Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania Movie Review
Ameet Bhuvan
Humpty Sharma ki dulhaniya opens with the iconic train sequence of DDLJ, that 20 year old romantic classic that defined love genre in Hindi films forever. While thankfully all through the first half debutant director Shashank weaves in a new story that is fresh and in keeping with modern sensibilities of love, lust, desire and things therein, the second half is where HSKD nosedives into Dharma productions alley giving us a bad remake of DDLJ.
Kavya is a daughter of a mechanic who wants a Manish Malhotra lehenga for her arranged marriage, and hence wants to go to Delhi for it. Subtext here being her desire for that one last free wheeling living of life before she ties the knot. In Delhi, she meets Humpty, the good for nothing dreamy guy who helps girls pass exams in return for kisses. Both fall in love - no, since it is 2014, they fall into bed together, make out, and then go separate ways.
Humpty then realises it was not just bodily craving but true love and goes back to win Kavya over from her strict father and the fiancé Angad. Kavya's father sets him a task of finding a fault in Angad, the epitome of Husband material guys. A few cute impish moments after, Jaa jee le apni zindagi happens and then we sing Saturday Saturday.
DDLJ was made in another generation, for another generation, when bravado was equated with marrying without permission or sometimes even having a love marriage. Today, love has changed meaning, love stories are no longer innocent affairs where sly looks are shared in big family weddings, and mustard fields are definitely not used just to sing songs in.
HSKD sadly does not find the difference though in the times DDLJ was made and today. The first half decently re-adapts the classic into today’s Delhi- Kavya is feisty, Humpty street smart but in keeping with the new metro-sexual hero of today. Both do not worry about getting physical as the first step to cementing love and both do not dive into guiltville after the deed is done either. Which makes one wonder why then would Humpty give into the set of tasks Kavya's father makes him do to get his girl? Wouldn’t the progressive modern bachcha’s in love have better alternatives?
Credited with the writing as well, Shashank does both moderately well. There are sparks of freshness in his writing- characters like Shonty, Kavya’s dad are given interesting textures. Yet directorially, he takes the trodden path and infuses one clichéd Dharma trope after the other. The lavish wedding, the songs, the fights, the entire second half just ends up being a sad copy of DDLJ, redeemed only by the “tribute” angle adopted by the makers.
Varun and Alia as Humpty and Kavya share a nice chemistry with each other, both are young, look good and manage to entertain with their street smartness. Do they add anything more than this to the characters? No. Especially after Highway one wonders if Alia should actually attempt cheesy roles like this anymore. Varun too needs to move beyond the cheeky guy with bulging muscles routine and try something more.
A lot is there in HSKD if good songs, good looking people and cheesy comedy that is not vulgar is your idea of a good movie outing. If it is not though, this film will disappoint, especially in times when rom-coms are evolving slowly in Hindi cinema. Go watch this one with friends, though there is not much to gain. There is nothing to lose if you chose not to either.
Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania - a tribute to DDLJ that doesn't mean much but wouldn't harm you either.
Rating: 2.5/5