Dolly Ki Doli

Dolly Ki Doli's premise is simple and it has been executed with a sharp knife. No room for any flab. The director has a strong control over the narrative- the story moves at a pace that keeps one glued. It does not pretend to be two steps ahead of the viewer, instead it bobs along with him– just a little bit teasingly ahead. This makes the film viewing friendly and attractive.

The ensemble cast is another high point- great actors and super performances. Casting is indeed very very apt. Technically the film neither under nor overwhelms you. It works like a smooth ride.

Just like the telling of the film, Dolly is a woman with no pretensions. She and the film stand tall. Dolly as the person does not relent right till the climax when all heroes undergo transformation. The film, however, promises the transformation yet keeps the climax refreshing- its other beauty being its non-verbosity. Crisp and bang on. It does leave space for a sequel and that would be something to watch out for.

Overall, DKD is an honest attempt at a simple, crisp story telling with a smooth screenplay, some smart dialogs, a lovely cast and equally great performances.

'Dolly Ki Doli' is the first Bollywood movie that I watched in 2015 and it certainly surpassed my expectations. Directed and co-written by Abhishek Dogra, the film has a run time of 98 minutes which is just right considering the quite simple story. Starring Sonam Kapoor, Pulkit Samrat, Rajkumar Rao and Varun Sharma, 'Dolly Ki Doli' is about a runaway bride who tricks various men into getting married to her then runs away with whatever valuables she can steal. The narrative is very linear yet so entertaining containing a relevant flashback explaining why Dolly (Sonam Kapoor) started doing what she does best which is conning people.

Sonam Kapoor as a con woman plays her usual typecast 'loud urban chick' role perfectly sporting different looks throughout the film. Her costumes are also spot on glamorising every wedding scene making them look royal especially in the dance number 'Phatte Tak Nachna'. You feel sorry for Sonu (Rajkumar Rao) who the film starts off with. He plays a Haryanvi character so realistically and uses his method acting to showcase a range of emotions.

Varun Sharma uses his comedic talent well after 'Fukrey' as a rich spoilt kid who has to go against his mother played by Archana Puran Singh just to marry Dolly. Last of all, Pulkit Samrat plays a Dabangg inspired cop called 'Robin Singh' who takes on the case of finding and nabbing Dolly and her so-called 'family'. There is not much to say about his acting as he was seen in a similar role in last year's 'Jai Ho' except he shows much more charisma in this outing. The stand out performance for me has to be Rajkumar Rao due to his natural performance.

Moving on from the positives, although the first half is very entertaining as the story travels at an appropriate pace, the second half seems a bit rushed and the ending is typical. The one question you will be asking is how there were no pictures taken of Dolly at any of the dozen weddings, even though it is revealed that the camera man is a part of their team but surely people carry mobile phones around in this era? However, it doesn't ruin the experience at all as the back story of Dolly will keep you hooked as well as a cameo appearance by none other than Saif Ali Khan. The soundtrack is also decent with mainly dance numbers, one featuring item queen Malaika Arora Khan but the picturisation of 'Mere Naina Kafir Hogaye' stands out due to the emotional quotient attached to it.

Overall, the film is quite enjoyable for a January release and certainly a must watch for Sonam Kapoor fans as she brings her quirkiness to the table once again after last year's hit 'Khoobsurat'. The performances by the male leads should also not be underestimated. If you want a serious film like 'Baby' or 'Badlapur', then this definitely isn't for you. However, if you want pure entertainment backed by a decent cast, then go for it.

Make no mistake Dolly ki Doli has some really good funny moments. But still, Dolly ki Doli tastes like a half baked potato.

If you have seen the trailer you will pretty much know what's going to happen next in the movie. Though first half is a decent one, the story of the movie is too convenient in the second half. Performance wise all have done a decent job. But, direction is pretty ordinary. Its really a shame if you have to include 4 songs in a movie that runs less than 100 min. Also the predictability of plot does not help much.

As a whole, the movie is an average fare. Watch it if you don't have anything else to do.

Dolly Ki Doli had an simple yet interesting premise. A con-woman Dolly (Sonam Kapoor) entraps and marries men only to run away with all valuables of the groom and his family. To setup and arrange these fake marriage she has a whole fake family along with her. Sonu (Rajkummar Rao) a jatt farmer who seems to be truly in love with her becomes one such victim. Then after an item number and couple of more fake marriages later is the turn of Manjot (Varun Sharma). There is very less light shed on why this con gang pull-of so many heists yet live a mediocre life. The characters seemed to have zero motivation towards whatever they were doing. Anyways, not all is well when finally after dozens of fake marriages the police comes to know about the gang and a cop (Pulkit Samrat) decides to take up the case because of a some evident personal reason. After few months thanks to Saif Ali Khan's cameo character, when the cop and the bride finally meet face-to- face we have all the clichéd melodrama and even more illogicality with the ending than what had already been portrayed. Anyways its always hard to pull of a credible ending for such con comedy premises.

On the positive side, Dolly Ki Doli is briskly based, it just flies off from the word go. Some times the editing felt too choppy but I will appreciate them for keeping it under 100 minutes. This is the basic thing most Bollywood films fail to get right and have overblown run time with very little substance. Debut director Abhishek Dogra keeps the atmosphere light, not to be taken seriously and even satirical at times until the last act. The script is full of illogical behaviors and plot holes, but if you can ignore that then the comedy might be enjoyable. But I myself did not find it hilarious. The comic timing was terrible plus the characters were interesting yet poorly written. Acting wise, all three males Rajkummar,Varun and Pulkit do a commendable job. Sonam Kapoor on the other hand was quite unbearable. Her acting was okayish, but it was the character of Dolly which was utter nonsense. The same old innocent-pretty girl is terribly overdone which made her look annoying plus it is highly unbelievable that so many men fell into her trap so easily. Also we annoying songs and an item number stuffed in just for the sake of it, which had nothing new.

Overall, I will say Dolly Ki Doli is a nice and non-formulaic attempt which is appreciable. But it is heavily flawed and has poor dialogues. This ride can be moderately enjoyable only if don't care much about the characters and keep your brains at home. Still, it is highly avoidable.

RATING: [1.5/5]

What the hell did I just watch? All throughout the movie I kept thinking, maybe the end climax will turn everything around. All the muddled puzzle pieces will suddenly fall into place. Something like 6th sense, or fight club, or Kahaani. Alas, this dumb movie never attempts to answer the most obvious flaws it contains. The ending is just like the rest of the movie- crappy.

Sonam Kapoor's acting was quite shallow. Unlike her previous movies. Rajkumar Rao was the only average character in the movie. He tried providing some comic relief with his witty dialogues. Unfortunately, the storyline was so bleak and thinly plastered, that even his dialogues could not support it. All others just tanked down.