Dilwale Review
Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol in Dilwale
Rohit Shetty’s much-awaited film Dilwale finally hit theatres on 18th December 2015. Starring Shah Rukh Khan, Kajol, Varun Dhawan and Kriti Sanon, was foreseen as one of the biggest releases of 2015. However, the film failed to keep up to the expectations, especially as it also marked the comeback forKajol opposite actor Shah Rukh Khan, one of the most loved onscreen couples in Bollywood.
They were last seen together in Karan Johar’sMy Name is Khan (2010). Despite the script, the film earned INR 1.21 billion in the first three days of its release worldwide, thanks to the multiplex culture and the fascination associated with Shah Rukh-Kajol pair.
Through Dilwale Rohit Shetty has tried to break his stereotypical image of action director. Although it encompasses the staple flavour of his films through scenes such ascars blowing up, the standup comedy, chase scenes and pre climax action extravaganza, but he chose love as base of the script.
Dilwale essentially is a love story that spans between two generations. Shah Rukh Khan plays typical Raj until Kajol brings back his past as Kali when they meet 15 years later. Varun Dhawan and Kriti Sanon play the young lovers whose romance is caught between the dramas surrounding their siblings, Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol respectively. The story revolves around two drug lords whose families Shah Rukh and Kajol come from and how they resolve the conflict to realise that true love binds them through the distance of time. Varun Sharma, Johnny Lever, Boman Irani and Sanjay Mishra provide comic relief through their supporting acts.
Dilwale, like many of Shetty’s other films, is set primarily in Goa, where Veer (Varun Dhawan), the wayward brother of a respectable car modifier Raj (Shahrukh Khan), repeatedly falls asleep on the job and ends up losing expensive parts of the vehicle in his charge. Right upfront there is a hint that the amiable Raj has had a violent past and that he is no stranger to guns and dangerous stunts.
A long flashback reveals a past in which Raj was Kali, son of an Indian mafia don (Vinod Khanna) engaged in a bitter turf war with a rival (Kabir Bedi) in Bulgaria of all places.Raj runs into sketch artist Meera (Kajol) and in their five minute date they live a lifetime of romance, post which they have a violent fallout.
The film, however, came as a disappointment for the expectations it created through bringing back Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol together after five years. While Kajol look fabulous in the new look and reciprocated Shah Rukh Khan’s charisma and romance, a compromised screenplay lets her down. Nevertheless, a few highpoints of the film include romantic moments between the pair, especially among the lovesick fans.
Amidst repetitive plot, poor script and screenplay and an attempt to resell Shah Rukh-Kajol romance, the film fails to recreate the same magic that the pair has delivered in the past through films such as Dilwale Dulhania Le Jaayenge (1995) and Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998). And even through his formulaic action and comedy scenes, Rohit Shetty fails to connect with his audience. While one may watch it for their love for the pair, the story and script have very little to offer.
