Dilwale

Here's the thing with Rohit Shetty movies: we know it's going to be the leave-your-brain-behind type. We know it's not going to make any sense. We know the internet trolls and the twitterati are going to bite into the movie even before it releases.

And yet we watch it. For the simple reason that he makes us laugh.

Somewhere in the middle of Chennai Express, the jokes had dried up, the quips and the crisp dialogue had thinned, and the monotony was there to be seen. Singham Returns exposed that even further.

But this one takes the cake.

Dilwale is Rohit Shetty's worst movie. It's painfully fake and hopelessly contrived; an assembly-line piece of garbage that mistakes the audience for a fool.

So we have Shah Rukh Khan playing Kaali (go figure!), a retired son of a mafia boss, who lives with his younger brother Veer (Varun Dhawan) in Goa, the setting of many of Shetty's films. Veer's love interest is Ishita (a lovely Kriti Sanon). And Kaali has a brief, turbulent love-hate past with Meera (Kajol) in Bulgaria, which catches up with him later in his life.

In the midst of all this there are mafia bosses, a local Goan don for the villain, a sidekick (Varun Sharma, aces it) and the usual Rohit Shetty comedians thrown in for good measure.

This is a movie laced with stereotypes. Be it the step brothers with one of them being an orphan, or the painfully obvious plot twists, ones which can be seen from a mile away.

In terms of performances, there's not much to do for Kriti Sanon except for looking really pretty. Varun Dhawan has done this kind of goofy man-child role in Main Tera Hero before; he's pretty much the same here.

Kajol looks simply stunning, she's aged beautifully. Her acting credentials were never in doubt, but she's saddled with such a hopeless role and cringeworthy dialogue.

Shah Rukh sleepwalks through this role, just like he's done in Happy New Year and Chennai Express. He's an absolute bore; his eyes grim and his face stoic.

What is most disappointing is that the hullabaloo surrounding this movie was about the coup that Shetty managed to pull off with SRK and Kajol, unquestionably Bollywood's most chemically potent pair, and yet their chemistry is almost non-existent in Dilwale. Not being able to capitalize on SRK-Kajol's pair just goes to show what a shoddy mess the movie is. Yes, there are the occasional sparks, like the silent nod to the 'palat' scene from DDLJ, but those are few and far between.

Almost all the lines fall flat, which is disappointing, especially coming from dialogue writers like Sajid-Farhad. The scenes look farcical, the acting extremely fake, and the jokes forced. Barely a couple of laughs are generated, mainly due to the ever-reliable Johnny Lever and another Priyadarshanesque montage leading to a hilariously confusing story.

Shetty has always been 'inspired' by various films, as evidenced by the Golmaal series, Bol Bachchan and even Singham. With Dilwale, not only has he taken bits and pieces from trashy potboilers of the 80s, but this time he's gone further and taken a page out of a TV show.

In the middle of the once-amazing CBS sitcom How I Met Your Mother, protagonist Ted Mosby meets a woman called Stella, and due to shortage of time, he takes her on a two-minute date, an extremely endearing montage, and one of the highlights of the show. Our man Shetty blatantly copies the concept, and it's neither impressive nor heartwarming.

It's a shame to see Rohit Shetty start taking the audience for granted to such an extent. It's even more shameful that Shah Rukh Khan agreed to not only act in this mess, but also produce it. Dilwale is a mistake that will be difficult to erase.

Somewhere in the middle of the movie, Varun Dhawan is proposing to Kriti Sanon. And in a bid to go all out, he plans to do the one thing that simply can't fail in Bollywood - SRK's arms-raised pose.

He prays, 'Bhaiya, sambhaal lena'. Sure, he gets the girl. But not even his bhaiya can save this atrocity of a movie.

When there's Kajol and Shah Rukh in a movie together, naturally the expectations are monumental! Everyone expects something epic, a romance of a lifetime. But alas, the movie was cheesy, predictable and filled with the typical Hindi movie punch lines and boring slapstick comedy.

The story and concept of the movie is nice, but the execution and dialogues are no different from the ones we have heard many times before. Frankly, I am a little disappointed in Shah Rukh for not choosing to produce and act in a movie of a more superior kind, considering he has enthralled audiences for 20+ years now, he should deliver performances worthy of a veteran!

Varun Dhawan and Kriti Sanon are cute in the movie with their adorable teenage style romance, but I would say that kajol is the scene stealer here. She looks breathtakingly gorgeous and her eyes convey her emotions. She is a fabulous and seasoned artist!

The songs are mediocre, Gerua is the only track that leaves a lasting impression. The stunts and car sequences are interesting and of international standard, it keeps the audiences hooked!

Overall, the movie was breezy and nice, but also not upto my expectations personally, because at this stage in Shah Rukh's career he should be making meaningful movies rather than the same old masala genre. Watch it if you like typical massy masala films like his previous 2 outings, chennai express and happy new year. If you are looking for something classy or different, Dilwale is not the film for you.

Don't waste money on this movie, it's the worse movie of SRK after Guddu, it's a disaster. Looks like Rohit Shetty take it granted that SRK-Kajol pair will do everything, and instead of looking in direction he was sleeping in Vanity van.

Varun Dhawan looked good.

Kirti is also good.

Kajol is relief in the movie. Without her you can not tolerate the movie.

Music is Superb. Gerua song is the best.

Action are looking repeated.

My advice is not to watch the movie.

after reading different negative reviews and opinions I was not that surprised bcoz Rohit Shetty is not a Great director or film maker yet he always delivers a superhit out of his pocket .the story is little different when it comes to srk and kajol .I think Kajol has not portrayed such character in any of her movies,It is quite different.the chemistry between kajol and shahrukh can be seen.Varun Dhawan did well as the brother of shahrukh.but definitely the movie relied on starpower.Pankaj Tripathi and Mukesh Tiwari's comic timing is a good thing about Dilwale.Kajol is just fantastic.The lead actress matches SRK move for move.watch it for their wonderful chemistry.

Some of the Bollywood potboilers are meant to entertain with mindless screenplay and no-sense comedy. Rohit Shetty has mastered the art of this kind of cinema. Only this time , he goes one step ahead and gives you a senseless caper.

Dilwale tells the story of two families meet again again after 15 years when their dark past comes in front of them

From the masala entertainments like Golmaal , Singham series, Bol Bachan and Chennai express, Rohit Shetty gives yet another spineless film which is full on masala entertainment but easily forgettable once you are out of theater. The only silver lining is the superb acting by Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol. The movie begins with forced comic scenes and unnecessary situations especially from Varun Dhawan and Johnny Lever which you are sure going to hate. It is only when Kajol enters the scene, you will heave a sigh of relief. The sparkling chemistry between Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol saves the day and you wish the second half might be interesting as their jodi.

Unfortunately, the second half drags and the climax becomes typical bollywood melodrama with hero delivering high-content dialogues and blowing few punches. Editing could have been better and songs becomes hindrance to the pace. Art direction and cinematography is outstanding. Shah Rukh Khan is the scene stealer despite so many shortcomings in the movie. The actor is brilliant but is saddened by weak screenplay. Kajol lends a good support and looks gorgeous. Varun Dhawan antics will remind you Salman Khan. Probably he should define his unique style. Kirti Sanon is strictly okay. Johnny Lever irritates. Sanjay Mishra disappoints. Mukesh Rishi is good. Boman Irani is brilliant.

Overall , Dilwale is predictable and boring with nothing new to offer.

• Ketan Gupta