Mere Brother Ki Dulhan

Indian Express rating: **

For a film which dots every single I and crosses every single T,there couldn’t have been a better title. Me,My Brother,His Bride. Got it? Okay then.

‘Mere Brother Ki Dulhan’ is a strictly-by-the-template rom com. Not any old rom com,but a Yashraj one. Cue clean-cut hero. Smashing heroine. Good-looking second lead who nearly steals the show. Supportive parents. Non-stop self-referential pats-on-backs. Obligatory song which celebrates past hit songs. Glossy exteriors. Shiny interiors. So strong is the steel frame that we almost miss the fact that Imran and Katrina are a fresh Bollywood pair : the new boy prize is taken away by Ali Zafar,who is the best thing about ‘My Brother Ki Dulhan’.

Kush Agnihori (Khan) is given the job of finding his London-based Bhaisahab Luv,who’s broken up with his girl-friend (D’Souza),a suitable ‘dulhan’. So of course he has to choose the most insane girl on the planet,who goes by the name of Dimple Dixit (Kaif). Having acted as the obedient ‘chota bhai’ through the mostly-enjoyable breezy first half,Kush realizes that his to-be-‘bhabhi’ is the one. I’m giving nothing away when I say this because you know,and I know,that he will be hit on his thick head with this fact just before the interval.

The second half is a plodding,utterly predictable we-know-where-we-have-to-get-to but don’t-quite-know-how-to-get-there affair. Finally I’ve come to a film in which I found Kaif tough going despite her throwaway sparkly moments. She is clearly the biggest star in the film,given the kind of space she’s got,and is allowed to execute her brief very seriously indeed : from a ‘mad’ all-over-the-place rocker chick to a ‘good Indian girl’ who agrees to an arranged marriage,she keeps ratcheting it up to the point that she gets exhausting. Khan is in his usual pleasant self-deprecatory guy mode,and the two are believable as back-slapping pals. But sweethearts? Sorry,scratch that. This is a Yashraj rom com where funny-smart lines are a substitute for good old passion. Don’t go looking for any. Don’t go looking for any subtle notes,either. There aren’t any.

There are a couple of acts that keep the irritation at bay,somewhat. Zafar,who made his Bollywood debut in last year’s goofy comedy ‘Tere Bin Laden’ makes much more of his laidback charm here. I wanted more of him. The guy who plays Khan’s best friend (Mohammad Zishan Ayub) from his ‘bachpan’ is nicely deadpan. That,and some well-delivered laughs,kept me going till I reached the much-too-long-drawn-out end.

shubhra.gupta@expressindia.com