Dil Dhadakne Do (English: Let the Heart Beat) is a 2015 Indian comedy-drama film directed by Zoya Akhtar and produced byRitesh Sidhwani and Farhan Akhtar. The film features an ensemble cast of Anil Kapoor, Shefali Shah, Priyanka Chopra, Ranveer Singh, and Anushka Sharma. Farhan Akhtar appears in a special appearance, and Aamir Khan performs a voice role. The film tells the story of a dysfunctional Punjabi family who invite their family and friends on a cruise trip to celebrate the parents' 30th wedding anniversary.The film was released worldwide on 5 June 2015.
Plot
Kamal Mehra (Anil Kapoor) is a successful businessman who owns Ayka, a company on the verge of bankruptcy. He has a troubled relationship with his wife, Neelam (Shefali Shah), and his two children, Ayesha (Priyanka Chopra) and Kabir (Ranveer Singh). Ayesha owns a successful travel business of her own but is unhappy with her arranged marriage to Manav (Rahul Bose). Kabir unwillingly participates in the family business even though he yearns to become a pilot. In celebration of Kamal and Neelam's 30th anniversary, they invite their family and friends for a 10 day cruise across the Mediterranean. Among their invitees are Mr. Sood (Parmeet Sethi) and his family. Kamal plots to get Kabir married to Sood's daughter, Noorie (Riddhima Sood), in exchange for his investing in Ayka.
Onboard, Kabir meets a free-spirited dancer, Farah (Anushka Sharma), and engages in a romantic relationship with her. Noorie, on the other hand, falls in love with Rana (Vikrant Massey), the son of the family hated by her parents. Kabir and Noorie decide to manipulate their parents into believing that they are dating, while continuing their respective relationships. Meanwhile, Ayesha considers divorcing her husband, whom she believes is incompatible with her; her parents, however, are staunchly against it. During that time, Sunny (Farhan Akhtar), the son of Kamal's manager, arrives on the ship. It is revealed that Sunny and Ayesha dated each other as teenagers; Kamal, unhappy with their relationship, paid for Sunny's overseas education to separate them from each other. Ayesha realises that she still harbors feeling for Sunny who is now a successful journalist. He, unlike her husband, appreciates her strong personality.
Neelam sees Kamal flirting with one of the female guests, and wonders why she did not divorce him despite his past infidelities. Meanwhile, Farah gets word that Kabir is due to marry Noorie, and in a fit of anger calls off their relationship. Elsewhere, Kamal spots Noorie making out with Rana, and is soon rushed to the onship emergency room, suspected to have a heart attack, but it turns out to be excess stomach gas only. In the hospital room, Kamal tells Kabir that he saw Noorie with Rana, and asks him to not be involved with her anymore. Kabir, in a bout of anger, admits to his family that he knew about the couple all along, and that he is in love with Farah. He also tells them of his intention of not working in the family business anymore. Later, while trying to reconcile the differences between Manav and Ayesha, Kamal is infuriated to see Manav misbehaving with her. He agrees to the divorce and begs Ayesha for forgiveness. Ayesha subsequently reunites with Sunny.
Kabir tries to persuade Farah to forgive him for lying to her, but she ends up getting fired from her job for being involved with a passenger, and leaves the ship. Kabir finds out about her being sacked much after the ship has set sail. Seeing no other option, Kabir jumps off the ship in hope of his family rescuing him and helping him to get to the shore. Kamal, Neelam, Ayesha, and their dog Pluto (voiced by Aamir Khan) eventually find a lifeboat to rescue him. The Mehra family is seen happy in each other's presence for the very first time.
Cast
- Anil Kapoor as Kamal Mehra
- Shefali Shah as Neelam Mehra, Kamal's wife
- Priyanka Chopra as Ayesha Sangha, Kamal's daughter
- Ranveer Singh as Kabir Mehra, Kamal's son
- Anushka Sharma as Farah Ali
- Farhan Akhtar in a special appearance as Sunny Gill
- Aamir Khan as the voice of Pluto Mehra, Kamal's pet dog
- Ridhima Sud as Noorie Sood
- Rahul Bose as Manav Sangha, Ayesha's husband
- Zarina Wahab as Smita Sangha
- Vikrant Massey as Rana Khanna
- Parmeet Sethi as Lalit Sood
- Manoj Pahwa as Vinod Khanna
- Pawan Chopra as Prem Mehra
- Shireesh Sharma as Jamaal Hashmi
Critical reception
Film critic Rajeev Masand of CNN-IBN, who particularly praised the performances of the lead actors and the humour in the screenplay, concluded that the film is "easy and breezy, and packed with terrific actors who appear to be enjoying themselves", although he did criticize the pacing and climax of the film.[23] Srijana Mitra Das of The Times of India gave the film 4 stars, also praising the performances of the lead actors, especially Singh's, and reviewed, "On this ship, a few bolts could be tighter. But these are fleeting clouds on an otherwise beautiful sea, hosting a cruise...while searching beyond Bollywood's emotional Botox for a family's warts - and its heart." Rachit Gupta of Filmfare described the film as a "spunky comedy, straight from the heart", attributing the performances of the lead actors as the prime reason for the film's success. Shubha Shetty-Saha of Mid-Day gave the film 4 stars, and praised the story, stating, "If this film looks like an entertaining, escapist film at the outset, it is, but it is also much deeper than that".
In a 3 star review, film critic Mayank Shekhar of ABP News found that "patiently drawing out emotions from every character" made the film "horrendously long [and] too languidly paced", although he did call the film ""intensely real, intrinsically adult, with several sharp observations about relationships and life".[27] Sarita A. Tanwar of Daily News and Analysis gave the film 2.5 stars, and wrote that the film would have "been a lot of fun [if] had it been shorter, crisper and less indulgent". Scoring the film 3 stars, Sukanya Verma of Rediff.com wrote that Dil Dhadakne Do "unravels like an entire season of soap opera condensed into a nearly three-hour movie" but found it "too facile to rise above the charming fluff". Ritika Bhatia of Business Standard wrote that the film "does have its enjoyable moments, but with a three-hour runtime, it fails to sail the high seas", and termed the film "ambitious" but "meandering".
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