GIRLS>BOYS

Zoya Akhtar focuses on the subtle things in every household that people deliberately overlook and aren’t comfortable talking about because… “log kya kahenge?!” When Ayesha’s (Priyanka Chopra) father Kamal Mehra (Anil Kapoor) mentions only her brother Kabir’s (Ranveer Singh) name in their 30th wedding anniversary invite, she is made to feel unwanted. In our society, a newly-wed girl is often not invited to a next-door neighbour’s wedding because she’s married and gone now. Intelligent and dynamic, Ayesha sold off her jewellery to start her own business, but her brother Kabir gets to keep his private plane… just so he can take off whenever he feels down! Growing up in a middle-class Calcutta household, I couldn’t even think of having the kind of liberty my three cousin brothers enjoyed. I remember how a relative would get firecrackers only for my brothers, but I was the one bursting them since they were too scared to do so! And even today, whenever somebody gets them expensive liquor from abroad, I am the one who downs it with a broad grin!

Ratnalekha Mazumdar

 

WE ARE FAMILY

It was only towards the end of Dil Dhadakne Do that I realised that it would have been better had I watched it with my parents, instead of friends. At the outset, I didn’t relate to it. Neither was I a poor little rich kid (hell, I don’t even have the latest iPhone, forget a whole plane!), nor was I splendidly good or disappointingly bad in my professional life. It was when Kamal Mehra set sail on that little speedboat to rescue his son Kabir that I realised the film was, all along, a tribute to the family. Not a filmi-style singing-’n’-dancing, crying-at-the-drop-of-a-hat family, but a family like yours and mine. Yes, there have been moments when my parents have been disappointed with me and have said a mean word or two. Yes, sometimes my success does go unnoticed. Yes, my parents have had a major argument or two and yes, I have had thoughts of my brother being favoured by my parents. But then, if there ever was a moment when one of us had to be a lifeboat for the other, we wouldn’t hesitate before dropping a punch or two at those stopping us and jump in. 

So, the next time around, I am planning to catch DDD with the family. After all, my dad does remind me of Anil Kapoor with that salt-’n’-pepper hair and my mom does that high-octane voice perfectly when angry. And my brother is my biggest enemy and yet my closest pal.

Riddhima Khanna

 

SIBLING CHEMISTRY

Dil Dhadakne Do was a super fun ride of a dysfunctional family and the best part about this family was the crackling chemistry between siblings Kabir and Ayesha. It is the super equation shared by the duo that makes the movie funny and very realistic — from fighting over ice-cream to discussing their problems to sharing their secrets... everything has been done so, so naturally. The bond between the siblings has been so realistically portrayed that every time the two of them came together in a scene I looked closely at their body language. I loved the little smirks and sniggers on Kabir’s face when Rahul Bose’s Manav (who is married to Ayesha) drives Pluto the dog out of bed. That scene in which Ayesha discusses her divorce with her sad-faced family is epic. The relationship between Ayesha and Kabir  may not be ideal, but something that the audience can relate to totally. Anyone  who has watched Ranveer-Priyanka as lovers in Gunday will still vote for their sibling act in DDD as their best chemistry on screen.

Pramita Ghosh

WE-TOO NESS

Dil Dhadakne Do is a film I would watch once more, in a heartbeat (pun intended). Yes, it isn’t a flawless film… yes, it isn’t as entertaining as Zoya Akhtar’s Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara… yes, its contrived and convenient ending doesn’t gel well with the rest of the film, but I loved this multi-starrer for the unique manner in which it told its story. Seldom before have we seen a Bolly film with such fun and freshness in its narrative and such a seamless blend of humour and drama. The languorous manner in which Zoya introduced each of her characters — even the side players — gave the feel of a classic Woody Allen narrative, almost in the mould of a Match Point or a Vicky Cristina Barcelona. The subtle yet sure way in which each character’s nature and needs, wishes and wants was introduced to the viewer isn’t something that we have seen in our films before. And Zoya’s masterstroke in picking Aamir Khan as the voice of the narrator — the family dog Pluto, who now has his own Twitter account! — makes Dil Dhadakne Do a unique voice in the daily cacophony of Bollywood.

But what I took back the most from DDD was its we-too people — Ayesha is stuck in a loveless marriage… now where have we heard that before? Her brother Kabir’s passion lies in flying planes, but peer and parental pressure has forced him into the family business… yes, deja vu. Their parents Kamal and Neelam (Shefali Shah) are one step short of pulling each other’s hair out, but are spending crores to put up a pretence of a happy 30 years spent together… yes, the story of so many people we know. Zoya’s film may tell the tale of an upper-class family, but their perils and predicaments — the need to feel accepted, gender discrimination, giving up on the one you love to please the parents, not feeling part of one’s family, the taboo associated with divorce — is something we all have experienced and continue to navigate in our daily lives. 
And the one line that summed it all up perfectly for me: Dil se faisla karo tumhein kya karna hai... dimaag tarkeeb nikaal lega.

Priyanka Roy

THE DDD MOMENTS WE WANT TO REWATCH

• The dining table conversation towards the beginning of the film in which Kabir is caught in the cold war between his parents. To begin with, Neelam and Kamal trade snide barbs which soon escalate into a full-blown argument.We loved: Kabir — and Pluto’s — expressions as they helplessly watch the Mehras fight over and over again. And the priceless way in which Kamal points towards Neelam’s plate and says: “Tum yeh sab kha rahi ho? Ho gaya tumhara weight loss!” Yes, a chauvinist, but what a priceless cinematic moment. 
• When Kamal raises a toast — “I feel on top of the world!” — and says that Neelam is the woman he’s always loved. Just watch out for daughter Ayesha hiding her face and Kabir wiping away fake tears at their dad’s cheesiness. We loved: A few scenes later, Kamal tries to get romantic with Neelam in their bedroom on the cruise. She brushes him off with: “Acting kyon kar rahey ho? Koi nahin dekh raha!” Kamal with a sheepish look, goes: “Okay”.

• The scene right after that in which Ayesha and Kabir are digging into bowls of ice cream in her room with Pluto (above)  sprawled on the bed. Every brother-sister will identify with that moment when Kabir polishes off his bowl and reaches out for Ayesha’s, who gets irritated. “Tum irritated ho jaati ho toh ice cream aur bhi tasty lagta hai,” Kabir smiles cheekily. We loved: When Ayesha’s husband Manav walks in and shoos Pluto off the bed and Kabir whispers to his sis that she needs to divorce him ASAP!
• When Kabir sees Farah (Anushka Sharma) swimming at night in the cruise’s pool. The two get into the pool together, size each other up, their eyes say a million words but their lips stay zipped.We loved: Pluto, sitting by the edge of the pool, and silently watching the Kabir-Farah show.
• The scene on the deck when the youngsters are drinking and Kabir-Ayesha’s cousin Divya (Sarah Hashmi) vomits her whole drink out on the eligible bachelor Rana (Vikrant Massey).We loved: When Kabir says: “Divya, that was epic. No it was epuke!” Kabir is then on a roll, referring to Rana’s puke-covered shoes as “Vomitino” (as opposed to Valentino). “Divya, what did you eat for breakfast… barf-i?!”
• When Kabir and Farah go cycling through the picturesque streets of Istanbul.We loved: The way in which they get to know each other, spelling out their beliefs and wishes through wordplay. Also, that moment on the deck when Farah and Kabir talk about their lives and the two realise they are so different and yet so similar. 
• When Manav says that he’s “allowed” Ayesha to work after marriage, her ex Sunny (Farhan Akhtar) puts him in his place. We loved: How Kabir tries to cool things down by changing the topic and his little cousin sister turns to Sunny and says: “I love you!”
• When Ayesha hears that her mom’s friends are trying to match-make her cousin Divya and Sunny.We loved: She storms into Sunny’s room and tells him not to marry Divya. The two get into an argument raking up the past and Ayesha suddenly kisses Sunny. 
• Kamal suffers a health scare and the family of four lands up at the hospital. We loved: The confrontation scene in which Kabir takes the upper hand and lectures his parents on “morality” and “sanskaar”.
• When Manav raises hell and refuses to give Ayesha a divorce. Dad Kamal supports his daughter, takes on Manav and tells him: “Agar meri beti pe haath uthayi toh yeh haath ukhaad kar samundar mein phenk doonga.”We loved: When Manav’s mother threatens to slit her wrists, Kabir tells her: “Aunty, woh butter knife hai. Aap yeh lo… isse better hoga!”

• When Kabir jumps off the ship into the sea, Kamal becomes his “lifeboat” and goes off to rescue his son, with Neelam, Ayesha and even Pluto piling into the boat.We loved: How they rescue Kabir and the four become a family in the true sense (above), sharing a laugh — and much more — together