“Dil Bechara” is a movie that is hard to watch. Every frame that has the exuberant presence of Sushant Singh Rajput is a painful reminder of his absence from our real world.
The Hindi adaptation of John Green’s 2012 novel “The Fault in Our Stars” and a remake of the Hollywood movie by the same name, “Dil Bechara” is a romantic, coming of age drama of two cancer patients — Kizie Basu (Sanjana Sanghi) and Manny (Sushant Singh Rajput), finding comfort and strength in each other through their many travails, fighting sickness and trying to look beyond it to follow their dreams. And that’s the principal sentiment of the movie.
The movie is preempted with a short video of Sushant Singh Rajput, playing the guitar, being his charming self, lending an immediate realization that this will never be just another commercial cinematic experience. You feel a lump in your throat even before the first scene has even played out.
And there you have him, frame after frame, twinkle in his eye, exuding his characteristic boyish charm, and honesty through his acting. The filming of the title track choreographed by Farah Khan, performed effortlessly by Rajput proves what talent we have lost. The contradiction of his free spiritedness in the movie, and the tragic reality of his life us aching. Sushant Singh Rajput died by alleged suicide on June 14.
The filming of the title track choreographed by Farah Khan, performed effortlessly by Rajput proves what talent we have lost.
The theme of the movie, death and need to live while alive, in view of this harsh reality acquires a new, poignant meaning.
Sushant’s lines for instance, ‘Janam kab lena hai aur marna kab hai, hum decide nahi kar sakte. Par kaise jeena hai woh hum decide kar sakte hain’ (we can’t decide when we are born or when we die, but we can definitely decide how we live our lives), or the moment of his planning his own funeral in the movie, or an angry Saif Ali Khan (in a guest appearance) blurting out ‘Khud ko maarna saala illegal hai, toh jeena padta hai (It is illegal to kill yourself, so you have to live)’ conveys a sense of heartbreaking premonition.
Sanjana Sanghi, the female lead is impressive in her debut. The story is from her perspective and she conveys the relentlessness of her strife to have a normal life with conviction, while still recognizing the end she may be nearing. She is effervescent and no-where overshadowed by Rajput who is endearing.
The music composed by A.R. Rahman is light and peppy and has a personality that only Rahman can lend. Lyrics by Amitabh Bhattacharya are more an essence of the story telling than mere words and add a depth to the soundtrack.
Supporting casts, Swastika Mukherjee and Saswata Chatterjee as Kizie’s parents have given strong performances too, and for a change it’s good to see parents on the silver screen with a more modern outlook. They are easy going with Kizie’s boyfriend and have friendly banters with him. Kizie’s dad even teaching her dancing before her date is sweet and descriptive of the beautiful relationship she has with her parents. The mother has her initial inhibitions, which is quite natural but is quickly swayed.
The movie runs into troubled waters with its patchy editing and quick changing plots. Running 101 minutes, the movie has too much going on, too fast. Just when you start believing it is Kizie’s story, comes Manny’s revelation of his impending death following a relapse of cancer. Everything after that happens so quickly, it could have been a different plot altogether. The romance could have been better developed.
Rajput’s portrayal of a vulnerable, terminally ill person looking straight into the eyes of death, is heart wrenching to watch. It is impossible to separate the reel life from the real.
This Mukesh Chhabra directorial debut on Disney+ Hotstar is sweet, a bit disjointed at times, but worth the watch.
Nupur Bhatnagar is a lawyer by training, an entrepreneur and a storyteller. She is rationalist and an art enthusiast who is fascinated by history. She loves to read and watch historical dramas — sometimes even sees herself in them. Nupur lives in New Jersey with her husband and two children.
Just started watching the film. Truly said, looking at the effervescent presence of Rajput on the screen gives you a painful heartache to try and digest the enormity of the loss the country has suffered in his untimely death.
The settings of the film and the ambience created are so very identifiable and relatable. Looking forward to seeing the rest of the film!!