Dum Laga Ke Haisha

Dum laga ke Haisha is anything but boring, repetitive or unreal. And with the way Bollywood is coming out with films for a while now, this is a huge relief. But it’s more than just relief. It’s a fresh film that showcases what all of us know and understand best as Indians, in such a real yet entertaining fashion.

Prem Tiwari (Ayushmann Khurana) is a metric fail 24 year old Haridwar based boy who is forced into an arrange marriage with Sandhya Verma(Bhumi Pednekar ) as with his educational skills finding a ‘Juhi Chawla’ category bride for him, is unlikely. Sandhya is a graduate in B.Ed who, like every other girl, has dreamt of getting married to someone who loves, adores and respects her. But there is one problem. Sandhya doesn’t fit the ideal “slim-fair-beautiful” matrimonial description that our society is obsessed with. Nevertheless, Prem and Sandhya are married, against Prem’s wishes but with Sandhya’s consent.

Now here is a film that is trying to portray the age old message of “love comes in all sizes” but in a way that brings a smile to your face. Writer- Director Sharat Katariya has done a brilliant job with the script and direction. It’s these two areas that have been given so much time, research and thought that everything else only brings out these two factors better on screen. Backed by the director of the blockbuster film Band Baaja Baraat (Maneesh Sharma) as the producer and the esteemed Yash Raj banner, Dum Laga Ke Haisha is a pure Bollywood flick but with a difference.

As soon as the feature presentation begins, you are immediately transported back to your school days. The 90’s, when the likes of Kumar Sanu, Sadhna Sargam, Alka Yagnik were the reigning play back singers and Anu Mullick the most sort after music director. It won’t even take you a split second to connect with the times of the movie to your growing years with the tape recorders, audio cassettes and the immovable ONE landline per house.

Both the leading actors have done a fantabulous job and have lived up to their respective roles. From getting the accent spot on to the body language and character study, Ayushmann and Bhumi are so right for the part that not once do you think of them as actors playing the roles of Prem and Sandhya. I couldn’t separate Ayushmann from Prem until the last scene when he flashes that ‘gorgeous dimpled go-weak-in-the-knees’ smile of his! Also the supporting cast is a beauty, rightly supporting the two strong leads.

Now the best part about the movie is that it’s not bombarded or sprinkled even, with audio tracks or dream sequences that the audience is subjected to because you need the movie to have the entire “assorted feelings tracks” package in the music album. The music is minimal and tracks are played to show the transition of the characters and their feelings. Anu Mullick and the play back singers have nailed the brief and delivered what had to be, in the perfect amount. My personal favourite has to be ‘Moh moh ke dhage, sung beautifully by Papon and Monali Thakur . The lyrics are delicate and paint such a beautiful picture that it’s hard to not listen to it on repeat.  Kudos to Varun Grover, the lyricist.

What I like most about the movie is how strong the two lead characters are. The importance of educating a girl and the difference it brings in her confidence and thinking, and similarly, the insecurities and frustration of a man who never wanted this union in the first place are portrayed amazingly well by the writer-director. To watch the director establish such strong characters in the first half of the film and then transitioning to show the two give in to each other’s imperfections and wanting to be together in spite of not wanting to, is an absolute delight.

Finally a decent Bollywood movie in the last 6 months, Dum laga ke Haisha captures the emotions of a young couple that are hurried into marriage and the roller coaster ride married life is, and how different it actually is from what you had imagined it to be, before you got into it. It’s fun, light and humorous yet very close to reality kinda film showcasing an honest effort that is worth your time. It’s like the dialogue goes, ‘if there is nothing to lose further from here onwards, why not give it one last honest shot?’ So give it a shot, it might just surprise you.