Buzz around Dilwale shows that heart matters
For most film-goers, it's not really important at least initially whetherDilwale is a good film or a bad film or an ‘okay’ film. All that matters to them is that it has brought together the magic of Shah Rukh Khan-Kajol back on the screen after many, many years; fans of the combine will say these years seemed likes ages. This alone is good enough reason for their queuing up at the film theatres to purchase tickets, even if highly priced for the weekend. Of course, there are those committed souls who would have rushed to watch the film first-show-first-day on Friday itself, regardless of the price tag. From all available accounts, the film has left the viewers gushing even if they believed that the on-screen chemistry between the lead actors is the only takeaway and that the script and its treatment left much to be desired. One shouldn't be expecting a classic from Rohit Shetty, more known for his out-of-the believable-world action stunts in films likeSingham and rib-tickling (by today's standards) comedy in Bol Bachchan and Chennai Express. If reviews are to be believed, Shetty has stayed true to his reputation of packaging ordinary stuff to make it palatable in Dilwale. That said, the buzz around the return of the ‘magical pair' even as the film had geared up for release, was sufficient enough to draw in huge crowds on its release day, Friday, December 18. We are told that some of the songs are ‘hummable', though it's difficult to take that at face value. Again, it is a matter of relativity. Set alongside the fact that music-and-lyric quality has plunged to abysmal levels over the years, the songs of Dilwale can sound like real music to the ears. But, like in the case of Rohit Shetty, we shouldn't have expected path-breaking compositions from music director Pritam, who cannot be accused of having demonstrated genuine creativity along his way to becoming a much sought after music director in the Hindi film industry.
But there is something in the success (one assumes the film will turn out to be that in the weeks to come, joining the Rs100 crore club or the ones higher up sooner than later) beyond the King Khan-Kajol pairing. It is to do with the audience's insatiable appetite for pure ‘romance' even as it is subjected to ‘action' films or films that take a more nuanced approach to complex situations which life throws up. In the mist of ‘serious' and ‘trite' cinema, innocent romance has always survived. Take Noori, which gripped the audience's attention even when Sholay and other action films were going strong. later, Ek Duuje Ke liye left millions in tears. Incidentally, both Noori and the Kamal Haasan-Rati Agnihotri starrer had tragic ends. Going back in years, the Dilip Kumar-led Devdas too drew in tearful crowds on the strength of tragedy-romance. There is something heart-pulling about love that does not result in union. Expressed in less emotional terms, it's a USP that generally works.