Re-visiting Pyar, Dosti & Retro Bollywood

Movie Review: Ae Dil Hai Mushkil

We live in an era where the intrusion & addiction of technology in our lives has lead to relationships becoming mechanical, and difficult. One of the major reasons for the same is lack of real time conversations and strong connect among individuals. In such times, when one gets lucky enough to strike a ‘covalent bond’ with another person, it’s essential to  understand & maintain the same throughout without disturbing its sanctity. Karan Johar’s Ae Dil Hai Mushkil (ADHM) tries to explore this concept in contemporary fashion.

 The film begins with Ayan (Ranbir) and Alizeh (Anushka Sharma) bumping into each other at a pub in London. Ranbir is a rich spoilt Indian brat with dreams of becoming a popular singer, while Alizeh is happy go lucky girl. Both having common interests, decide to spend some quality time, thereby helping themselves unleash their craziness & inner desires. Soon, it’s time for them to get back to individual lives, but the link between them doesn’t let go. How does one define this unique / strange relationship that keeps drawing them towards each other? Is it true love, friendship or just protectiveness?  This is what forms the crux of the story.

The narrative begins quickly with the introduction of characters and initially moves a bit fast. The comic portions are placed very well, and quite entertaining! The tribute to Bollywood Retro at regular intervals is nostalgic and hilarious. However, no sooner does the story-line start focusing on the main theme there is a dip in flow of sequences.

Post-intermission when other characters come in, the momentum picks up once again. The story then builds up smoothly with few unexpected twists till the pre-climax. But towards the end, the writers sum it up in a haphazard manner.

The editing (Manik Dawar) required some solid 15-20 mins of chopping. In fact, with the entire narrative toned down by half-an-hour or so this could have perhaps worked wonders in the Large Short film category.

Cinematography by Anil Mehta is brilliant. The locales of London, Vienna, Paris and Lucknow have been showcased beautifully.

Dialogues by Karan Johar / Niranjan Iyengar are quite impactful. However, one particular reference to the legendary Mohd. Rafi though on a lighter note, was demeaning and may not go well with fans. It could have been phrased in a non-offensive manner.

Music by Pritam is first rate, every song adds tremendous value. Arijit Singh’s voice is the soul of the film.

Performance wise, Ranbir and Anushka are outstanding. Both complement each other exceptionally well, but are let down by a weak narrative. Ranbir though having done similar roles in Saawariya, Rockstar, Tamasha, and Wake-Up Sid, still manages to play Ayan differently. But it’s high time he checks himself on being type-cast as the confused Indian rich youngster having a strained relationship with parents, craving for true love.

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan excels in an extended cameo. Good to see her in a different, unusual avatar. Fawad Khan plays his part well. Lisa Haydon and Imran Abbas are pretty okay.

To summarize, the film is a collage containing “Snippets of some really wonderful and endearing moments which make you laugh, moist-eyed and ponder”. But in totality and content-wise, it has nothing much or new to offer. Even from the theme perspective, Karan Johar re-iterates the concept of Pyar Dosti Hai for the fifth time, after K2H2, K3G, KHNH, and KANK. So far only his My Name is Khan managed to convey a strong emotional message.

Overall, ADHM is an average film wherein heart-warming & sincere performances by the actors and presence of fabulous music make it a watchable fare.

Rating: **1/2

Chronicles of ‘Magnificent’ Mahendra

Cricket and cinema are national passions of India. Since ages these two fields have effectively managed to make a place in people’s heart since childhood. Even today, kids born in any corner of the country aspire to be a Sachin Tendulkar or an Amitabh Bachchan. But, it takes hell lot of patience, courage, hard work and above all luck to make it to the top. M S Dhoni by Neeraj Pandey, highlights the early life of the Indian Cricket team captain and the pursuit to achieve his dreams.

The story begins on 7^th July 1981 in Ranchi, where Mahi (played Sushant Singh Rajput) is born to Pan Singh Dhoni (Anupam Kher), who works as a pump operator with Mecon Ltd. and Devaki Devi, a home-maker.

Pan Singh, like any middle classed salaried has only one objective in life, to ensure that his kids study well, make a life for themselves and support the family. Mahi right from school days is drawn towards sports, viz.  football, TT, badminton etc. His sports coach in school inculcates interest in him for cricket esp. wicket-keeping.

Mahi although picks up ‘keeping’ fast, like every kid is more fascinated towards batting! During inter-school matches, he does prove himself as an aggressive yet dependable batsman, as well.  Few years down the line, owing to his immense talent and support from right people, he gets an opportunity to play for Coalfields and later with Indian Railways, clubbed with regular 9-5 job. This also becomes an entry point for him to play Ranji and Duleep trophies. Though being able to balance both job and cricket well, he still eyes a place in the Indian National team. His inspiring journey hereon forms the plot of the film.

The narrative, right from the beginning, moves at a steady pace following chronological order of events and occurrences in Mahi’s life. Neeraj Pandey known for edge-of-the seat thrillers like Wednesday, Special 26, Baby keeps you engaged throughout.

The use of real cricket footage, courtesy BCCI helps in maintaining the authenticity. Use of VFX is impressive in few places, but also funny at times!  The contribution of key people in Mahi’s career and his emotional bonding with them is brilliantly depicted without showcasing them as caricatures.  In the second half the pace slightly slows down a bit during the romantic track(s), but gathers momentum towards the end. The climax though predictable gives you goose-bumps!

However, two aspects of an utmost importance that remained untold include

1. His evolution from a regular player to being promoted as CAPTAIN of the ODI team
2. His strategic leadership, team building and chemistry on-field with team-mates

Cinematography by Santosh Thundiyil is amazing, esp. the aerial shots. Dialogues by Pandey are impactful. Background score by Sanjoy Chowdhury pumps up the adrenaline of the viewers. Music by Amal Malik, Rochak Kohli is soothing. Editing by Shree Narayan Singh is tight barring couple of places.

Perfomance wise, Sushant Singh Rajput is just outstanding. He was and is indeed, undoubtedly the apt choice to play the title role. Although VFX helps at few places, but the way Sushant imbibes the body language of Mahi, esp. his walk, wrist-movements, smile is just phenomenal.  Mahi is usually known for his calmness & composure & not so expressive nature. Sushant deserves special credit just for being able to portray that on-screen, without making it look ‘WOODEN’. The backdrop of cricket perhaps proves lucky for him the second time, 3 years after his debut Kai Po che!

Master Zeshan who plays younger Mahi is promising. Anupam Kher, Rajesh Sharma, Kumud Mishra, and the actor who plays A K Ganguly from Indian Railways are exceptional in their respect roles. Bhoomika Chawla as his elder sister is good. Kiara Advani and Disha Patani provide adequate support. All other actors play their parts well.

The message conveyed through the film is very simple. With the aura of talent, focus, conviction, and good people around, destiny does the honors of taking you to the right place at the right time!

Overall, a truly inspiring and highly entertaining Bollywood Cricket film after a long time.

Rating: ****