‘Kill Dil’ isn’t just Govinda’s comeback movie but also its director’s. While the star’s last prominent release was ‘Partner’ in 2007, Director Shaad Ali (better known for ‘Saathiya’ probably because the great music did the trick for him) had made a debacle called ‘Jhoom Barabar Jhoom’ the same year.
Earlier this year Yash Raj Films brought us ‘Gunday’, a throwback to the commercial cinema of the 70’s. Their ‘Kill Dil’ is no different. Both these films have Ranveer Singh pairing up with another male star for some bromance and begin with how the two grew up to walk the wrong path. So, Dev (Ranveer Singh) and Tutu (Ali Zafar) are orphans who are brought up by a local Delhi gangster Bhaiyyajee (Govinda). Listening to bullets instead of lullabies, it is but obvious they drop out of school and become shooters at an early age. The two are best of friends and killing people come to them naturally. All is fun and crime till they meet Disha (Parineeti Chopra) at a party. Dev and Disha get close, opposites attract and the guy realizes he can’t shoot anymore. A furious Bhaiyyajee won’t let Dev take the right way but our hero is adamant. He somehow bags a job as an insurance salesman while Tutu helps him lead a normal but dual life.
Shaad Ali’s direction is inconsistent and he seems to be confused whether he wanted to make an action film or a love story. But that isn’t the main problem. With duration of not more than 2 hours, there are too many songs in the movie and not much of music out there. The climax is a let-down and too hurried. What works really well are the performances, the bromance between its male leads and a slightly watered-down but convincing love angle. A few scenes stand out. Like the one in which Dev and Tutu head to a library when they have no clue what Disha meant by ‘LOL’ and ‘ROFL’. In another scene, they have a surprise party for birthday girl Disha in an hour; while holding the owner of a jewellery store for ransom, they decide to buy the gift there itself and bargain with him. The dialogues are in sync with the mood of the film and you can’t help but laugh. But ‘Kill Dil’ gets messy post interval. The weak plot is well… weak enough and even Gulzar’s voice-overs don’t make it appear plot enough. Music by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy is plain ordinary. ‘Bol Beliya’ and the title track are the only picks.
Govinda is menacing as Bhaiyyajee and this, he does even if he is made to shake a leg. You can’t take a villain seriously if he dances but he proves you wrong. That in itself proves his calibre as an actor, underutilized even when he was a big star in the 90’s. But there isn’t much of him in the movie and the role isn’t meaty enough; he does get good lines and watching him on screen after a hiatus is a pleasure. He deserved a better comeback and we can hope next week’s release ‘Happy Ending’ will be just that. Ranveer Singh stands out and delivers another winning performance. It’s a role which could have been so cliché had he not played it with such easy-going charm, sincerity and energy. He is easily the best thing about ‘Kill Dil’. Ali Zafar complements Ranveer well and is quite good himself. Parineeti Chopra is one actress who can be endearing even when she is saddled with a weak role. Here she gets to look a little different but again, she is best only when she is the girl-next-door and acts herself in a few scenes. Okay. And there is Alok Nath who interviews Ranveer for the insurance job; Cine-‘maa’ Nirupa Roy’s photograph framed and hanging behind him. I didn’t understand why.
Watch it or not: Can be skipped on the big screen but not a bad movie.
At the Box-Office: Ranveer Singh is turning out to be a decent draw at the BO and after one 100 crore film in his kitty, he may need to choose right movies if stardom is what he is looking at. This one will flop. Neither will Govinda’s comeback presence help much.
My Verdict
2.5
‘Kill Dil’ didn’t kill my dil as I wasn’t expecting much. 2 plus an extra half for Ranveer Singh’s easy-going charm, sincerity and energy.
