I’ve been watching these movies in short 20- or 30-minute chunks before I go to sleep or on my lunch breaks. But I started Mere Brother Ki Dulhan last night and had to force myself to stop watching so I could get some sleep. And then instead of being productive when I woke up, I finished watching it.
When Luv, living in London, gets into a fight with his
girlfriend of five years, Piall, they break up and he calls his brother, Kush,
working as a famous film director in Mumbai, for help in finding him a traditional
Indian girl to be his bride. However, when Kush meets Dimple, whom he’d known
briefly years before, sparks fly. She’s lively and different and unapologetic
for it, and she proves to be a perfect complement to Kush’s quiet yet caring nature.
It’s a situation that could easily become silly and but it’s
never played for stupid laughs like American rom-coms are so fond of (okay,
there’s maybe one instance). The ample length of the film (145 minutes) lends
itself to a fully fleshed love story, with the first half allowing the
relationship between Kush and Dimple to grow naturally. It’s not unpredictable
by any means, but for me, part of the charm of rom-coms is the certainty that,
despite all the issues plaguing them, the hero and heroine will end up together in about two hours.
I am somewhat familiar with Bollywood films, though I don’t
watch them often. I haven’t watched one in a while, so I forgot how much fun
they can be. It wasn’t until the first full song and dance number that I
remembered that was a Bollywood staple. Sometimes I wish it would be a
Hollywood staple, too! The musical numbers are basically music videos, complete
with wind machines and fire, in the middle of a movie. It’s an experience which
could be jarring for viewers unfamiliar with Bollywood but which ultimately
ends up contributing to the lighthearted, romantic flavor of the film.
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