When a filmmaker delivers a whopper such as Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, audience expectations are obviously high. And Zoya Akhtar’s Thursday release, the glossy cruise Dil Dhadakne Do (let the heart beat) fulfils a large bit of it but runs aground just short of the port.
This in no way means DDD is not a fun film to watch. The beautiful locales of the Mediterranean, the luxurious liner and Arjun Bhasin’s slick styling knotted together with brilliant performances by the star-studded ensemble — Anil Kapoor, Priyanka Chopra, Farhan Akhtar, Anushka Sharma, Ranveer Singh, Shefali Shah and Rahul Bose — and Shanker-Ehsaan-Loy’s foot-tapping Galan Goodiyan and Girls Like To Swing, will keep the audience onboard this three-hour voyage. What is also interwoven in all this is a couple of serious messages regarding relationships. Emotions ebb and flow with the tide even though the ship floats serenely. Parental blackmail to depressive eating to flying accusations, the drama continues on the high seas.
The dialogues are punchy and do raise laughter most of the time. But as far as the story goes, the dysfunctional Mehras sail up to a predictable conclusion. It was slightly disappointing that Akhtar would succumb to a typical Bollywood dramatic climax. And even though it does not drag, the film could have picked up pace overall.
And don’t be disappointed and wonder where you lost Aamir Khan on the ship when the closing credits thank him. He voices Pluto who is a “very special” member of the Mehra family and is the narrator whose dialogues were specially written by veteran writer and lyricist Javed Akhtar.
So if you aren’t doing much this weekend, come aboard with the Mehras for a fun cruise.
Out now
Dil Dhadakne Do
Starring: Anil Kapoor, Priyanka Chopra, Ranveer Singh
Director: Zoya Akhtar
Stars: 3 out 5
