‘Dilwale’ is a rank bad film. There, I said it…  Phew! Life’s back to normal.

Ever felt a hollowness in life? A lump dying on your throat? That’s exactly the feeling which sinks in when you watch ‘Dilwale’. A successful director with an unhealthy obsession with cars, country’s beloved superstars, too much money for budget and hype that probably matches man going on the moon; usually these things are ingredients of a blockbuster. Unfortunately, ‘Dilwale’ doesn’t match up to its hype and joins the hallowed list of movies that could have been.

A movie with no story is probably the biggest crime a director could commit. Rohit Shetty who claims to have the pulse of the audience fails miserably this time. Exotic locales, flying cars all around, foot tapping music, every I’s have been dotted and all t’s have been crossed. However, the hackneyed direction and a convoluted story mar an earnest effort by the actors and the results are catastrophic. Romance is dangerous territory and often it has been seen that the storyteller falters on the way the story progresses. It’s a pity that Mr Shetty wastes a story that could have been a winner, provided it was told the right way.

Varun Dhawan continues to impress with his dance and funny act. Kriti Sanon is alright in her blink and miss role as she doesn’t have to do much. Over the top antics of Sanjay Mishra, Johnny Lever along with Varun Sharma are funny. Some of the dialogues are crafted to induce laughter, but the writing is so poor that even genuine funny sequences seem to be cringeworthy. Rohit Shetty regular Mukesh Tiwari is reduced to a sidekick with bare minimum action and Pankaj Tripathy gets a couple of funny scenes which works out well. Boman Irani seems to be wasted in his role of a gangster.

The only saving grace in this movie is the sizzling chemistry between the leads. Playing star-crossed lovers, Mr Khan and Ms Kajol literally burn the screen with their passion and romance. Probably after Raj Kapoor- Nargis and Amitabh Bachchan – Rekha, these two symbolise eternal cinematic romance. Watching them on celluloid is a true delight to the eyes. Every time they are on screen, it sizzles and you wish more of these two. It truly feels that they are made for each other and destined to be together in some other life.

Some love stories truly never end. Here’s to eternal love and their torchbearers…