Dum Laga Ke Haisha

There are certain films that you go to watch with low expectations and they just blow you off with impeccable story telling. DumLagaKeHaisha is one of them.

There is hardly any moment in this 2 hr movie that can bore you and every scene has something to offer to the viewer. Its a simple story from Hindi heartland set on the basic premise that love cant be forced, it will happen if it has to no matter how the opposite person looks.

Performance wise lead protagonists - Ayushman Khurana and Bhumi Pednekar - are good. More importantly their odd chemistry works. Sanjay Mishra is top notch. Other supporting cast is also noteworthy.

Director Sharat Kataria is the one who deserves maximum credit for this lovely movie. He does not give too much space to melodrama and keeps the narrative simple. He does take some cinematic liberties to tell his story but that can be easily ignored. Finally, kudos to YashRaj banner (which has produced some obnoxious movies recently) for supporting this movie.

Go watch this movie. It deserves a share of your income to say the least.

DLKH brings the much needed freshness in Bollywood romance movies. And it comes with a very strong message woven around a very sweet love story. The direction is impeccable with moderated melodrama.

Ayushmann Khurrana might never get the stardom like the Khans and the Kapoors but he is definitely one of those actors never afraid of doing path breaking movies and top them up with amazing natural acting - be it comedy or drama. But he gets a good competition from the new girl Bhumi Padnekar who delivers a very good performance, depicting a struggle of a fat girl in a white skin - size zero obsessed society of India. Sanjay Mishra, playing the role of Ayushmann's father, gives a memorable performance with really good dialog delivery topped up with brilliant comic timing.

The length of the movie is unusually short for a Bollywood movie but then quality is always more important than quantity. Overall, for someone in a mood to watch a light romantic movie, your search ends at DLKH.

This movie comes easily into the list of "movies I can watch anytime".

Dum Laga Ke Haisha is produced by Yash Raj Films. Thinking about the Yash Raj productions of the early 2000s, one cannot escape the vision of glossy, expensive mainstream films, very romantic, often based abroad and if not, centring on wealthy individuals. Some of them were wonderfully entertaining, including Hum Tum and Salaam Namaste, which were racy and socially progressive for the times, but generally most of their films became quite synonymous with superficial and shallow commercial potboilers with nothing substantial to offer. Following quite a few exceptional gems earlier, like Band Baaja Baaraat and the likes, which started the trend of social and realistic romantic films, Dum Laga Ke Haisha is even a bigger step toward a whole welcome change in Hindi cinema, and it really is a breath of fresh air in both story and execution. This new brand of mainstream Hindi cinema, which deals with everyday issues within simple families from India's lower middle class, is a real blessing. Gone are the days when Indian filmmakers insisted on showing only the glamorous side of India or being ashamed of its simpler reality. On the contrary, recent commercial films, and this film definitely among them, celebrate this simple part of India, celebrate its beauty and cultural richness, going back to the magic of Hrishikesh Mukherjee's memorable middle-of-the-road cinema.

Indeed, Dum Laga Ke Haisha is one such film - it is beautiful, authentic, and it has this sense of everydayness that makes it a terrific watch. Obviously, the core theme of a young guy who is caught in an arranged marriage with an overweight young woman for whom he has zero attraction, is a true draw in and of itself, but it's not just that. The film is charming, just charming in the way it embraces its characters, its story and situations, in the way it rejects stereotypes, and in the subtle portrayal of the romantic buildup between the two leads. Acting-wise, too, the film is a delight. Ayushmann Khurrana as always does his socially conscious cinema, and he is terrific here. He is easy to judge or dislike, but at the same time so easy to understand and feel for. His gradual growth is convincingly portrayed. It is Bhumi Pednekar though who dominates this film with her brave turn. Obviously, the physical change is admirable (she put on quite a lot of weight for the part), but just as a character, she is wonderful, putting in a consistently credible, compassionate, and touching performance. A host of tremendous supporting actors all work together brilliantly. Dum Laga Ke Haisha is set in the mid-1990s, and it also manages to bring some nostalgic value for the music and innocence of those days. The film's last sequence is a cinematic triumph and a great conclusion to this wholesome entertainment that is both enjoyable and educational.

Dumb Laga Ke Haisha is a movie that celebrates the unfounding of size and space, and juxtaposes it against the flight of ambitions in a detailed, layered, yet breezy romance that acts as both a social commentary, as well as a mainstream romantic comedy.

A narrow by-lane in Haridwar leads to a narrow minded class ten failed simpleton Prem (Ayushman Khurana in a refreshingly natural role) of the 1990s who dreams of Juhi Chawla but is instead married off to a portly and much more educated Sandhya (Bhumi Pednekar in a supremely brilliant and dauntless debut).

While she dreams of a government job as a school teacher and a husband who respects her, he has nightmares about everything she stands for - be it her intellect or weight. What follows is a refreshingly original and daring film that overcomes stereotypes while bringing a smile on our faces, even as it tugs at our heartstrings.

Here the 90s is captured in stunningly nuanced detail by writer-director Sharat Katariya several times, as is the language of Uttar Pradesh (mostly), and the life of a small town (perfectly).

Be it a dash of Limca to get over retching, the unspiralling of cassettes using pens, watching of movies in VCPs and VCRs, using landline phones, giving missed calls, the fascination with Kumar Sanu, or a fight using songs being played by a warring couple, the makers get the 90s spot on. What also makes the majority of the scenes worth the 'wait' is Bhoomi Pednekar who 'weighs' her emotions while adding ample 'weight' to her character through a gamut of emotions that are sure to resonate with your heart.

Adding 'weight' to the plot is a series of sub plots involving a separated elderly aunt, parents and in-laws struggling with their values, ethics, and modernity, a young brother preparing for his board exams, a 'sankha' with its moralistic lessons, jealous friends, and a contest 'Dum Laga Ke Heisha' aimed to test the ultimate bonding between a married couple. There is humor, action, emotion, shame, romance, and triumph in equal measure that help the film measure up to the 'weighty' expectations of any discerning viewer gasping for a breath of fresh air. What helps is an able supporting cast that makes you want to 'wait' and watch the proceedings.

This small film involving small town people is sure to occupy a not so small space in your hearts and minds. All you need to do is give it a chance - just like the leads of this film are told time and again, and love will surely follow.

Watch it for an era gone by, for an unconventional heroine, for relationships that survive against the test of time, and for that sense of nostalgia that is impossible to ignore. And last, but not the least, for Kumar Sanu - who is back (along with Sadhana Sargam and Annu Malik no less). This 'Ishq' is 'Kararaa' indeed... and definitely worth its 'weight' in terms of originality, story, and execution. What are you 'waiting' for? Watch it in your nearest theater and do your bit to support good mainstream cinema with a refreshing storyline... Take a bow Yashraj Films!

If the idea of a perfect girlfriend for you is defined by her size, this film is for you. Unlike the 60s and 70s when voluptuous women ruled the fashion scene, in the 21st century models eat tissue papers to fill their stomach. Coupled with a few movies and the business propaganda of health products and gyms, you have the perfect formula for disaster.

In DLKH, the story surrounds a family which has reached an agreement with another for the marriage of their children. The groom is particularly unhappy with the shapelessness of his bride, but having to abide by custom chooses to get married anyway lest it should make his family upset. Soon after the wedding, the bride realises the extent of her husband's mental block, when he refuses to get anywhere close to her.

The narrative is slow, covering the intricacies of the character's behavior coupled with the happenings of a small town in India. The acting is top-notch, allowing the viewer to diagnose every aspect. The film throws out its moral at you and even if you don't accept it, you are left with no choice but to appreciate it nonetheless.

Worth a watch.