Dulha Mil Gaya - Movie Review

The recipe is simple and uncomplicated...
Take MY FAIR LADY.
Add DULHAN WAHI JO PIYA MAN BHAAYE.
Spray NASEEB APNA APNA.
Sprinkle DILWALE DULHANIA LE JAYENGE and RAB NE BANA DI JODI.
Hey presto, DULHA MIL GAYA is ready to serve.

In fact, MY FAIR LADY has been a hot favourite of Bollywood. Recall MAN PASAND [Dev Anand, Tina Munim] or HUM TERE AASHIQ HAIN [Jeetendra, Hema Malini]. Similarly, a number of storytellers have rehashed Rajshri's all-time hit DULHAN WAHI JO PIYA MAN BHAAYE [Prem Krishen, Rameshwari] in various avtaars, over the years.

DULHA MIL GAYA is a mix of the above-named films. Like they say in filmi lingo, it's old wine in new bottle. So what? How different can a love story be, since this genre has been done to death in Bollywood? Point noted, but the narrative ought to be engaging if it has to strike a chord and that's where DULHA MIL GAYA falters.

Merely assembling A-listers and filming the movie at panoramic locations isn't enough. The film ought to have meat and that's missing here.

Let me elaborate. Debutante director Mudassar Aziz, who has also penned the script, borrows from the past, going for the tried-and-tested stuff, but the narrative, already low on fuel, comes to a grinding halt by the time it reaches its finale.

Donsai [Fardeen Khan], a young commitment-phobic debonair, is petrified with terms like marriage and long-term relationships. Samarpreet [Ishita Sharma] is a quintessential Punjabi girl, for whom relationships are to be cherished.

Shimmer [Sushmita Sen] is a diva from the world of glamour for whom love and relationships aren't important in life as independence and success are. Pawan Raj Gandhi/PRG [Shah Rukh Khan] is a suave multi-millionaire whose heart still remains larger than his bank balance and for whom winning love is the only victory there is.

When paths cross for these four characters, they not only land up influencing each other with their outlook on relationships, but also get influenced themselves and learn a whole new meaning of the term.

Something that got ignited with D.D.L.J. continues to shimmer to this date. Our stories continue to travel from firangi land to the fields of Punjab. DULHA MIL GAYA too does that [initially], before MY FAIR LADY and RAB NE BANA DI JODI take over.

To give the credit where it's due, DULHA MIL GAYA has some interesting moments, but the problem is they are few and far between. One expects things to perk up when SRK's character is introduced [in the post-interval portions], but your hopes go crashing as nothing worthy of note occurs.

The writing has gaping flaws, which are difficult to absorb after a point. The girl travels all the way from Punjab to Trinidad and Tobago, but not once do her concerned parents call to enquire how she is. Strangely, even the girl doesn't feel the need to inform them. If that's not enough, Sushmita takes upon herself to tame Fardeen, giving you the impression that she thinks from her heart. But when it comes to her relationship with Shah Rukh, she behaves in a rather odd manner. SRK, on the other hand, seems completely besotted by her, even though she never reciprocates his feelings. Hence, her somersault in the end - just because Ishita has given her some bhashan - doesn't look convincing.

Mudassar Aziz's direction is a shade better than his writing. And that's not saying much. Given the fact that newer stories are being attempted in these fast-changing times and in view of the fact that he had some of the best talents on board, Mudassar should've seized the opportunity and told a refreshingly different and absorbing tale. But he doesn't. Sure, a few sequences are clever and smart, but that's not enough.

The music is of a mixed variety. 'Akela Dil' is groovy, while the title track is strictly okay. Cinematography is appealing.

Sushmita excels in a role that demands her to be hoity-toity. She enacts her part effortlessly. One wishes to see her more often on the big screen! Fardeen does a good job, especially towards the end when he's about to confess something vital to Ishita. Ishita delivers a sincere performance. It's a pity that a superstar like Shah Rukh is terribly wasted in an inconsequential role. It may not go down well with his fans.

Mohit Chadha has screen presence, but gets no scope. Johny Lever is wasted. Ditto for Tara Sharma. Suchitra Pillai and Howard Rosemeyer are passable. Parikshit Sahni, Bina Kak and Viveck Vaswani are as usual.

On the whole, DULHA MIL GAYA doesn't work!

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Sushmita wants to make people laugh

That’s why she put on nine kilos for Do Knot Disturb

Not many know that Sushmita Sen was asked to put on 14 kg for her character in the movie.

"I was asked to put on 14 kg but I told Vashuji and David 'I don't think it'll be easy for me to lose that much; so let's not attempt putting it on'," she said.

"Finally I put on nine kilos, but then I had a month and a half to lose it, as I had to go back and shoot for Dulha Mil Gaya after that," she added.

Losing the extra flab wasn't an easy task for Sushmita, who now sports a toned frame.

"It was definitely a difficult task, as it required a lot of discipline. I had to stick to two-hourly eating and had to manage a workout regime. I had a very good trainer, Mupur Shikhare, and a wonderful dietician, Pooja Makhija; so these guys handled it for me and I was back on track," she said.

"I enjoy doing comedy and David Dhawan is the one who brought me into it with Biwi No.1. So every time I want to laugh and make people laugh, it is with him. He is always there for me so I end up being the same," Sushmita told IANS.

"The thing is that since he and Vashu Bhagnani (producer) both gave me Biwi No.1, I have pretty much gone with his gut instinct. When he asks me for a film, I just do it. We usually don't get down into the role or anything," she said.

The 33-year-old has earlier given three laugh-riots with Dhawan - Biwi No.1 (1999), Kyo Kii...Main Jhuth Nahin Bolta (2001) and Maine Pyaar Kyun Kiya (2005).

Do Knot Disturb, a co-production by BIG Pictures and Vashu Bhagnani, is a comedy on marriage and also stars comic hero Govinda, Lara Dutta, Riteish Deshmukh and Ranvir Shorey.

Sushmita was excited about not only working with Dhawan and Bhagnani but also teaming up again with Govinda, in Do Knot Disturb, which releases on October 2.

"Whenever I get to work with this family of three, I just say 'let's do it now'. Working with them is a fantastic experience. We have formed such a relationship that there is a comfort level and I know David as a director so well that I know exactly what he wants," the actress said.

"So there is no work stress. He works in great detail...you know your scene, his style of shooting...He shoots the film at a certain pace," she explained.

"Vashu-ji, on the other hand, is a fantastic producer. He doesn't leave any stone unturned to make or promote his films. And it's just a lovely chemistry working with Govinda," she said.

So what character does she play in the comedy on marriage?

"I play Chichi's (as Govinda is fondly called) wife yet again (after Kyo Kii... Main Jhuth Nahin Bolta) but this is a very 21st Century wife and has her own takes on marriage and infidelity."

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Shah Rukh starrer Dulha Mil Gaya to release on 18th September

It's confirmed. Dulha Mil Gaya would be releasing all over on 18th September. This would give the film a four day extended weekend since the festival of Eid falls on Monday, 21st September. Producer Viveck Vaswani is certainly heaving a sigh of relief as for the first time ever; he goes on record with the exact date of release.

"I had always maintained that it is producer's prerogative to announce the date of his film's release. Over last so many months, there were so many out there announcing the film's arrival on my behalf. It was annoying initially but later it just started amusing me. There were so many different dates floating around even when I had never gone on record to talk about the exact date", says Viveck who is still not resting after the completion of a hectic final schedule of Dulha Mil Gaya.

He goes on to add, "So now let me state on record that 18th September is the day when my film arrives. I can assure that it's going to be one BIG festival movie. Dulha Mil Gaya is about celebration and the release timelines for the movie should further aid that."

Directed by first timer Muddassar Aziz, the film was 95% complete till a few months back and was held up for completion since Shah Rukh Khan couldn't shoot for a 'qawalli' sequence. Battling a shoulder injury, Shah Rukh finally managed to complete the film's shoot by working non-stop for three days earlier this week.

"Correction - it wasn't three days but three days and three nights. Even though he was in acute pain throughout and I suggested that we reschedule the shoot, he said that 'let's finish the shoot; it's already too late'. What more can one say about the commitment of a man like this", says Viveck with admiration in his tone.

With the shooting of the 'qawalli' track, Dulha Mil Gaya is now 100% ready w.r.t. principal shooting.

Smiles Viveck, "In any case we had already begun work on post production in parallel so there hasn't been waste of time, resource or energy. The film's dubbing too is 50% complete. Sushmita should be having her dub soon though for Fardeen, I will hold on for a while till he starts feeling a little more composed after his father's demise. As for Shah Rukh, he is dubbing for the movie next week. So yes, I can claim that the team of Dulha Mil Gaya is up there with the progress of the film."

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Dulha Mil Gaya to release in July

Mudassar Aziz’s long awaited debut film Dulha Mil Gaya will hopefully release this year. The movie, produced by Vivek Vaswani and starring Shah Rukh Khan, Sushmita Sen, Fardeen Khan, Tara Sharma and Johnny Lever, was postponed due to Shah Rukh’s lack of dates.

Dulha Mil Gaya marks the return of SRK and Sushmita as an onscreen couple since Farah Khan’s Main Hoon Na released in 2004. But new director remains tightlipped about the project, saying, “It’s not the right time to talk about anything. When that time comes, we will announce everything.”

Co-producer Anuj Saxena, however, is more confident, saying, “Dulha Mil Gaya, which has been delayed, is finally ready to release. If everything goes well, we will release it this July.” The film is also being co-produced by Adlabs and Insight Productions.

Dulha Mil Gaya revolves around four main characters: Shah Rukh Khan as Raj Oberoi, Sushmita Sen as Lisa DD, Fardeen Khan as Shashank and Tara Sharma as Jessica DD. It movie has been shot extensively in Trinidad and Tobago and Shah Rukh Khan plays the role of a Trinidadian businessman.

Director Mudassar has written the dialogues for the film Zindagi Rock before venturing into direction. He is also said to be helping Sushmita Sen with her historical film based on Rani Laxmibai.

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Sushhhhhhh......ke ghar mein koi rehta hai!

Since Sushmita Sen's split with ad filmmaker Manav Menon, there's been talk of her bonding with Dulha Mil Gaya director, debutant Mudassar Aziz. Sources reveal that Sush and Mudassar are extremely fond of each other.

The latest buzz doing the rounds is that Aziz has moved in with Sen at her Khar apartment.

There are hushed whispers from Sushmita's neighbours on Ambedkar Road about the director and the actress living in together. Eyewitness accounts reveal that Mudassar is often spotted in the building and is even seen driving her around.

A source reveals, "Initially, he'd come around only on weekends. But since the last few weeks, Aziz has been a resident of the building."

It is learnt that Sush is quite thrilled with Mudassar moving in. "They get along like a house on fire. In fact, he's quite fond of her daughter Renee as well. Apart from Dulha Mil Gaya, he also helped Sen prepare for her reality TV show, Ek Khiladi Ek Haseena which will air on Colors."

Even though Dulha Mil Gaya isn't complete as yet, Aziz has been taking a keen interest in Sushmita's historical epic, Rani Laxmibai. "Even though they haven't gone public with their relationship, the fact that Mudassar is living in with Sush speaks volumes about them."

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SRK and Sushmita Sen in Dulha Mil Gaya

Shah Rukh Khan and Sushmita Sen's chemistry set the screen on fire the last time they were paired opposite each other in Farah Khan's Main Hoon Na. That was a long time back, 2004 to be precise. Now the duo would once again be seen together in Viveck Vaswani's film Dulha Mil Gaya.

This film has been long in the making due to various reasons. However, Viveck had earlier announced right here that the film is now 90% complete. The makers are even eyeing a release sometime around January next year. The film, directed by Mudassar Aziz also stars Fardeen Khan in a prominent role. Dulha Mil Gaya, apart from a stellar cast, also has some beautiful scenes shot aboard a luxury liner and in the Carribean islands. So that's one more reason to check out this film when it opens across cinema halls early next year.

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"SRK never created problems for Dulha Mil Gaya" - Viveck Vaswani

Viveck Vaswani is a happy man. His Dulha Mil Gaya, which has been in the making for around 1 and half years now, is fast nearing the finishing mark. The film would be more than 90% through this week as a marathon 20 day schedule comes to a close. In fact in the days gone by, the crew has already shot a substantial portion of the film in Panchgani, Vashi and Pune.

Says Viveck in a relaxed tone, "Over the months there have been media speculations around the completion of Dulha Mil Gaya. It was amusing since more than me they seemed to be worried about the film. There were all kinds of stories circulating around the so-called troubles that the film was facing but my only response to them was - 'Keep Speculating'."

But weren't there murmurs around Shah Rukh Khan being the cause of film's delay? Apparently, he wasn't too willing to spare his dates for the film even as he was busy keeping his other commitments.

"Even I read about this but again, as I said, all this was plain speculation and a wrong one too", smiles Viveck, "Any big film would take its own sweet time to be completed. Yes, there were minor issues but none of them had anything to do with Shah Rukh Khan. He never created problems for Dulha Mil Gaya. My father was unwell for quite some time and I was busy there. He expired some time back and after a mourning period, I resumed work on the film."

Questioning those who have been spreading false stories about SRK being uncooperative, Viveck challenges back, "Have you read any news piece where Shah Rukh himself has quoted anything about being unhappy with DMG? We interact on a regular basis and he has never opened his mouth against the film. Yes, there have been instances where he has been busy but that's understandable. It is a professional thing to do. I don't see any reason why it should be considered as a scoop enough?"

So when do we see SRK's scenes being canned? "This week the film would be more than 90% complete and only a few scenes with SRK remain to be canned", informs Viveck, "There are 7 songs in the film and 6 have already been shot. One song with SRK remains and we can shoot for it anytime in August, September or October, whenever his dates permit."

"We are not in hurry because the technicians at our production house are already on the job. They are keeping busy with the post production and making sure that the end product turns out to be good. It isn't as if the office is running all these years on a film which has been supposedly stalled. Sorry to disappoint a few, but we all are quite charged about Dulha Mil Gaya and making sure that it turns out to be the most talked about film", says Viveck in an excited tone.

So the million dollar question is, when does Dulha Mil Gaya eventually release? "Approximately we are eyeing a January 2009 release. Things are going as per the plan and I don't see any reason why we shouldn't be able to make it on that day", concludes Viveck.

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Keeping Sush khush

The producer and director of Dulha Mil Gaya spend more time on Sen’s home production than on their incomplete film!

Sushmita’s only film on the floors, Dulha Mil Gaya, is a long way from being completed. Though her film with the producer Viveck Vaswani and director Mudassar Aziz remains stuck, Sen has strangely put them on board for her directorial debut, Rani Laxmibai.

Fully involved

The duo have veered more towards Sush’s project than putting DMG back on track! The actress has Viveck and Mudassar completely involved on the pre-production, and no one seems to be losing sleep on DMG’s comatose state.

The duo has been frequenting Sush’s production house Tantra Entertainment office in Bandra as well as her home for discussions on Laxmibai.

According to an onlooker, “They have been taken by Sushmita to help her with Laxmibai. In fact, Viveck recently even undertook a trip to Chennai on Sush’s behalf. Both are an integral part of the movie.

Mudassar was part of Laxmibai’s pre-production from the outset because of his rapport with Sush from the days of DMG. He even accompanied Sush to Vaishnodevi recently.”

It is learnt that Sush has made everyone sign a contract not to divulge details about Laxmibai. When we checked with Vaswani, he preferred not to comment.

Dulha kaha gaya?

Incidentally, Dulha Mil Gaya, which has Anuj Saxena’s Maverick Productions as presenter, stars Sushmita, Fardeen Khan and Shah Rukh Khan in a cameo. It has been in the news for all the inordinate delays after a shoot schedule each in West Indies and in Mehboob Studios during the first half of 2007.

Author: Shaheen Parkar | Source: Mid-Day

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