 

Film Review - 2 States

North by North Waste

Film: 2 States
Cast: Arjun Kapoor, Alia Bhatt, Amrita Singh

Directed by: Abhishek Varman

Duration: 2 hrs 29 mins

Rating: * * 1 / 2

Based on the popular autobiographical account of Chetan Bhagat, 2 States could have been a charming little film but it toils and trudges long enough to make you desperate to head for the exit door. Brevity is not only the soul of wit, it should essentially be the trait of many of our Bollywood films as well. 

If only our films were restricted to a duration of 90 to 120 minutes, the quality would improve drastically. 

2 States starts off on a decent note, Krish (Arjun Kapoor) an IIM student falls in love with his classmate Ananya (Alia Bhatt). The IIM campus and the hostels (both boys and girls) are so very well lit that I dread to think about their monthly electricity bill. 

After their courtship, they discover they are in love and decide to get married. But in India, everything is easier said than done, including getting married. Not only does the boy have to approve of the girl, in this case, his Punjabi family also have to give their consent to her South Indian family (Tamilian Brahmins to be more precise).

His mother (Amrita Singh) is a loud mouthed Punjabi who calls her prospective in-laws Madrasis while his father (Ronit Roy, doing another one track character but doing it very well) is a grumpy man with several issues. Her folks (Revathy and Shiv Subramanayam) want her to get married to someone from their clan and Krish has to go out of his way to impress them.

The culture clash, politically incorrect jokes and stereotypes can be good fun, Vicky Donor did a fantastic job but this one doesn’t really nail it. The first half sails smoothly but the gags get exhausted later and towards the end, it starts becoming an ordeal. 

There are some fun situations and one liners, especially coming from Amrita Singh who is in terrific form, and how you wish the director had stuck to the same tone instead of getting all heavy duty as the film progresses. 

Most of the film is told in flashback while Krish sits on a psychologists couch and tells his story, the device doesn’t have much a relevance to the story, had it been edited out, it would have saved precious time.    

Revathy as the girl’s mother also gets to sing one of her earlier hit songs saathiya tune kiya from Love (1991) where she played the lead opposite Salman Khan. The lady is playing motherly roles these days while Salman is, well, that’s a subject for another day.

Barring that extremely well lit campus, 2 States is beautifully shot by Binod Pradhan almost like a Mani Ratnam film. The music by Shankar Ehsaan Loy is also easy one the ears.

Of the cast, the supporting actors, Revathy, Shiv Subramanyam and Ronit Roy are apt. Amrita Singh plays her character to the hilt and hopefully we’ll see more of her on the big screen. Arjun Kapoor is so-so, there is nothing remarkable in his performance. After Highway Alia Bhatt excels once again and this girl has it in her to go the distance.

The film meanwhile runs out of steam before it can reach the finish line. 

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Film Review - Highway

The Good Road

Film: Highway

Cast: Randeep Hooda, Alia Bhatt

Directed by: Imtiaz Ali

Duration: 2 hrs

Rating: * * *

Director Imtiaz Ali steps out of his comfort zone to make a film that attempts to stray away from the weekly Bollywood fare. The result is mixed, while you appreciate the attempt, the script doesn’t have enough fire-power to push it in to the big league. Nevertheless, here is a film that either you might love or ‘not like it so much’. There will be a few reservations but chances of detesting it are slim and not many films fall in that bracket these days.

On the positive side, there is a lot to be admired. This is one of the most beautifully shot films in recent times and Alia Bhatt as an actress springs up a surprise. She plays Veera Tripathi who gets abducted by Mahabir (Randeep Hooda) just before her wedding. The kidnapper with his gang (a terrific ensemble cast) keeps moving from one place to another giving ample scope for a road movie.                   

Even though she is captive, she starts enjoying her ‘freedom’ from her family and it is not too long before the Stockholm syndrome kicks in. In Hollywood we have seen more than a dozen films on this subject and though it is not a first in India (Subhash Ghai’s Hero is perhaps the most popular film), it is not explored in depth here.

Being a thoroughbred criminal she has no qualms about it; he is a hard nut to crack but gives in eventually. The two are on the run, moving from one place to another till they settle down in one place and the second half of the film is more like a promotion for Himachal Pradesh Tourism. Visually it does look gorgeous but it does not do the story a world of good.

The finale where some uncomfortable secrets are revealed also stretches on after the point is made and I wish the film had ended a few minutes before it actually did, at the high point.

But again, the film holds your attention even when it is not all gung-ho. There are some splendid set pieces, like the one where she breaks into an impromptu dance to an English song. If you dig deep into the issues brought up here, you might draw a few blanks (like the girl suddenly discovering a new world out there) but the point about the dangers at home and outside are well intended, a little subtlety would have helped though.

A.R. Rahman’s score is music to ears and veteran Anil Mehta’s cinematography is clearly one of the assets of the film. Add to it the cast - Durgesh Kumar (as the sidekick) and Saharsh Kumar Shukla (as the creepy gang member) are unknown names, but they deliver a remarkable performance. 

Randeep Hooda plays his part well, his character demands that he grimace for most parts in the film, which he does with conviction. Student of the Year was not an ideal film to show her talent but Alia Bhatt proves she has that spark in her and credit should also be given to Imtiaz Ali for extracting a superlative performance.

You may not go gaga over this Highway but overall, it is not a bad trip at all.

Published in The Navhind Times on 23rd Feb 2014 

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