Movies
Movie Reviews
August
2014
Alia Bhatt reunites with Varun Dhawan in
Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania.
Cast: Varun Dhawan, Alia Bhatt
and Siddharth Shukla
Directed by: Shashank Kaitan
Produced by: Karan Johar
Written by: Shashank Kaitan
Music by: Sachin-Jigar and
Toshi Sabri
H
umpty Sharma Ki Dulhania
(HSKD) is another ‘Dharma
Productions’
romantic
comedy. What can audiences expect
then? Boy and girl meet, fall in love, but
authoritarian parents don’t let them be
together. However, eventually they get
married – big fat Indian wedding style!
Along the way, you would expect
some romantic songs and comic scenes to
lighten the mood. So what makes Humpty
Sharma Ki Dulhania definitely worth your
time and money to watch despite being so
predictable?
The film exactly follows that storyline.
‘Humpty’ Sharma (played by Varun
Dhawan) is a carefree, young Delhi boy,
who falls in love with Kavya Pratap Singh
(played by Alia Bhatt), a vibrant girl from
Ambala. HSKD goes through their crazy and
heart-warming love story where Humpty
faces many challenges to make Kavya his
‘dulhania’. The performances in this film
are delightful. Watching Varun Dhawan
on screen is like eating a slice of red velvet
cake – a sweet treat! In each scene, he wins
you over as ‘Humpty’ from his mischievous
charm to his comic timing. As for Alia
Bhatt, this is her 3rd stellar performance
of this year, where she impresses the
audience with another varied performance.
She makes the transition from a Tamilian
(in 2 States, 2014) to a Punjabi (in HSKD)
effortlessly. There was a fear that Alia may
play the role of Kavya Singh too superficial
36
Bollywood Showtime
but she ends up playing the role naturally.
At times though, her dialogue delivery does
end up too fast and exaggerated.
What shines through the greatest in
Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania is the adorable
chemistry between the lead pair. We did
not see much of this when they were
previously paired together in Student of
the Year (2012). However, HSKD makes you
want Kavya to be Humpty’s dulhania.
Their natural and effortless chemistry
just oozes through to the audience,
particularly in the picturisation of
‘Samjhawan’. Moreover, this is conveyed
more through the ease of their body
language and playful banter than their
love-making scene.
Siddharth Shukla, of Balika Vadhu fame,
makes his debut in this film – well, nearly.
You hardly get to see much of him in the
film as he probably only gets about a tenth
of screen time in the film, if you include
one song. Probably beer and cold coffee
gets greater footage than he does.
Siddharth fits the role of Angad, a
perfect NRI bachelor, so it is a shame the
audience were unable to see more of him.
The supporting cast is superb. Special
mentions go out to Ashutosh Rana,
who plays Kavya’s father, and of course,
Humpty’s friends played by Sahil Vaid
(Poplu) and Gaurav Pandey (Shonty).
They season the film with their witty
lines and funny performances. Debutant
director, Shashank Kaitan, has directed and
written the film well. With the story being
so stereotypical, it is the light-hearted
moments throughout that were paramount
in keeping the audience engaged.
The music of HSKD is pretty fabulous.
The
melodious
‘Samjhawan’
and
upbeat ‘Saturday Saturday’ are already
chart toppers. Both of the versions of
‘Samjhawan’, including the unplugged
version sang by Alia Bhatt, are worth all of
the praise that they have garnered.
However, tracks like ‘Daigand Daigand’
will probably completely forgotten by the
audience once they leave the cinema hall.
There are some songs that linger with you
after the film ends but only some.
The film has colourfully depicted the
hinterland of North India. This is a refreshing
change from most Dharma production
films, which tend to transport the audience
to foreign settings rather than showcase the
beauty of India. The costumes are vibrant
and every lehenga that Kavya wears seems
stylish. May this be the ‘Kareena Kapoor
wala designer lehenga’ or the local one? It
leaves the audience wondering what was
wrong with the local one that she wanted
to spend so much to get a designer one!
Nonetheless, Alia Bhatt’s ‘desi avatar’
really suits her. Whilst Varun may not look
his best, his styling does, to some extent,
transform him from a Bollywood hottie to
a normal ‘Delhi ka launda’. Humpty Sharma
ki Dulhania is meant to be a modern tribute
to the all-time classic, Dilwale Dulhania Le
Jayenge. HSKD may not the next DDLJ but
will be remembered as one of the cutest
romc