Film review: 'Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania' is a romantic ride worth the watch

Cast: Varun Dhawan, Alia Bhatt, Ashutosh Rana, Siddharth Shukla

Director: Shashank Khaitan 

Rating: ***

What's it about

It starts with a designer lehenga and ends up with an ode to the Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge climax. The plot of Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania is like a roller coaster ride that encounters a few loose nuts and bolts along the way. Kavya (Alia) is a small town  girl who wants to dress up in a five lakh designer outfit for her wedding. She's getting married to Angad (Sidharth Shukla) - the perfect NRI boy who her dad (Ashutosh Rana) dotes. Humpty (Varun) is a Delhi boy who loves to make quick money conning people though his heart is in the right place. He bumps into Kavya during one such episode and ends up falling in love with her. What follows is a DDLJ tribute with a modern day twist. 

What's hot

There is lot of spunk in the script. Especially the first half has some moments that stand out because of good writing and an ensemble cast that understands its language. The scene where Varun and Kavya help her friend in a MMS scandal or their drunken dance episode work because of the way they are conceived. Thankfully a lot of attention has been paid at the writing level which saves the film from nose diving early on. Alia and Varun might not be Kajol and Shah Rukh, but they have enough chemistry to make the scenes believable. A lot is said and conveyed through eye contact, body language and how easy they are with each other. The kissing and love making doesnt look rehearsed and there is a natural flow to their banter. Varun restrains is performance when needed and lets all the energy explode in his dance numbers. Alia is best when she underplays Kavya and brings out her vulnerable side. Ashutosh Rana fits the role and looks the part.  The Samjhawan track is a stand out and the supporting cast that includes Varun's friends are superb. 

What's not 

The Delhi set up falls flat, especially the whole charactersiation of Humpty is a bit weak. He's a good guy, yet he wants to find the easy way out. Also his styling looks a bit off and lacks consistency. Alia goes over the top in the first half and gets screechy in some of the dialogues. She doesn't have to amp up the fizz in Kavya cause she's trying to fill in Kajol's shoes. Despite the efforts to not have constant parallels drawn with DDLJ, the film often ends up playing to the gallery and using montages from the original and recreating them. Siddharth Shukla looks good and has a great personality but doesn't really score much in the acting department. 

What to do:

It's definitely not a modern day DDLJ, but it still ends up being an enjoyable romantic ride worth the price of its ticket.