Typically, Madhur Bhandarkar’s new film has more characters and situational kicks than script. The difference is, this time Madhur has stepped out of his familiar shell of gritty cinema in an attempt to peddle comedy.
To raise a few laughs, Madhur picks on the convenient formula of exploiting relationship tensions. And to fashion his own brand of comedy, he tries giving the Hrishikesh Mukherji style of subtle humour a naughty spin, with the odd bursts of slapstick thrown in.
Dil Toh Baccha Hai Ji tries to be an unusual film, if only because it lets you gauge the lighter side of an otherwise ‘ serious’ filmmaker. If Madhur was in the mood to have some fun, he starts off with the advantage of a cast that perfectly fits the bill, too.
The film tries to understand man- woman relationships using parallel tracks that hinge on its three heroes. Predictably, each protagonist is penned to define a different male stereotype.
So Paresh Rawal’s voiceover starts off introducing Naren ( Ajay Devgn), Abhay ( Emraan Hashmi) and Milind ( Omi Vaidya). Naren is a bank manager going through divorce and he moves into his parent’s deserted flat. Hit by mid- life crisis, he needs company. His advertisement for paying guests sees Abhay and Milind land at his place.
Abhay, an out- of work gym trainer, lives off rich women while the gullible Milind, employed at a matrimonial website, is waiting for true love. The script, you realise here, starts looking forced. Since each guy needs a girl, the female cast is conveniently ( and somewhat unconvincingly) shoved in. Naren gets June ( Shazahn Padamsee), an intern assistant at work, for whom he develops a crush despite being almost 20 years older.
Abhay latches onto a wealthy socialite ( Tisca Chopra) who needs a toy boy. And Milind falls for Gungun ( Shraddha Das), a radio jock with Bollywood dreams. Just when you start wondering where these sub plots are headed, Madhur introduces the lame twists. June has a boyfriend, of course.
Abhay’s wealthy lover has a sexy step daughter ( Shruti Haasan) and now he is confused between the two. And ambitious Gungun, it turns out soon enough, is merely using Milind to realise her dreams. Given its theme, Dil Toh Baccha Hai Ji could have done with more energy. While the film doesn’t try to take itself too seriously, the plot becomes a victim of laidback narration.
In the second half especially, the film hardly moves at desired pace. Ajay is lovable as the coy, mid- life crisis hero in search of love. Emraan is at home in yet another slimeball avatar. Omi Vaidya merely rehashes the body language of Chatur in 3 Idiots . The girls are strictly okay, just like the film itself.
Rating - 2.5 / 5
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