Movie Mania: Dil Dhadakne Do

Director: Zoya Akhtar

Cast: Anil Kapoor, Shefali Shah, Priyanka Chopra, Ranveer Singh, Anushka Sharma, Farhan Akhtar in a cameo, Aamir Khan in voiceover.

Running Time: 167 minutes

*spoilers ahead*

Zoya Akhtar makes movies that are beautifully crafted, original, entertaining yet meaningful. The multi-starrer movie Dil Dhadakne Do (DDD) is another one from the kitty.

DDD is a story of the Mehra family, with Kamal Mehra, portrayed by Anil Kapoor, as the CEO of his company Ayka, his wife Neelam, portrayed by Shefali Shah and their two children, Ayesha-Priyanka Chopra and Kabir-Ranveer Singh. They are highly dysfunctional, with Kamal and Neelam having a tumultuous relationship, Kamal’s rumoured affairs, Kamal’s condescending attitude towards Kabir and his business relationship with Ayesha. The story begins when, on their thirtieth anniversary, Kamal and Neelam invite their guests to a ten day cruise party, where they are forced to interact, introspect and reflect upon their lives.

Ranveer Singh’s performance is commendable. Easily the person on whom the film relies. The ease with which he plays Kabir, spunky, witty, romantic and protective of his sister is flawless. He has channelized his energy perfectly and there is finesse in the way he has portrayed emotions onscreen. He’s a one to look out for. Also, his relationship as shown with Priyanka is sweet and true.

Priyanka’s character is that of a strong sturdy independent entrepreneur, having a troubled marriage with her husband Manav- Rahul Bose. She plays the character of Ayesha with ease, but there could have been a little more depth to her character because she came across as average, not a person who would be remembered so much.

Anil Kapoor, with his grey hair and moustache, is good. He plays Kamal with ease and perfection. But there are times when questioned his conviction, lie the one time when he immediately changed his heart after Neelam says, “Tum toh mujhe bhool gaye.” There are times when I felt like laughing at his overacting too. But that was bearable.

Anushka’s character is also one of a strong woman who left her home to purse a life of her own and fulfill her dreams. She is shown as an independent, free spirited woman and there is not one minute when I questioned her identity. My only disappointment- she didn’t get enough screen time.

There are many side characters too- Vikrant Massey, Rahul Bose, Zarina Wahab, Parmeet Sethi and Ridhima Sud, each of whom add substantially to making the movie workable. The dialogues, the comic scenes all attribute in making this movie beautiful. Like a scene where Manav’s mother is threatening to kill her herf with a butter knife, or when Kabir jumps from the ship, and when Kamal, who collapses and faints turns out to be extreme gas, and when an underage cousin of Ayesha’s says that after her mom’s horrific dancing, she had to come to the bar. There are heavy moments and there are light moments which make it interesting. The song collection complements the film. My only complaint, it should have a more conclusive ending, like what happens between Ayesha and Sunny, or what happens when they got of the cruise.

Bookworm’s Delight: Gone Girl

Gone Girl, by Gillian Flynn is a crime fiction that falls short of brilliant because of it’s ending. It is a story of Nick who has a troubled marriage with his wife, Amy. On their fifth marriage anniversary, Amy goes missing in the morning. Everyone suspects Nick. Their are strange searches on his computer, things ordered through his credit card that he didn’t actually order, his wife’s journal that shows she might’ve been afraid of him. Everything is bad for him? He says he didn’t kill her. So where is Amy?

*spoilers ahead*

Flynn has put a lot of detailing in the characters, each one more complex then the first. Nick is despicable. He is the sort of man you hate, pity and maintain a distance from. You may wonder what his story is, coming across him. Go, Nick’s twin sister, is more of a mother than a sister but possesses a motherly nature that is diffused slowly, without any extreme characterization.

The brilliance of this book is Amy, the pure evil. She’s cunning, manipulative, foxy, extremely smart. She’s s person with multiple identities, a person who has never shown her true face. She camouflages her true self, much of which was because of her parents’ business. They wrote books titles Amazing Amy, loosely based on what a perfect girl should do. Amazing Amy was always what Amy was supposed to be, but fell short of. Amy’s character has levels. She has a criminal mind, much of which has layers that never end. She is delicately complex, intricate in thinking and hard to imagine. She has a killer mind.

Gone Girl is amazing. It’s a peek into a sociopath’s mind. It’s racy. It’s a definite page turner… to disappointment. It’s a bad ending. It’s a good read it you don’t mind an upsetting ending. Still, if you like crime fiction, go for it! The story will stick with you. And movie’s come out too!