The all
melodramatic, stylish and formulaic 70’s has always been a pet for Bollywood enthusiasts.
The obsession is so sky-scraping we have made almost every film from that era a
classic in today’s times. A gruesomely awesome villain, heroes with undying
attitude & emotional story to back-up their instinct in present, sensational
beauties ready to show off their best of designer outfits & born-leniency
to step in a song & dance sequence at any given time!
Well, all that could
work in sync if smartly put in the mold of a tout script and engaging
screenplay but it is like asking for much as for as Shaad Ali’s KILL/DIL is
concerned. So, it turns out to be an average
action-potboiler with a clear signage of some good deadpan humor, laudable
performances of a couple from the cast, stylish looks and scenic camerawork getting
wasted for most. Even Gulzar saab’s poetic commentary all the way through different
segments and stages in the plot could not lesser any of your displeasures from
the film.
Dev [The all bouncy,
jovial & animated Ranveer Singh] and Tutu [Ali Zafar, cool as ever] are two
best of buddies raised to be cold-blooded sharp-shooters by their foster-father
in crime world Bhaiyaji [Govinda back to win hearts]. Their Maar-keting job is
paying them well to do all the debauchery deeds until Dev meets Disha
[Parineeti in probably one of her most trivial roles], born & brought in
the plot to give a new Disha i.e.
direction to Dev’s life. No prizes for guessing, the heart in love creates
havoc in the promising plot & in quite enticing lives of both the
sharpshooters. The buoyancy in characters gets killed brutally by the saddening
melodrama.
This doesn’t mean
KILL/DIL to be a complete wash-out. Shaad Ali’s average story gets constant boost
up from the pokerfaced wit in the dialogues and some of the intentionally-designed
elements in the screenplay. In the very first scene, you see a political leader
approaching in a car and the number-plate reads ‘Neta’ [Leader in Hindi]. The pun
is bold & hard to get unnoticed. Similarly, there is a sequence where a jeweler
gets into his regular bargain-mode ignoring the fact that he currently is at
gunpoint of his possible abductors. & how can you overlook a Nirupa Roy
portrait on the wall, as the founder of a life-insurance company!
KILL/DIL sees the
comeback sort of the yesteryear mass-entertainer Govinda in his first outing as
the antagonist of a film. He plays the Godfather to Ranveer & Ali and does
it with more emotions than just playing the routine villain. He can show off
his moist eyes as well as the iniquity in the nature. He talks less but worthy,
he laughs good and scary and dances too. Isn’t it enough to celebrate! Ranveer
is known for investing loads of energy like a powerhouse. He does exactly same
here too. With Ali’s all more unruffled & at ease presentation and some of
the best nippy one-liners, his portrayal is pleasantly vivacious. Parineeti
does her part well but doesn’t really amaze you much.
On the whole, Shaad
Ali’s KILL/DIL could have been better if persistent and confident about its experiment
with styling the age-old sub-standard plot as a shinier-slicker & tighter
entertainer. It had glimpses and hints but that’s that. For the rest, it is a
regular movie-going experience just to kill your time and not the appetite for
good entertainment. Home-viewing could be a different story altogether. My quest
for a story-department in Yashraj Films hasn’t ended yet! [2/5]
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