'Dum Lagaa Ke Haisha' - Movie Review

One of the best romantic comedies to come out of Bollywood, Sharat Katariya directed 'Dum Lagaa Ke Haisha' steadily grows on you and warms the cockles of your heart with a fuzzy feeling even before you realise it

'Dum Lagaa Ke Haisha'
Producer: Aditya Chopra, Maneesh Sharma
Director: Sharat Katariya
Cast: Ayushmann Khurrana, Bhumi Pednekar
Rating:

Do you want a warm, fuzzy feeling that lasts for about two hours? Then don't miss this beauty called 'Dum Lagaa Ke Haisha'.

The delicious irony is that this film which simply but poignantly speaks about how beauty is beyond what you see, is truly beautiful in every which way; the heart warming story, the stellar performances of every character in the film, the lyrics, the music, the ambience, the dialogues and above all, the steady handed, clear-headed direction.

Ayushmann Khurrana and Bhumi Pednekar in a still from 'Dum Lagaa Ke Haisha'

Prem Prakash Tiwari (Ayushmann Khurrana) is your below average joe who mans his father’s cassette store, since he’s a ‘tenth fail’. His ever so practical parents (Sanjay Mishra and Alka Amin) and his bua (Sheeba Chaddha) force Prem to tie the knot with a plump girl, Sandhya, in spite of his protests. Sandhya is the chosen one by the family simply because she is educated and is hoped to bring in some money to the family from her teacher's job. Prem, however, can not accept the fact that he has to share bed and life with someone he doesn't even like and is desperately trying to get out of the situation. Even when the story unravels to expose the real reason behind Prem's growing despair, it also reveals a whole new side to Sandhya.

This delightfully modest film, set in the bylanes of Hardwar and Rishikesh, shows us what a well meaning, honest film can bring to the table. The biggest achievement of the young director, Sharat Katariya (who's also written the story and dialogues) is that not only he stays true to the culture and the mindsets of the place that it is set in, he also makes sure that the lingo and the humour remains untouched too. It also plays a fitting tribute to the 90s music and the reigning background singer of that time, Kumar Sanu.

Newcomer Bhumi is endearing and gets into her role with an admirable ease. Ayushmann Khurrana is excellent. The casting director (Shanoo Sharma) deserves a special mention for handpicking some of the best talents in the industry to come together to make this film what it turned out to be.

One of the best romantic comedies to come out of Bollywood, 'Dum Lagaa Ke Haisha' steadily grows on you and warms the cockles of your heart even before you realise it. By the end of it, you might just want to go and hug the people in your life who you otherwise take for granted.

"Exciting news! Mid-day is now on WhatsApp Channels Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!