Yash Raj Films' new release Dil Bole Hadippa is a perfect example of how Bollywood can quite shamelessly adapt (read copy) anything from the West and do a decent job. This one's a straight lift of the America teenage comedy She's The Man (2006).
Dil Bole Hadippa
U/A; drama
Dir: Anurag Singh
Cast: Shahid Kapoor, Rani Mukerji, Anupam Kher, Dalip Tahil and Rakhi Sawant
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What it about: Yash Raj Films' new release Dil Bole Hadippa is a perfect example of how Bollywood can quite shamelessly adapt (read copy) anything from the West and do a decent job. This one's a straight lift of the America teenage comedy She's The Man (2006).
The only difference in that while in the English film, the lead actress is standing in for her brother in a soccer team, Veera Kaur (Rani Mukerji) plays cricket. But DBH is not aimed at the teens. Who its aimed at, is really a bit of a mystery.
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It is Veera's dream to win a match for her country. So when she gets the chance to play in a match against Pakistan, simply by 'playing' her own fictitious brother Veer, she grabs the opportunity.
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Meanwhile, she falls in love with London boy Rohan (Shahid Kapoor) who also happens to be the captain of the team.u00a0 What she hasn't bargained for, are his feelings of being used once her identity is revealed.u00a0u00a0
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What's HOT: My biggest mental block when I went to see this film was that I was convinced Rani wouldn't be able to pull off playing a guy.
When Amanda Bynes did She's The Man, she hadn't done too many films, so it was not difficult to 'see' her as the boy.
But Rani manages to play that part quite effortlessly and endearingly. Shahid is perfectly cast, andu00a0 makes the most of his precious scenes whether it is emotional father-son moments, as a stern captain on the cricket field, or making you smile in the scene where he is trying to tell Veer how he feels about his sister.u00a0
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What's NOT: Everything about the film is formulaic. The thought seems to have been, 'Oh give the cricket-crazy nation a film about the game. Give them Punjab, give them a chance to turn a London-born boy into a desi munda, and finally let's give the audiences the India v/s Pakistan angle.' But manipulating the audience never works.
Wish Rani had paid more attention to her styling too. Really, what girl dresses like that, wears so much make-up, jewellery and goes to the maidan? Even if she is a great player, the audacity to hit six sixes in six balls? Even Sachin Tendulkar can't promise that.
The music is largely disappointing. While it should've been a nice, sweet comedy film, the writer messes up by adding emotional drama. Even though the storyline is predictable it could've been a fun ride, minus the over-the-top emotions.
The Brit boy suddenly starts changing the way he dresses and starts wearing long kurtas and salwars. Rohan's separated Pa (Anupam Kher) and ma (Poonam Dhillon) going from tu-tu-main-main to getting suddenly all 'flirty'.
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And by the time the long-winding speech in the climax where everyone from Jhansi Ki Rani to Indira Gandhi is named, you want to run out.u00a0
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What to do: Watch Wanted for the second time. And the third time. That's the only way your dil will say Hadippa.
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