Rich, dysfunctional families, a lavish cruise, and a whole lot of drama – no, this is not a Hollywood movie but our very own Bollywood film from 2015. Yes, you guessed it right, we’re talking about Dil Dhadakne Do! The Zoya Akhtar directorial is a family drama about the Mehra family setting sail on a cruise trip. This short description does not do enough justice to the gamut of emotions the film contains. Worry not, we’ll tell you in detail why you should watch Dil Dhadakne Do!
Dil Dhadakne Do: Four Reasons Why I Love This Family Drama
Rich People Do Rich Things
Let’s be honest – we all love a flick where the rich are doing rich things, don’t we? Dil Dhadakne Do is a classic example of a feel-good, guilty pleasure film that you can’t help but watch. Just like Crazy Rich Asians, White Lotus, And Knives Out, we have a Hindi movie where the rich are doing exactly what they’re supposed to do – splurge, gossip, and talk about things most of us can only dream about.
I mean, how many of us can casually fly around a plane like Kabir (Ranveer Singh) does? Dil Dhadakne Do, on the surface, is a movie about the affluent class of India that is oblivious to ‘real’ world problems – they’re more concerned about their kitty parties, charter planes, and designer dresses.
The Movie Shows Realistic Family Dynamics
Bollywood is notorious for showing often unrealistic families in its movies. Families that are often too happy and too good to be true. Families that eat, dance, and sing together (looking at you, Suraj Barjatya films!). However, that is clearly not the case in real life. Family ties are often way more complicated and dynamic than what we see in the movies and Dil Dhadakne Do understands this perfectly. It does not present a high-pitched, over-the-top rich family that has it all together.
In fact, no one has it all together in this movie. Each character in the movie is imperfect in its own way – and I think that is what makes the movie more relatable. By showing the imperfections, flaws, and aspirations of each character, the film beautifully portrays human relationships and the complexities we harbor.
The Movie Doubles As A Nat Geo Travel Documentary
What I love about Hindi movies set in a foreign land is that we simply ace the game when it comes to giving justice to these international locations. Dil Dhadakne Do, unsurprisingly, is no exception. Most of the movie takes place on a cruise ship, allowing the audience to peep into locations some of us didn’t even know existed.
We’re talking about Turkish Hammams, Istanbul’s streets and the iconic Galata Tower, the scenic port of Naples, Antalya’s unique bars, the Greek ruins of Ephesus, and the famous Bosphorus Bridge. Ultimately, Dil Dhadakne Do doubles up as a travel documentary that takes you to gorgeous destinations with a side of family drama.
The Acting Department Hits It Out Of The Park
With a stellar star cast, the film delivers it effectively in the acting department. For me, the stand-outs in the film were Shefali Shah, Priyanka Chopra, Ranveer Singh, and Anil Kapoor – essentially the ‘leading’ family of the film. The chemistry between them is phenomenal – at one point I was convinced that Chopra and Singh are siblings in real life too! Beyond their chemistry, what kept me hooked were the convincing acting chops that all four of them effectively pulled out.
For me, Shefali Shah aces her role the best as the vulnerable and sometimes insecure (rightly so) wife of a rich businessman. On the surface, she seems happy and content with her rich life, but it is her failing marriage that breaks her from within. Her daughter, Ayesha, played by Priyanka Chopra, also is a major stand-out. She’s ambitious, strong-willed, and ready to take on the reins of her family business, but she’s a victim of the patriarchal norms the society has set up for her. It is here that I realized that money does not buy you happiness, class, or a moral conscience, as even the rich can be flawed and narrow-minded.
You Crave A Feel-Good Movie
On days when you’re feeling low or when you crave a feel-good movie, we recommend that you watch Dil Dhadakne Do. It hits you hard with questions about your own self, it pushes you to think, but it also feels like a warm hug on a cold winter day. The movie that is about a family, ultimately ends up feeling like home.
It is the kind of movie you’d watch when your cousins and relatives show up for a family dinner. The kind of movie you’d watch when you are away from home. And it is the kind of movie you’d watch when you crave for just something wholesome. The climax of the movie might come off as a little absurd the first time you watch it, but then you realize that it does make sense. The Mehras, in the most peculiar way, end up embracing each other without actually doing so. And that to me feels like the perfect climax for this not-so-perfect movie.
Summing Up
Dil Dhadake Do is a kind of movie that deserves to be watched with your family and friends. It’s not just about the protagonists going on a lavish cruise trip, but ultimately finding parts of themselves they couldn’t discover before. The movie is streaming on Netflix and makes for a lovely weekend watch. When are you watching it then?
