Karan Johar has attempted to
re-create the same magic by making a largely DDLJ inspired film Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania. It has oodles of romance, comedy and a bit of
beating and getting beaten up plus a couple of likeable songs. But, will this film make it as big as DDLJ? I
don’t think so. Partly due to short shelf
life of films and partly due to generation
change from the days of Bollywood
style true love!
The film opens with an introduction
to its lead characters. Rakesh ‘Humpty’ Sharma (Varun Dhawan) is a happy go lucky young man brought up by his equally chilled out father (Kenny
Desai) who runs a bookstore in Delhi. Kavya Pratap Singh (Alia Bhatt) is girl
from Ambala engaged to an NRI chosen by
her authoritarian dad (Ashutosh Rana). Patriarch Singh detests love
marriage after the failure of his first daughter’s choice and wants the whole
affair to go on in the way that he deems fit.
Kavya wants her wedding to be a grand affair. After noticing that her
friend in Delhi, Gurpreet has bought herself a designer lehenga, she demands her family buy one for her too. When
denied, Kavya quarrels with her family and
goes to Delhi to make enough money to shop a designer. It was here that she
meets Humpty and she arranges a deal to get him through a pass mark in his bachelor’s
degree.
For Humpty, he has fallen for the pretty, feisty and smart girl and
chases her despite knowing that she is about to get married in a month and a
half. But as is the case in all romance flicks, Kavya falls for Humpty after he
helps Gurpreet with a problem and then delivers upon his promise to buy her a
lehenga (although the latter seemed extremely contrived). Although Kavya heads
back to Ambala to go on with the wedding plans, Humpty chases her and vows to
win her father’s heart.
While the plot is decent, the ending
of Humpty Sharma ki Dulhania has far
less impact than the epic scene of DDLJ
where Shah Rukh Khan is on the train awaiting Amrish Puri to release his grip
on Kajol and the latter running in all
her bridal finery to board the train. Who
can ever forget that scene!
This is just her third movie
and Alia hasn’t put a foot wrong, either
in her choice of movies or performance. She has played a college kid, a soul
searching sojourner and now a feisty
bride with aplomb. Notwithstanding the dumb
Alia jokes on the internet, the numero uno slot in Bollywood is just
a matter of time for the actress who can carry off innocence and attitude
perfectly well.
Varun Dhawan’s character is not that of a typical macho hero, but a regular guy who wears his heart on his
sleeve who falls in love with the girl. Siddharth Shukla, a popular face on
TV makes his film debut. However, his role hardly has much scope. One of the
most noteworthy performances is that
of the acclaimed actor Ashutosh Rana
as the stern father. He fits well into the Bollywood baddies hall of fame.
Verdict: When compared,
there is no chance that debutante director Shashank Khaitan can manage what a
debutante Aditya Chopra did 19 years ago. On
a stand-alone basis, Humpty Sharma ki Dulhania is an enjoyable film and it’s a choice you won’t regret. The song ‘Samjhawaan’
is very likeable too. You can watch it with your family, laugh at the jokes and
yes, believe in the power of love!
Rating 6/10: Worthwhile for its youthful romance and humor
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