Dil Bole Hadippa - Movie Review

Cast: Rani Mukerji, Shahid Kapur, Anupam Kher, Dalip Tahil, Rakhi Sawant, Sherlyn Chopra, Vrajesh Hirjee

Director: Anurag Singh

Producer: Aditya Chopra

Music: Pritam

Rating:  **1/2
 
There have been cricket based films like Iqbal and Victory in recent times which were stories about the triumph of strong will and dreams coming true. Dil Bole Hadippa! too uses cricket, but this time the writer tries packing in more than just one aspect into the story. Director Anurag Singh tries using cricket as a medium to drive home points about gender bias, patriotism and also loving thy neighbour.
 
However, trying to say too many things in one film hinders the pace and overall strength of the film by large degrees. That’s what Dil Bole Hadippa's most prominent problem is, unlike how I thought. Asking the audience to accept the concept of making a girl act like a boy, that too someone as petite as Rani, always seemed too much to ask for!
 
We have seen movies earlier where actresses have tried acting as men but they have hardly been convincing. And this is not just because of the obvious physical differences between a man and a woman. In DBH, even if you are willing to overlook the fact (something that is highly improbable) that guys actually don’t understand there is a girl amidst them despite hugging her after every catch, Rani looks too cute to be a man and also has a female voice. Add to it the things that she does to keep up with the men!
 
But in case you manage to look over these issues then you might be in for a pleasant surprise. Dil Bole Hadippa! is actually not as bad as many might have expected it to be. It manages to make you laugh and at least keep a smile on your face through most parts of the film when Rani is around, especially as a Sardar. Her expressions are simply hilarious as the tiny, naughty Sardar. She is given a chance to prove herself as an actress and she does it well. Shahid takes the second stage throughout the film, rarely given as much or more importance than Rani. But he is good wherever he comes in.
 
Dil Bole Hadippa! works as a mass entertainer with good doses of comedy, emotions and of course cricket. Check out the opening sequences when Rakhi Sawant is shown doing the ‘Kajraare’ number and she has two dwarfs enacting the Bachchans in the song from Bunty Aur Babli. But it tends to get too loud. The film stands good technically. It has been shot very well, especially the match sequences. It looks bright and colourful to pep your spirits up.
 
The film gets too high in the last half an hour with the match and the romantic angle between Shahid and Rani blooming. But the last few minutes kind of get boring again because of the overdose of emotions and forced and didactic message to the world on gender bias, throwing all subtlety to air!
 
Overall, Dil Bole Hadippa!, as mentioned earlier, could be a pleasant surprise if you were holding low expectations. Of course, you got to leave your reasoning power back at home and agree that girls and boys are no different physically – in looks or works.