Dil Toh Baccha Hai Ji

This is a Hindi movie with a difference! Yeah, I expected something from the promos and well, I got exactly what I was expecting. But I said it is different, because unlike many Hindi romantic comedies I have watched, it does not portray love as stupid.

The characters in the movie are pretty detailed and distinct. The first half of the movie takes a bit time introducing the protagonists, which is a good thing, so that we actually give a damn about the characters! The title is so apt because the 3 lead characters are so different in character, but they all have a common attribute - falling in love. And their love for the girls, why they fall for them and the incidents following that, make up the story.

I don't wanna reveal anything. I am posting this review here because I have found some negative reviews here. I don't understand why! Hats off to Madhur Bhandarkar for making this movie! He had done a good job..Guys, don't miss this movie! Its kind of an eye opener too, because of some unpredictable stuffs followed by a strong climax. Awesome!

It's been a while since I've seen something as boring as Madhur Bhandarkar's 'Dil Toh Baccha Hai Ji'. With this movie, the director has attempted to do something different from what he's usually comfortable with and he steals the title from one of last year's most popular soundtracks 'Ishqiya'. Anyway, the movie focuses on the lovelife of three housemates that include a divorcée banker, a promiscuous gym instructor and a virgin who works at a wedding agency.

It tries to be bold by addressing themes about the relationship between an older man and younger woman, an older women and a younger man etc etc. The script lacks spice and slow. Most of the jokes fall flat despite desperately trying to be witty and clever. The characters do little to hold interest and I could hardly care whether they would get the girl or not. Moreover, the movie moves at an incredibly slow pace.

Where acting is concerned, Ajay Devgan is passable in a dull role. Emraan Hashmi is irritating. Tisca Chopra stands out as the trophy wife/ cougar. Shruti Hassan is adequate. Shradha Das has poor diction. Shazahn Padamsee is competent. Rituparna Sengupta is wasted. Omi Vaidya steals the show.

In the end it's film toh boring hai ji.

In a departure from his regular fare of reality inspired films, Madhur Bhandarkar indulges in the comic world with Ajay Devgan, Emraan Hashmi and Omi Vaidya in this light hearted, refreshing entertainer, that is 'Dil toh bachha hai ji'. Accompanied by Pritam's pleasant tunes and good performances by all three actors, the film narrates the love seeking journeys of the room-mates while revealing their idiosyncrasies. Unlike his previous works, this one is hardly bold or bitter and it doesn't even prove his versatility in story telling. However, it succeeds in providing those laughs that come out of genuinely funny dialogues if not innovative situations.

Naren (Ajay Devgan), a divorcée and an executive, finds his new room-mates in the form of Abhay (Emraan Hashmi) and Milind Kelkar (Omi Vaidya) who are two opposite individuals. While Abhay is the jobless playboy who lives on the favours of his one night stands, Milind, who works at a marriage bureau, believes in marriage only after love and sex only after marriage. Naren has an innocent crush on his new secretary who is 17 years younger but finds it difficult to blend into her lifestyle. While his age-gap challenges his feelings, Abhay's audacity with a rich model of yesteryears enriches his own life with the perks that come along. Then we have Milind, playing the sincere simpleton for whom, his love exceeds all limitations and his perseverance, all his budgets. Each of them have a love story in the making but they just cannot seem to make it come their way. Through their experiences, we get some giggles and some laughs while Bhandarkar refrains from adding any seriousness that would weigh the otherwise thin plot down.

Pritam's melodious score keeps the mood subtle and hummable. Tu khwab hai ya jaadugari comes a little too often but is melodious nevertheless. Tere Bin is a good come back for Sonu Nigam with some real singing while all the attention falls upon the beautiful Shruti Haasan on whom it is partly picturized. The film's outstanding song Abhi Kuch dino se is performed by Mohit Chauhan who continues his unstoppable run.

The actors do more justice than what the script and story asked for and Devgan leads the pack impressively with his innocent performance showing teenager like attributes while avoiding the over-the-top 'Golmaal' comic avatar. Omi Vaidya excels at his tailor-made role which he gets absorbed into. We would love to see more of him this year and hopefully, in more comedies. Emraan Hashmi has come a long way with his acting and after 'Once upon a time in Mumbai', he proves yet again, that it's not only the music in his films, but his performance too, deserves appreciation. Shazahn Padamsee has the cheesiest dialogues that are overdone. Tisca Chopra is good in her role but it is Shruti Haasan's beauty (credited to Sarika) and bold persona that captures one's attention.

Madhur Bhandarkar wasn't making a comedy like 3 idiots. It was not meant to be a didactic experience, nor was there any guidance to real living. But by avoiding ridiculous situations and corny dialogues that are the basis of most comedies, he ensures that there isn't a boring moment in the film, no matter the lack of nuance and originality.

7.63 on scale of 1-10.

There are three parallel running stories in movie dil toh baccha hai ji. Of the three stories I liked Ajay Devgan's story the most. It may be because of my ethics. Only thing I would like to tell about the two other stories is yes it happens and its not my cup of tea. My rating(7.5/10) is only for Ajay Devgans story.

Direction, Screenplay, Cinematography: It was good.

Tone: Love life of three pairs has been captured well.

Music: It was above average.

Acting: It was good, especially June Pinto.

After watching Once Upon A Time In Mumbai, seeing an Ajay-Emraan duo was exhilarating only because of their stellar performances in the previous movie. If you are like me and watch this movie after that, you can notice the significant difference in the acting abilities of Ajay Devgan. With Emraan however, there is a common pattern in his character. He never plays a saint, and his reactions and playboyish charm is almost anticipated. The third guy was great too in his awkwardness and did remind me of the nerd from Three Idiots. Unfortunately, the women are overshadowed by the men in their performances. Still, you cannot detect any mistakes in their part.

Going to the storyline, it is a modern tale of three bachelors who look for love. Even though Ajay is a middle aged divorcée, Emraan is a playboy, and Omi is the naive salesman with no prospect for future, they all follow the same trends of luck and failures around the same time. This is evident as they celebrate together, mourn together, and share together. However, the saving grace of this movie is not the comedy which is barely existing, but rather the sweet day to day lives of average people without love who many can relate to.

Overall, it is a good watch if only you can watch it once. There are some sexual jokes, but nothing that might put you in a position of sheer embarrassment (unless your parents are really intolerant and strongly religious). There are no sex scenes even though there are implications. Emraan himself managed to stay away from any boldness even though he is wooing both mother and daughter at one point. Overall, it is a sweet movie for all the loveless bachelors, but could have benefited with a February 14th release day to really get the spirit flowing. It is a good watch for family too as it is not really as predictable as other Hindi movies. A good watch for a quiet night, but unfortunately nothing out of the ordinary.