Dum laga Ke Haisha

Staring: Ayushmann Khurana, Bhumi Pednekar, Sanjay Mishra

Rated: 6/10

Aditya Chopra must be lauded for this out-of-the-box concept in which the heroine is not atypical Yash Raj glam doll, the setting is in the nukkads of Haridwar and the romance is not edgy and scintillating. Given the premise and a decent starcast, director Sharat Katariya could have done much more but he fell short. But only just.

Dum laga Ke Haishastarts off on a high note with an arranged marriage between the protagonists. While the obese BEd, Government school teacher  falls in love with her husband almost immediately, the Class 10 fail loser of the family can’t seem to adjust with this new twist in his life. He doesn’t want to look at her ugly face let alone wanting to have sex with her — he tells friends and his new wife slaps him hard and moves out of his home.

Does it end thenIJ No. There is a competition to test the brawn of the husband and Rs10,000 is at stake. The odd couple are forced into this ritual and they emerge winners in the truest sense.

Dum laga Ke.. has its moments when you sit up and pay heed. It is full of punches and good performances, especially by Ayushman Khurana and debutante Bhumi. But there are slip ups that you just can’t ignore. The village bride rattling English at the drop of a hat is difficult to digest and not in sync with the setting of the story.

The new bahu back answering and belittling her in-laws does not go well with the village backdrop. Perhaps, Katariya would have been better off sticking to the basics here and not get too overwhelmed with the teacher protagonist.

Khurana stands his ground as the man who never had a say in anything and does well to show his frustration after marriage. His grim expression throughout makes one feel bad for the poor soul.Watch it for some light moments.