Dil Kabaddi

Imagine Irfan Khan wearing a g-string and a sports bra !!

Grossed out :D ? Don't worry, they don't show him in it :) Just an indicator of the level of openness we have come to accept in Hindi movies. Even 5 years ago, talk like this would have gotten movie posters burnt etc. But now its quite cool to talk about spicing up your sex life with such ideas. Of course the g-string idea itself is quite stupid :)

Dil Kabaddi is a take on modern-day urban relationships - with Rahul Bose & Konkona Sensharma and Irfan Khan & Soha Ali Khan playing couples – who are outwardly happily married, but troubled inside. The movie claims to be a fun take on marital (and extramarital) affairs – and especially the trailers of the movie promise a lot of debauchery and goofing around.

So does Dil Kabaddi deliver ?

Yes – but not quite.

The story begins with Samit (Irfan Khan) and Mita (Soha Ali Khan) fighting on their way to meeting Rishi (Rahul Bose) and Simi (Konkona Sensharma). We come to know of Samit's … err … overenthusiasm for all matters sexual and Soha Ali Khan's preference for romance and 'huggy-huggy' at night – among other things. And they proceed to calmly inform Rishi and Simi that they are separating and Samit is moving out of the house.

And so begins the fun for Samit as he moves in with his 'aerobics instructor' Kaya (Payal Rohtagi) the very next day. Mita takes things hard at first but then Simi introduces her to Veer (Rahul Khanna), and they hit it off as well.

These events have their effect on Rishi and Simi who question their own status quo and start considering other people surreptitiously. Of course, what happens next is for you to watch and find out. All the four major characters are deeply flawed – Rishi a little less than the others – but flawed nevertheless. However, because of Samit's over-the-top actions, his and Mita's story doesn't seem quite realistic while Rishi & Simi's story seems more plausible. Among the other characters, special mention has to be made of Payal Rohtagi. She is depicted as a caricature, but even then she is so loud and screechy, it becomes a pain to watch her in the latter half in the movie. Her only highlight in the movie is her scene with Rahul Khanna. The other cool character not mentioned so far is Simi's ex-boyfriend (cant remember his name). Bucking the trend of showing exes as losers (like in Jab We Met), this guy is shown as quite cool and forms a very important link in the narrative.

The chemistry between both the couples is very good and I personally found Soha Ali Khan quite attractive for the first time (and kinda hot, though there is no skin show). And though Irfan Khan gets a lot of wacky humour scenes, I found the scenes between Rahul Bose and Konkona more enjoyable – and Rahul Bose is right in his element.

The movie ends with a unexpected twist and is liberally strewn with gags and sexual jokes. Yet somewhere along, the director loses the balance between realistic and ridiculous fun - and somewhat disconnects with the audience. Like Pyaar Ke Side Effects, you will enjoy this movie just a little bit more if you are married or have had a significant other for sometime. Overall Dil Kabaddi is a lot of fun, but just not quite satisfying.

I regularly review movies at http://bisprad.blogspot.com

First things first ....I really enjoyed this movie!!! This is basically a comedy based on the lives of two married couples and the numerous marital and extra-marital goings on that happen with these two couples. One could call it a mix of Life in a Metro with Pyaar ke Side Effects...... unfortunately the promotions on TV has not given potential audiences with this impression.

The four leads are impressive. Soha Ali Khan has become matured into a little dynamo of an actress, good things come in small packages. Although I must say that i did not really like her with the short hair in the latter half of the movie. Konkona, one of my favourite actresses, is as always wonderful. She has captured the essence of the character and her dialogue delivery and timing is top notch....there are times in the movie that I am sure the audience had no choice but to be reminded of an ex girlfriend or dare i say it their wives!! Rahul Bose is back to form with this one although he has done this style of acting before in Pyar ke side effects. Irrfan Khan has officially become the SRK/AmirKhan/Salman Khan of the parallel cinema world ( if we can call it that now). He gives a wonderfully natural performance that endears him to the audience although we may not condone his actions in the movie. His dialogue delivery and timing in certain scenes make you really laugh out loud. His performance is probably the one that stays with you after you leave the cinema.

There are a number of small but wonderful supporting performances in this movie as well but I have to mention two in particular : Saba Azad and Payal Rohatgi. The former is an unconventional beauty but she sparkles with her screen presence and wonderfully natural dialogue delivery. The latter 'item girl' is slightly grating on the nerves with her screeching but then we are not supposed to like her anyway as per the demands of the role. I still feel that she had the funniest sequence in the file. PLease take note of the 'dumb blonde' like scene at the party.

Kudos to the director, script writer and also to the dialogues writer since they managed to deliver a tight, taut film that does not flag at all after the interval. Nor does it veer off into melodramatic saga a la Karan Johar's KANK. ALso a special mention to the song from Rahet Fateh Ali Khan, the man has magic in his throat.

There may be only one downer to the whole experience as some of the topics like sex and extra marital affairs would not be condoned by the family audience (hence a rating of only 7) but no one can deny that things like this are happening daily in todays metropolitan cities

Senior rips off Woody Allen's 'Husbands and Wives'. The narrative structure, story and some of the dialogues are straight lifts. The pacing is slow and this at times bores the viewer. The songs are loaded with adrenaline (which provides the much needed boost to the film). Sagar Desai's background score is soothing. Those who haven't watched Allen's movie, 'Dil Kabaddi' basically, with a touch of comedy, deals with souring marital relationships between two married couples. What works for the film is the acting. Soha Ali Khan is a surprise. After seeing her in movies like 'Khoya Khoya Chand' and 'Ahista Ahista', where she had terrific roles to which she didn't do justice, I had pretty much given up on her acting ability and was certainly not expecting anything above average but the actress totally nailed this part. It is good to see Irfan Khan back in comedy mode after a long time. He provides some of the laugh-out-loud moments. Rahul Bose and Rahul Khanna are alright. Bose has played similar roles and here he is no different. Saba Azad is quite okay for a newcomer. Payal Rohatgi is hilarious. She plays bimbo Kaya to the T. Konkona Sen Sharma is excellent. She too displays comic flair, this time it's a more subtle comedy. One wishes if only she had more screen time. Other than the performances, 'Dil Kabaddi' does not have too much to offer since a better suggestion would be to turn to Allen's 'Husbands and Wives' where it all seems more natural and authentic.

Till sometime back, the three-letter word, sex, was considered taboo on the Hindi screen. But it's out of the closet now. Dil Kabaddi goes a step further it takes you inside the bedroom of two couples and makes you listen to the bedroom chat that they indulge in, bringing the sex lives out in the open.It tries to explore fields like sexual needs and fantasies in marriage but the movie ends up showing nothing but confused relationships .

Dil Kabaddi is a humorous and exaggerated take on the dynamics of the relationships between married couples, without being judgemental. It reveals the internal dilemma of the characters as they struggle to maintain or easily let go of their marriages, to fulfill their deeper desires.

Rahul Bose and Irrfan Khan have done challenging roles and same for the actresses Soha Ali Khan and Konkona. The film has been made keeping multiplex viewers in mind but it is not for kids and families. Even all multiplex viewers won't go for the kind of confusion concept.

The question is not whether Indian audiences are ready for a theme like this. The question is, does the script hold your attention for the next 2 hours? Sadly, it doesn't!

I saw the first day first show at 9.45am. And let me tell you all that I never have laughed so much in any film screening as I did while watching this.

Its bustling with humour in every scene, almost. And the humour never goes cheap or slapstick.

I have never seen Woody Allen's Husbands and Wives, but I know he is a great director. However, Director Anil Senior's Dil Kabaddi has all the charm and laughs in the right place.

Every character in the film is enjoyable and the actors put up fantastic performances, be it those who come in for minuscule roles.

After reading few reviews here and there now, I guess only those people who accept that Infidelity is very much part of a metropolitan city's life will be able to enjoy the humour.

For all who are conservative or traditional or does not want to accept the reality, are in for a rude shock! Go on enjoy this film. It surely deserved way better promotion and youth will hit on it for very sure.

A very easy 4 out of 5 for a film which not just has performances and script, but fantastic camera movements (I guess it is hand handling motion frame), perfectly in-sync background score, appealing cinematography and some good production values.