Dil Toh Baccha Hai Ji

Cast: Ajay Devgn, Emraan Hashmi, Omi Vaidya, Tisca Chopra, Shruti Haasan, Shraddha Das, Shazahn Padamsee, Rituparno Ghosh

Director: Madhur Bhandarkar

New Delhi, Jan 24 – They say men never grow up and filmmaker Madhur Bhandarkar is exploring this pyche of men in a humorous way through his new romantic comedy ‘Dil Toh Bachcha Hai Ji’ releasing Friday. Ajay Devgn, Emraan Hashmi and Omi Vaidya, ‘Dil Toh Bachcha Hai Ji’ is the slice of life movie that talks about three men and their encounters with love. Shazahn Padmasee, Shruti Haasan and debutante Shraddha Das will play their love interests respectively. Naren Ahuja (Ajay) is in his thirties and is going through divorce. While nursing his broken heart following a failed marriage, Naren meets vibrant and bubbly June Pinto (Shazahn) and can’t stop himself from falling in love with this young girl.

Milind Kelkar (Omi) is a naive poet and idealistic lover. He develops a liking for an ambitious and practical Gunjan Sarkar (Shraddha) who is determined to follow her dreams. But Abhay (Emraan), a charming casanova, is different. His mantra in life is money and women. But his life too takes a turn after an encounter with Nikki (Shruti), a modern girl who knows her needs and speaks her mind. He too experiences love, an emotion he had always stayed away from.

According to director Bhandarkar, the film is a funny take on love, with real-life relatable characters, and shows to what extent people would go to achieve it or avoid it. Bhandarkar is known for making hard-hitting and realistic films like ‘Chandni Bar’, ‘Fashion’ and ‘Jail’ which garnered critical acclaim as well as box office success. ‘Chandni Bar’, starring Tabu and Atul Kulkarni, depicted hardships of women working in dance bars, while ‘Fashion’ explored the glamorous but dark world of modelling. The film starred Priyanka Chopra in the lead. His last outing ‘Jail’ put the spotlight on cruel realities faced by prisoners in jail. Although the film didn’t do well at the box-office, it was indeed applauded by critics.

With ‘Dil Toh Bachcha Hai Ji’, Bhandarkar attempts to move away from serious cinema and take the audience on a laughter ride. However, the filmmaker is adamant that his stamp and signature style will be evident in the film. Just like his director, Emraan, known for playing edgy roles in ‘Murder’, ‘Gangster – A Love Story’ and ‘Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai’, is trying comedy for the first time.

Omi has expectations riding high because this is his second release after blockbuster ‘3 Idiots’ and the actor admits this has been a challenging role for him as he plays a Maharashtrian and he had to ensure that his accent is perfect. Last year brought a mixed response for Ajay’s films. While ‘Golmaal 3′ and ‘Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai’ and ‘Raajneeti’ were hits, his home production ‘Toonpur Ka Superhero’ and ‘Aakrosh’ failed to impress the audiences. Ajay hopes to start the new year on a good note with ‘Dil Toh Bachcha Hai Ji’, which is the solo release this week. A couple of years back Amitabh Bachchan had commented that if there was one film maker who had the potential to carry forward the legacy of Hrishikesh Mukherjee and Basu Chatterjee, it could be Madhur Bhandarkar. Well, his prophecy has indeed come true with 'Dil Toh Baccha Hai' indeed reminding audience of the cinema of yore where films were made in and around real-life situations.

It is these real-life situations that make 'Dil Toh Bachcha Hai Ji' a smile through film where audience gets into a feel-good zone for those two hours. Really, right from the time the opening credits start rolling till the last frame comes up on screen, a smile seldom leaves you. And even when it does for those few moments, the dramatic moments are gripping enough to hold your attention. Characters belong to the kind that one can relate to. Ajay Devgn going through a mid-life crisis and falling for his much junior office colleague could well be the story of many a men folk in their late 30s. Emraan Hashmi's flirt character which tries to hop in from one female to another regardless of their age isn't surprising either. Also, Omi Vaidya's 'till death do us apart' character is the kind of romantic which may be a rarity but still possible.

Even women here are unpretentious and know what they want and are doing. Shazahn as a cute girl in her early 20s behaves like one in her casual avtar. Shraddha knows what she wants from her career and sticks on to that as her first love. Same holds good for Shruti for whom a one night stand is, well, just a one night stand. As for Tisca Chopra, a surprise inclusion in the film and a strong character to boast, she is the kind of ex-beauty queen turned socialite which is hardly a rarity in high society circles. Any blemishes? Well, there are intermittent moments on both halves where one hopes for some elevation in the proceedings. Also, there is some degree of repetition that comes in the track featuring Omi and Shraddha track, especially when it is crystal clear that Omi is being taken for a ride. However this is pretty much compensated by Ajay-Shazahn track which is the best of the three. Really, you can't help but break into a big smile whenever the two interact. As for Emraan-Shruti track, it is half baked. In fact Emraan-Tisca track is much stronger and leaves a solid impact.

However it is the chemistry between the three men which instantly reminds one of 'Chashme Baddoor'. Whenever the three come together, they convert a scene into a winner. Right from the time they discuss their love lives to their minor conquers to their disappointments and then the final resolve, Ajay, Emraan and Omi get it right, hence ensuring that there could well be a sequel in the offering. In fact Ajay is loveable as a moony eyed lover and his goofy expressions are laugh worthy at every instance. Emraan is characteristically himself in the first half but excels in the dramatic portions of the second half. Omi is earnest and also gets some good lines for himself but at places is marred by (as stated earlier) repetitive situations.

Shazahn makes the best of the opportunity and is extremely good as the young chirpy girl who is vivacious and energetic. Shraddha is good while playing a character which has strong grey shades. As for Shruti, she is seen in just a cameo and doesn't get much scope except for looking good. Tisca leaves a good impression and shows a different facet of her personality, both in acting as well as looks department. Visually the film is easy on eyes. Songs compliment the mood of the film with 'Tu Khwab Hai' being the soul of the film as it plays in the background right through the narrative. Sanjay Chhel's dialogues are witty as they compliment the written material (by Madhur Bhandarkar, Anil Pandey and Neeraj Udwani), hence keeping the audience engaged with a definite storyline and light hearted moments.

It is surprising that the film has been given an 'A' certificate though. In fact the film reminds of the times when films like 'Shaukeen', 'Chashme Baddoor', 'Katha', 'Baton Baton Mein', 'Rang Birangi' and many more found acceptance amongst the audience. Overall 'Dil To Bachcha Hai' turns out to be a nice and decent entertainer by Madhur Bhandarkar which can be given a very comfortable watch with the entire family. Before Madhur Bhandarkar decided to make this film he had declared he would be making another film based on the film industry, with Kareena Kapoor in lead. And while he waited for the actress's dates he decided to go ahead with Dil Toh Baccha Hai Ji. The film was finished in no time and the results are there to see. DTBHJ looks half baked. DTBHJ is based on a single thought. And it is not a bad one! It's about how men never learn from mistakes in love. But it is never established well.

The story is about three men different in character and at different stages of the lives and what happens when they fall in love. 38-year old Naren (Ajay Devgn) falls for 20-year old June (Shazahn), who is an intern in his office. He starts believing that June likes him when the much younger girl gets friendly with him. Milind (Omi Vaidya) works with a matchmaking website and falls for an RJ who thinks he writes great poetry. Abhay (Emraan) is a playboy who falls in love with a girl who is busy with social issues. All three start believing that the girl they love will reciprocate till they learn otherwise.

The film starts out well. The opening credits actually remind you of good old '70s. Things go good for the first half an hour as the director established the characters and the situations. The girls are quickly introduced too. However soon after that the story goes haywire clearly indicating that the writer didn't put much effort. Or maybe it was a case of lack of time, as indicated in the first paragraph. Emraan Hashmi's love story is way too patchy as the director decides to give more space to Tisca Chopra than Shruti Haasan. None of the stories have a proper graph and the ending is a complete spoiler. The dialogues are intended to be funny, but you may laugh only a few instances as they rarely make an impact.

Technically too the film is quite weak. While the cinematography is inconsistent, the production quality is a letdown. The background music is too loud and the editing is just about ok. The playback music is good. Performances too are a mixed bag. Ajay Devgn is the best of the lot. Emraan Hashmi plays his usual character fluently while Omi Vaidya, playing a similar character to what he played in 3 Idiots, just about manages his Marathi lines. Tisca Chopra is best among the girls. Shruti Haasan and Shazahn Padamsee fail to please yet again. They clearly need a lot of work on their act. Shraddha Das is ok while Rituparna Sengupta hardly has anything to do.

In the film Shruti Haasan says to Emraan, referring to a one-night stand, that it was neither her first time nor his and hence he could just forget it and move on. The dialogue somehow suits the whole film. This is neither Madhur's first bad film nor the first bad one that we have seen. Move on, let it pass. Hold on safely to your money, you will find better avenues to spend on! Dil Toh Baccha Hai Ji is at best mediocrity fuelled by hasty filmmaking decisions.