Watch it for Shahrukh, Kajol, exotic locales and color-corrected visuals.
Plot:
Raj (Shahrukh Khan) and Veer (Varun Dhawan) are brothers who modify cars in their garage and make them look better. Veer falls for Ishita (Kriti Sanon) and tries to woo her. Amid all this hullaballoo Raj’s tainted past comes to the fore. There he used to be a dreaded gangster Kaali who was in love with Meera (Kajol). Sounds old? No worries. It looks much old. Some sort of misunderstanding separates them and when both face each other in the present, Meera wants to settle scores and keep Kaali/Raj at bay. What happened to Veer and Ishita’s love and how Meera is involved in that? What happened to Kaali/Raj in the end forms the rest of the story.
Performances:
Shahrukh Khan: The Superstar mouths his famous one-liners and tries to create the same magical aura. However, his performance is not backed by a strong character and solid script.
Kajol: She displays myriad emotions in the film ranging from humility to arrogance. And also looks quite different from her recent outings. Her chemistry with SRK is sizzling as usual.
Varun Dhawan: He tries to induce some comic relief but turns out be jarring and unbearable. His diction gets a gay-ish tinge and those repetitive outright silly expressions and miles away from being funny.
Kriti Sanon: Just a been-there-done-that glam doll appearance and nothing more nothing less.
Boman Irani: A baddie who faces an identity crisis in the film. He was planted to bring some laughter but failed miserably.
Kabir Bedi and Vinod Khanna: Their talents got wasted with poorly etched characters.
Analysis:
Rohit Shetty is so used to pick decade old storylines from South cinema and recreating them on Bolly landscape. So, Dilwale is also as old as mountains that traces the story of a gangster turned Good Samaritan.
It should have been a believable idea on paper but the way it got executed leaves nothing to stay invested in. You never invest in the story or the characters. Just because SRK and Kajol are the actors on screen you can’t emote with their characters. That’s the saddening part of Dilwale.
Shetty’s fascination for cars and chases also takes a major chunk in the film. The clichés he tried to pull off in every film, make their presence here too. Not to forget the pointless comedy that’s barely laughable. It’s neither slapstick nor situational.
Dilwale becomes excruciating as the actors don’t look their characters and moreover, the boredom that seeps in takes the pain to few notches higher. The movie sermonizes that heart must always supersede brain in matters of love. That being said, the makers never felt the need to use the brains so the film has got no heart in the right place.
SRK and Kajol deserve more meaty roles and a meaningful film for their giant comeback.
Merits:
Performances of Shahrukh Khan and Kajol.
Picturesque locations of Bulgaria.
De-merits:
Stale storyline.
Sick comical moments.
Hotchpotch narration.
Predictable second half and climax.
Music:
Pritam does a good job in the music department. Gerua and Janam Janam stand out in the film. The former looks like a scenic wonder with few breathtaking visuals. The theme music makes its way all through the film and lingers you even after the film.
Others:
The technical team is at its best in action sequences and songs. The postproduction gets into a precision mode in pulling off such a visual delight.
Verdict:
Dilwale tries to sell gloss in the name of class and all the stardom couldn’t save you from getting into the clutches of boredom.