Synopsis of Dil Dhadkne Do

Dil Dhadkne Do

Dil Dhadkne Do is one of the finest cinematic pieces of Bollywood. It’s better to categorize the genre of the movie as life rather than love and it brilliantly portrays the complexities of human relationships. I have observed that the movies based on love stories never have a concrete end especially those which begin with showing how the hero duo fell in love and Zoya Akhtar (Director and Writer) has almost dealt with this. The movie has got many fine layers and subtle hints about Human nature (Jealousy, Despondence, Happiness, Gaiety, Ambition, Love). I don’t think I’d be able to do complete justice with my description and would urge my readers to watch the movie and don’t under rate it at all by reading this. (It performed poorly at box office and critics too didn’t appreciate it so much)

The movie revolves around the life of the rich and modern Indian family of Mehras. Kamal Mehra (Anil Kapoor) and Nilam Mehra (Shefali Shah) are parents of Ayesha (Priyanka Chopra) and Kabir (Ranveer Singh). Kamal Mehra is the owner of a big company Ayka and he wants his son to continue the lineage and become CEO. But Kabir has other longings and he likes to fly a plane, he’s an amateur pilot and frankly we expect the sons of rich father to be spoilt only but He’s not so spoilt and on neglecting his some of the traits I find his character a very intelligent and sentimental person.

Ayka company’s become bankrupt and its declining and Kamal is very tensed and he starts taking anti-anxiety pills whilst keeping his family in dark about it. He is not getting any support from other elites of his profession (He himself built the palace out of straw and twigs and so elite himself too) and now starts making a very hideous and unfair scheme to save his company. He wishes Lalit Sood (another rich businessman) to buy Ayka’s 49% shares and in exchange Kabir shall marry Sood’s daughter Noori whose engagement broke off and consequently she became a new topic for high society families to gossip and envy about.

It’s Kamal and Nilam’s 30^th wedding anniversary and they invite their friends and relatives to 10-day cruise voyage to Europe. Soods and Khannas (another businessman) are arch rivals and since Soods were invited at last moment and Khannas were kept oblivious of this information it becomes very suffocating and awkward situation for them as they cannot leave at the last moment.

The drama begins on the deck, Kamal addresses the guests on deck and expresses how he dearly he loves his wife, Ayesha and Kabir giggle at each other because this is very ironical, viewers too being cognizant of the fact that Kamal and Nilam fight with each other and are regret their relationship. It also throws light on human nature of being hypocrite, viewers too now become lucid of the fact that these rich people wear fake smiles and their every action is calculated and pre-planned. Kamal tries to get Kabir to acquaint with Noori so that he might make them fall in love and their wedding can be fixed and Ayka is saved.

Kabir is not at all interested in marrying Noori and he falls in love with Farah (Anushka Sharma) a dancer on the ship. They spend some time together and he learns how Farah struggled in her life after she left her parents when they didn’t approve her to become a stage artist. She fled from her home with £220 and lived all by herself. She chose to live her life by her own choice and didn’t allow herself to imprisoned by living for someone else’s expectations. 

Meanwhile Ayesha is dissatisfied with her husband Manav and her in laws. Ayesha herself is a businesswoman and is prodigious like her father and her company ranks among top 10 or 100 in Forbe’s list but Manav’s family wants her to give a child and quit the business. She demands divorce from him after meeting Sunny (Farhan Akhtar). Sunny was her best friend since the childhood and they were pretty much in love with each other. But Kamal sent him to US for higher studies and separated Ayesha from him so that she’d marry some rich bloke like Manav. We see Ayesha striving for dignity in her family and equal rights as Manav but she’s continually forbid of them and its explained that this is natural for woman. Sunny explains this point beautifully in one of the scenes.

Meanwhile, a fuss happens. Noori lies to her parents that she spent whole night with Kabir while actually she was with someone else and asks Kabir to keep this secret and Kabir complies to her request. Their parents start thinking of their marriage and they discuss it and Kabir too agrees to marry when asked by his parents and they agree not to sell his plane and give it to him. He just did this to spite his father and had already planned with Noori to break up after the engagement and she can then marry her beloved whom her parents won’t be accepting now but later they would.

In one of the days of trip, Kamal spots Noori with her lover and he understands that she’s not right choice for Kabir and their family reputation may be hampered by this wedding. They were on port this time and he’s baffled by this scene and he immediately goes on cruise and he receives heart attack while going to ship on ferry. Mehras are now really worried and they all stand together in this moment of crisis. Fortunately, the attack wasn’t fatal and Kamal receives timely medical aid and he’s alright. Kabir reveals to his father that he never intended to marry Noori and he played a cruel game to revenge him. He’s emotionally anguished at this moment and he tells that he’s not going to spoil his life for making this business deal with Soods. He also tells that Kamal and Nilam’s relationship wasn’t going on very good terms and they were just acting a happy couple in public. Kamal and Nilam are realize that they’ve actually made a mistake and they decide they’ll act in the interest of their children and forget the damn about the world.

Next we witness this reforms. Manav and Ayesha’s family discuss the divorce and blame Ayesha for betraying their investment in her company and destroying their family’s reputation in society. Next Manav tries to take Ayesha with her by force and Kamal bangs Manav to the wall and warns him not to touch his daughter or he shall rip Manav’s hand apart.

 Kabir on other hand learns that Farah (Anushka Sharma) has left the ship because she’s been fired from her job and she doesn’t believe that Kabir loves her after hearing about his marriage with Noori.

Kabir makes a very brave move to reach port to find back Farah (Anushka Sharma). He jumps off the ship and asks his parents to follow him on the life boat and drop him at the port before the cruise officials arrest him. The whole Mehra family is on lifeboat and they laugh and cherish for they are now free from their ego and greed. The movie ends on this note and Zoya Akhtar’s master stroke of giving Aamir Khan’s voice to dog and narrating the things about human nature works very effectively. Mehras are now bound together with love and they have realized this after a very long time.

I think an average viewer may need to watch this movie twice to understand its depth and even I’m not satisfied with one show but I can assure you, you’ll emerge enlightened and remain in thought about this movie for at least a day.