Planet Bollywood
Dum Laga Ke Haisha
 
Producer: Maneesh Sharma
Director: Sharat Katariya
Starring: Ayushmann Khurrana, Bhumi Pednekar, Sanjay Mishra, Alka Amin, Sheeba Chaddha, Chandrachoor Rai, Sanjeeva Vatsa and Seema Pahwa
Music: Anu Malik
Lyrics: Varun Grover
Genre: Drama
Recommended Audience: General
Film Released on: 27 February 2015
Reviewed by: Anish Mohanty  - Rating: 7.5 / 10
 
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Public Rating Average: 5.11 / 10 (rated by 410 viewers)
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People who have grown up in a particular time period always tend to reminisce about the bygone era and wish they could back in time and revisit those days. I spent the early years of my childhood in the 90s and hence, look at that time with a lot of fondness. A lot of period films are made in the Hindi film industry every now and then. While some of them manage to recreate the feel of era quite successfully, some fail to do so. The promos of Dum Laga Ke Haisha, what with the film based in the 90s, filled one with a sense of nostalgia. It seemed like one of those rare films coming out of the YRF stable which did not had any glamour quotient or glitter in it. The film begins with Kumar Sanu’s (and not Lata Mangeshkar) voice accompanying the YRF logo. The song ‘Tu’ plays in the opening credits and we are introduced to Prem (Ayushmann Khurrana). Prem is a high school dropout and according to him, there are just three things that bring tears to his eyes: getting beaten up by his father, question papers in English and Kumar Sanu’s voice. Prem, devoid of any degree whatsoever, works at his father’s cassette recording shop. The family believes that getting Prem married to an educated, working girl will help their financial position. Prem is forced into marrying an overweight girl called Sandhya (Bhumi Pednekar). While Bhumi develops a liking for Prem, Prem does not seem to be happy with a wife who does not seem physically attractive to him. He is so ashamed of marrying Sandhya that he even refuses to acknowledge as his wife in front of his friends and relatives. Sandhya tries her best to win Prem’s heart but Prem remains relentless in his disrespectful attitude towards the alliance. After an unpleasant incident in which Sandhya gets to know about her husband’s hatred for her and the marriage, she decides to walk out on the marriage. Ignoring the numerous pleadings from their respective families, the couple decides to settle for a divorce. The couple orders the couple to spend six months with each other before arriving at a decision. Meanwhile, there is a competition called ‘Dum Laga Ke Haisha’ being held in Haridwar in which the husbands have to carry their wives on their back and carry them all the way to the finishing line. Will Prem and Sandhya participate in the race? Will they able to reconcile their differences?

Dum Laga Ke Haisha has a protagonist who can’t see beyond physical beauty and is flawed in a lot of ways. But, that’s exactly what makes him relatable. All the characters in the film come across as real and palatable. By the time the film gets over, you feel that you know and understand each and every character in the film really well. The one grouse that you have against writer-director Sharat Katariya is that he restricts himself to exploring the relationship shared by Sandhya and Prem. There was a lot of potential to explore many of the sub plots running concurrently. There is a point in the film where Prem decides to complete his high school education and even sits for the board examination. The director touches upon the subject but ends it abruptly. The climax of the film is nice but one feels that there was a lot of scope for incorporating drama which the director fails to do. One does gets moist eyes as the race culminates but there one does feel the lack of high octane drama in the climax. There is a surprise cameo appearance by Kumar Sanu but even that is not explored to its fullest potential.

Sharat Katariya does a successful job at both creating the mood of the 90s and setting the film in a small town milieu. The characters are very well written and are the kind you expect to bump into in such places. The authenticity of the film with regards to the locations, setting and characters cannot be questioned. There is a lot detailing that has gone into writing the script. The screenplay, though predictable, is filled with heartwarming moments right from the first frame till the last. There are barely any twist and surprises in store but the film does not really lose its momentum and is mostly engaging. Even as a scene gets predictable, the crispy dialogues make sure that one is entertained. There are several scenes that stand out. The scene in which Prem and Sandhya take turns to change the cassette in order to play a song is hilarious as the songs played by them reflect their state of mind. The altercation that takes place between them leading to their separation is sufficiently dramatic. The events that lead to the couple getting fond of each other has, thankfully, not been rushed up and there is a natural progression to these events that make them believable.

The costumes (Darshan Jalan) and production design (Meenal Agarwal) contribute a great deal towards the authentic look of the film. The editing (Namrata Rao) is good but bits of certain scenes could have been trimmed for a better impact. The songs (Anu Malik) are well tuned and a couple of them remind of the 90s. The songs have been inserted at the right places and help in heightening the impact of the scene in which they are used. Even the song which has been placed in the end credits (Dard Karaara) is more than welcome. The background score (Andrea Guerra) is very good. The choreography of ‘Dard Karaara’ (Chinni Prakash) is lovely and is a wonderful throwback to the 90s. The cinematography (Manu Anand) is good and lends a natural look to the film.


Ayushmann Khurrana gives a splendid performance as Prem. His body language, accent is just appropriate for the Haridwar based young man. Although one despises Prem for his obsession with physical beauty, it is to the credit of the actor that the character never comes across as evil. At times, one feels like sympathizing with him. Your heart goes out to him as he comes out of the examination hall feeling like a complete failure and Papon’s rendition of ‘Prem’s theme’ tugs at your heartstrings. Bhumi Pednekar makes a supremely confident debut and portrays the character with a lot of sensitivity. She is a talent to watch out for. Sanjay Mishra’s is a bit similar (with reference to characterization, body language etc) to the character he played in ‘Ankhon Dekhi’ but he is brilliant as always. Seema Pahwa’s character, too, has shades of the character that she played in the same film but she is good nevertheless. Alka Amin is terrific as Prem’s mother. One would love to see her in many more films. Sheeba Chada leaves a mark as Prem’s aunt. The rest of the actors have been well cast and do a good job.

Dum Laga Ke Haisha is a simple and charming film that not only evokes a sense of nostalgia but is engaging throughout. The film touches a chord with its simplicity and makes you fall in love with the characters. It conveys a message without being preachy and taking sides. One of the best films to have arrived in recent times, 'Dum Laga Ke Haisha' is not to be missed.

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