Indian society is undergoing dramatic changes in terms of gender roles and rules regarding marriage. Marrying for love (as opposed to the rate of arranged marriages) is on the rise and, although still relatively rare, India is also seeing more divorces. These trends indicate more self-determination for the current generation of young Indians – especially young women. Related trends include couples having fewer children and more women working outside the home. I've noticed these changes (and the tension they cause between young Indians and their parents) in every Indian movie I've seen in the past ten years. Still, I've never seen so many of these changes depicted in a single movie before "Dil Dhadakne Do" (NR, 2:50). The title translates from Hindi into English as "Let the Heart Beat", very appropriate for a film that deals with so many different, yet related matters of the heart.
This is a drama and a romance (or maybe I should say multiple romances), with a good bit of comedy mixed in. The story centers around the Mehras, a small Punjabi family (father, mother and two grown children), their familial relationships to each other and their business, personal and romantic relationships with other families in their community. The father, Kamal (Anil Kapoor, increasingly recognizable to western audiences after roles in "Slumdog Millionaire", "Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol" and TV's "24"), is a wealthy businessman whose business has recently been struggling lately, whether the outside world knows it or not. His wife, Neelam (Shefali Shah) is not happy in the marriage but stays, for the sake of personal security and societal tradition. Their adult son, Kabir (Ranveer Singh), is being groomed to take over his father's company someday, but doesn't seem to have either the talent or the heart for it. Kabir's sister, Ayesha (Priyanka Chopra) runs a business of her own and is quite successful, but is very unhappy in her marriage to Manav (Rahul Bose, who happens to look like India's version of Hank Azaria). In fact, no one in this family is particularly happy with his or her life, but the film's story is meant to give each of them at least a shot at the kind of personal growth that could lead to happiness for each of them.
To celebrate their 30th wedding anniversary, Kamal and Neelam take several other families with them on a two-week Mediterranean cruise. The confines of the cruise ship allow (or force) the Mehra family to deal with the myriad of issues that have built up among themselves over the years – as well as between them and others on the cruise. Kamal has to face how he has neglected Neelam over the years and comes to understand how she has felt for the past three decades. Ayesha is finally honest about how she feels in her marriage and has to decide what to do next. Meanwhile, Kabir's parents are trying to get him together with Noorie (Ridhima Sood), who was recently jilted at the altar by her fiancé and whose father is a businessman who might be interested in investing in Kamal's company. Unfortunately for the plans of Kabir's parents, Noorie becomes interested in Rana (Vikrant Massey), who happens to belong to a family that Noorie's parents hate (ala "Romeo and Juliet") and Kabir develops an interest in Farah (Anushka Sharma), one of the ship's employees. Hey, what can you do? As Selena Gomez would say, "the heart wants what it wa-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-ants." The cruise ship setting plays into the story in other ways too. It gives the movie some good excuses for the musical numbers that seem to be required by law in all movies made in India. We see a nice production number in the cruise's stage show and a very energetic celebration during a family party on the ship. It's all part of the fun – and a break from the sometimes intense drama. We also get to see some beautiful scenery and sites as the cruise makes port at various picturesque and historic locations in the Med. The ship's route also makes it convenient for successful but nomadic journalist Sunny Gil (Farhan Akhtar) to join his father (one of Kamal's employees) on the cruise by meeting the ship at one of its stops. (Sunny just happens to be an old flame of Ayesha's – the one that got away, as we Americans say.) Oh, and the setting for most of the movie being a family cruise means that Pluto, the Mehra family's dog, is never far off. This is important because he is the movie's sometime narrator. Well, there is a lot going on in this movie, so someone has to help us keep it all straight.
"Dil Dhadakne Do" ("Let the Heart Beat") is a very ambitious – and very enjoyable movie. Through its multiple story lines, it tackles several of the societal changes modern India is facing and suggests some ways that its people can deal with those changes – and each other. The script also makes some very interesting observations about human nature, both in the dialog between the characters, and in the words of one very astute canine. Many of India's most popular actors appear in the film, lending their gravitas, comedic skills, good looks and musical talents to the proceedings. This is one very long movie but the number of story lines, twists and turns, and the talent of the cast generally hold the audience's attention. The movie could have been shorter and still accomplish everything that director Zoya Akhtar and her screenwriters set out to do. I also have to point out that the climactic scene crosses over into the ridiculous – but it is fun to watch. Having said all that, the plot's scope is impressive, the story wonderfully acted and the romance, drama, comedy and music skillfully woven together into one entertaining film. "B+"
This is a drama and a romance (or maybe I should say multiple romances), with a good bit of comedy mixed in. The story centers around the Mehras, a small Punjabi family (father, mother and two grown children), their familial relationships to each other and their business, personal and romantic relationships with other families in their community. The father, Kamal (Anil Kapoor, increasingly recognizable to western audiences after roles in "Slumdog Millionaire", "Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol" and TV's "24"), is a wealthy businessman whose business has recently been struggling lately, whether the outside world knows it or not. His wife, Neelam (Shefali Shah) is not happy in the marriage but stays, for the sake of personal security and societal tradition. Their adult son, Kabir (Ranveer Singh), is being groomed to take over his father's company someday, but doesn't seem to have either the talent or the heart for it. Kabir's sister, Ayesha (Priyanka Chopra) runs a business of her own and is quite successful, but is very unhappy in her marriage to Manav (Rahul Bose, who happens to look like India's version of Hank Azaria). In fact, no one in this family is particularly happy with his or her life, but the film's story is meant to give each of them at least a shot at the kind of personal growth that could lead to happiness for each of them.
To celebrate their 30th wedding anniversary, Kamal and Neelam take several other families with them on a two-week Mediterranean cruise. The confines of the cruise ship allow (or force) the Mehra family to deal with the myriad of issues that have built up among themselves over the years – as well as between them and others on the cruise. Kamal has to face how he has neglected Neelam over the years and comes to understand how she has felt for the past three decades. Ayesha is finally honest about how she feels in her marriage and has to decide what to do next. Meanwhile, Kabir's parents are trying to get him together with Noorie (Ridhima Sood), who was recently jilted at the altar by her fiancé and whose father is a businessman who might be interested in investing in Kamal's company. Unfortunately for the plans of Kabir's parents, Noorie becomes interested in Rana (Vikrant Massey), who happens to belong to a family that Noorie's parents hate (ala "Romeo and Juliet") and Kabir develops an interest in Farah (Anushka Sharma), one of the ship's employees. Hey, what can you do? As Selena Gomez would say, "the heart wants what it wa-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-ants." The cruise ship setting plays into the story in other ways too. It gives the movie some good excuses for the musical numbers that seem to be required by law in all movies made in India. We see a nice production number in the cruise's stage show and a very energetic celebration during a family party on the ship. It's all part of the fun – and a break from the sometimes intense drama. We also get to see some beautiful scenery and sites as the cruise makes port at various picturesque and historic locations in the Med. The ship's route also makes it convenient for successful but nomadic journalist Sunny Gil (Farhan Akhtar) to join his father (one of Kamal's employees) on the cruise by meeting the ship at one of its stops. (Sunny just happens to be an old flame of Ayesha's – the one that got away, as we Americans say.) Oh, and the setting for most of the movie being a family cruise means that Pluto, the Mehra family's dog, is never far off. This is important because he is the movie's sometime narrator. Well, there is a lot going on in this movie, so someone has to help us keep it all straight.
"Dil Dhadakne Do" ("Let the Heart Beat") is a very ambitious – and very enjoyable movie. Through its multiple story lines, it tackles several of the societal changes modern India is facing and suggests some ways that its people can deal with those changes – and each other. The script also makes some very interesting observations about human nature, both in the dialog between the characters, and in the words of one very astute canine. Many of India's most popular actors appear in the film, lending their gravitas, comedic skills, good looks and musical talents to the proceedings. This is one very long movie but the number of story lines, twists and turns, and the talent of the cast generally hold the audience's attention. The movie could have been shorter and still accomplish everything that director Zoya Akhtar and her screenwriters set out to do. I also have to point out that the climactic scene crosses over into the ridiculous – but it is fun to watch. Having said all that, the plot's scope is impressive, the story wonderfully acted and the romance, drama, comedy and music skillfully woven together into one entertaining film. "B+"