Saturday, July 12, 2014

Movie Review: Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania

Bollywood writers and directors are running out of ideas and that’s quite evident with the kind of movies that are being made these days. If not a South remake, then it could be a Hollywood or Korean movie inspiration or an old movie remake. This week’s release ‘HUMPTY SHARMA KI DULHANIA’ is a clear case of movie inspired by the cult classic ‘Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge’ however set in Indian heartland. The admiration Karan Johar has for DDLJ is quite evident in the narrative due to nostalgia attached to it for him (as it was Karan’s first movie as an actor and assistant director).

The story is about Kavya (Alia) and Humpty (Varun). Like the original movie here Kavya is engaged to be married and she takes a trip from Ambala to Delhi to shop for her wedding trousseau. In Delhi she accidentally meets the irresponsible and jugadu Humpty Sharma who loses his heart for her at the first sight. Kavya is unattainable for him initially however he does not lose heart and pursues her. Interestingly he even helps save her friend Gurpreet’s marriage. As they spend time together they grow closer however Kavya realizes that her father (Ashutosh Rana) will not approve of her relationship with Humpty. Her trip comes to an end and she returns to Ambala.

Not to lose hope easily Humpty along with his friends Shonty (Gaurav Pandey) and Poplu (Sahil Vaid) leave for Ambala to get Kavya. That's the beginning of a journey for him that he wouldn't have imagined undertaking even in the wildest of his dreams. There are many instances in the movie that are a straight lift from the original movie. However one can definitely say that since most of the romantic movies are predictable, HUMPTY SHARMA KI DULHANIA is no exception. Although his debut movie, the way Shashank Khaitan takes you through the narrative is what makes it worthwhile. It's a fun ride which makes you go weak in the knees and also laugh in certain portions. Some of the songs act as a speed-breaker to the film's flow. Like the story and script even the songs are a straight lift from popular songs eg: Tenu Main Samjhawan Ki and Saturday  Saturday. Neha Parti Matiyani (DoP) has done a great job bringing to life the vibrant colors of Punjab.

As far as performances go Alia and Varun do a wonderful job adding solidity and strength to their respective roles. Their chemistry is crackling and could be the next superstar jodi like SRK-Kajol or Amitabh-Rekha etc. Siddharth Shukla plays his part confidently and so does the supporting cast comprising of Ashutosh Rana, Kenny Desai (Varun's father), Deepika Amin (Alia's mother), Jaswant Daman (Alia's grandmother), Mahnaz Damania [Alia's sister], Gaurav Pandey (Shonty), Aditya Sharma (Alia's brother) and Sahil Vaid (Poplu), who is terrific!

On the whole although inspired, Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania will definitely appeal to its target audience and make some decent numbers at the box office.
MY VERDICT: ***
Poor - *, Below Average - **, Decent - ***, Good - ****, Excellent - *****