Dolly Ki Doli Movie Review

It came as a surprise of minor proportions when Arbaaz Khan, the producer of Salman Khan’s Dabangg and Dabangg 2, chose to produce a film like Dolly Ki Doli, which by the looks of the trailer seemed like a female-driven quirky comedy. Does the film do justice to its quirky trailers and promos? Will it eventually be able to resist a film like Baby by releasing on the same day? Let’s find out!

Story: Looteri Dulhan. Those two words form the crux of Dolly Ki Doli. Dolly (Sonam) is a con-woman who with the help of her randomly put together gang, con young men in North India by marrying them and then making off with their money the very next day. Her first two targets are Sonu Shehrawat (Rajkummar Rao) who is a rich innocent romantic Haryanvi farmer and Manjot who is a rich Punjabi mumma’s boy (Varun Sharma). She makes off with their money and hot on her trail is policeman Robin Singh (Pulkit Samrat, clearly trying to ape Salman’s Chulbul Pandey attitude). Sonu, Manjot are helped by Robin in the chase against Dolly. Are they finally able to catch Dolly?

Dolly Ki Doli Review

Dolly Ki Doli Review

Dolly Ki Doli Review: Screenplay and Direction

Abhishek Dogra spins a quirky, whimsical story which is anti-marriage and comically feminist in nature. Yes, there are flaws in his direction but he manages to keep the film together for the most part and makes it enjoyable all the way through thanks to its crisp 100 minute runtime.Dolly Ki Doli joins a growing list of quirky comedies set in North India which manage to touch the heart as well as tickle our ribs. He abandons a few storylines and characters in the process of keeping matters short and that can be counted against him. However, he uses his songs well and moves the story forward through them barring the item song. The dialect ofDolly Ki Doli makes the film even more hilarious. Props to Abhishek and co-writer Uma Shankar Singh for their detailed dialogue writing.

Dolly Ki Doli Review: Technical Aspects and Music

Dolly Ki Doli is aesthetically shot as it feels like it was actually filmed in the places it depicts. The editing is a plus point of the film. The cinematography and production design suits the nature and desired tone of Abhishek’s vision. Special marks to the casting director for the inspired casting. Thanks to the eccentrically written and beautifully acted characters, Dolly Ki Doli feels even better than it is.

The music is, however, a minus as none of the songs are too hummable. The item number with Malaika Arora Khan called Fashion Khatam Mujhpe is disappointing considering Malaika’s epic status in the world of item dance features.

Dolly Ki Doli Review: Performances

Dolly Ki Doli is Sonam’s film as she fills up almost all of the frames in the film. It was bold of her to choose to do two films back-to-back (Khoobsurat and DKD) which were almost solely reliant on her. Here, she is even more pleasing to look at than she was in Khoobsurat. Her acting and expressions can still go a long way but roles like these don’t demand too much from her and plays to her strengths. Rajkummar Rao steals every scene he is in with his comic timing and uproarious Haryanvi dialect. We all knew he was a very good dramatic actor and now he has established his credentials as an actor with an excellent comic timing too. Varun Sharma, the adorable Choocha from Fukrey, plays a similar type of a role inDolly Ki Doli and the good news is he is still as adorable! Pulkit Samrat is probably the worst thing about this otherwise light delightful film as his dialect is not spot on unlike Rao’s and he seems to be aping Salman Khan for most of the duration. The only casting miss of Dolly Ki Doli is its main lead actor, unfortunately. Zeeshan Ayyuub is amazing as always, we only wish his role was longer. Archana Puran Singh was fine but a little irritating as the loud Punju mom.

Overall, Dolly Ki Doli turned out to be surprisingly delightful and light on the head by telling a story that every woman can relate to. It subtly manages to insult the institution of marriage in a funny manner. The tale of Dolly and her shenanigans are not to be taken too seriously and morality should not come in the way of enjoying this hilarious little film. It is whimsical, innocent, quirky, random and filled with the strangest of characters played by the best of character actors. If you are in the mood for some fun and not in the mood for serious films like Baby then Dolly Ki Doli surely deserves a watch. Sonam’s previous film Khoobsurat has developed a quiet fan following and Dolly Ki Doli can potentially go the same way too. Go watch it!

Positives:

  • Quirkiness and whimsical nature of the film
  • The brilliant casting makes the characters come alive
  • Sonam and Rajkummar Rao are in fine form
  • The 100 minute runtime makes Dolly Ki Doli even more enjoyable
  • The cinematography and production design is appropriate
  • The dialect and dialogues are perfect

Negatives:

  • Pulkit Samrat is miscast as Robin Singh
  • The director leaves a few storylines open and gives actors like Zeeshan Ayyub the preferential treatment by giving the bulk of the attention to Pulkit
  • Morality of the film might bother a few viewers

Rating: ★★★½☆

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17 Comments

    • i dont know why you haters lost your mind. If you want to bash , do it for an appropriate reason.
      BABY is a masterpiece which fools cant understand.

    • Even i saw many tweets in my TL last night…it was flooded with dolly ki doli…reviews are pretty good…nice to see good hindi movies ..kamaal hai ..hindi movies k liye itna xcited main kabhi nhi hota :) baby then dolly ki doli…rest are lined up for release ….2015 surely gonna change Bollywood’s stereotype image and gonna get good cinemagoers.

  • I want to watch Baby, but family wants to go for Dolly Ki Doli because it looks like a sweet film. After reading your review, I’ll watch Baby on DVD and DKD in theatre :)

  • BABAJI’s BABY Review:: Thoroughly Engaging but won’t blow you off!!
    **** This Review contains SPOILERS,move ahead at your own risk****
    Finally watched my most anticipated film of the year: BABY directed by Neeraj Pandey.And it was my most awaited film for a reason as the same director had given us two exceptional films in A Wednesday and Special 26.Both these films were engaging,thrilling and had a gripping narrative that will hook you through the entire duration.So does BABY succeeds in doing so? Let’s find out!

    BABY starts off with a bang with few brilliantly choreographed action scenes and never loses pace throughout the first half or I should say the entire length.Baddies make a menacing introduction through some brilliant dialogues.Akshay’s scenes with Madhurima are well shot and adequately timed,will not make you impatient for the main story.First half has some kickass dialogues but the story wavers and is’nt clear as to what’s going with the intoduction of so many characters.However there are some scenes that standout such as Akshay interrogating Taufeeq,Maulana’s intro.
    Second half begins briskly with Tapsee and Akki in nepal,Tapsee shines in her limted role.Definitely one of the best moments of the film.The pace is never down,the thrills are there in almost every single frame.Anupam Kher enters the film in the second half and provides much needed comic relief.Akshay delivers one of his best performances,right from the first scene his absolutely brilliant but what let me down is the climax,though most critics have liked it.It seem rushed and things went too easily their way.If you have watched Argo,you will be left a tad disappointed with the climax.It is weaker in comparison and has every chances to leave you upset.It will be predictable for you.SPOILER***:I could’nt understand why the Saudi Police officer let them fly off when he was shown inspecting so seriously!
    Overall a must watch as these kind of films are not made everyday in bollywood,it will keep you engaged and hooked at the edge of your seat throughout but a better climax would have made it a great film.Sometimes keeping too high expectations results in you leaving a bit disappointed something that happened with indicine at the time of PK.Definitely it is’nt Neeraj’s best work.I will rate it less than A wednesday and Special 26.

    I am going with 3.50/5

    POSITIVES:
    Akshay is fantastic throughout.one of his best performances.
    Great support cast in Danny,Tapsee,Anupam and Rana.
    Villains does geat job.
    Action scenes are realistic,one of the best in a bollywood film.
    Beautiful locales and great cinematography.

    NEGATIVES:
    Story is unidirectional and is’nt multilayered.
    Climax is a letdown if you have seen Argo.
    No major twists,it’s quite predictable.

  • Baby Review: A predictable story with lots of thrills and solid performances.

    To be honest, over expectations killed a lot of joy for me. Baby was getting extra-ordinary reviews from all critics and I went into the theater expecting a mind-blowing film. It’s a really good film, but Neeraj Pandey, who had mastered the art of conning his audience with unexpected twists plays it rather predictably this time.

    So what is Baby? Baby is a 5-year trial program where undercover agents are trained to fight terrorism freely with a clause that Indian Government would never claim their identity as an Indian in worst case scenario. We have interesting actors like Danny, Neeraj regular – Anupam Kher, Rana and the terrific Tapsee to support Akshay in their mission.

    The first half of the film was a bumpy ride where time was taken to give us all the characters. I got the feeling that Neeraj has lost it completely, but the second half of the film with it’s extremely well edited scenes is so high on thrills, they take your breath away more than twice!

    Another impressive thing about Baby is, it more than once turns a cliche on it’s head. So here we don’t have the hero successfully defusing bombs at the last minute nor any overtly sentimental melodrama. What we get is SOLID ENTERTAINMENT!

    Akshay plays his part exceptionally well. Easily one of his strongest performance. Danny and Anupam Kher lend good support. Tapsee in a small yet powerful scene leaves a lasting impression. The editing is terrific and the direction is quite good. The screenplay however is strictly above average. A scene where we see no traffic on Marine Drives is absolutely outrageous and annoying.

    Neeraj however manages to get the required tension and intensity so well that I’m more than willing to ignore some of it’s flaws. He sets the mood, gives you clap worthy moments, extracts riveting performance from his cast and gives you an entertainer which is incredibly engaging.

    Though muddled with logical loopholes, Baby is still a clear winner, thanks to it’s brisk pacing, sharp dialogues and terrific performances. Akshay and Neeraj have done it twice in a row.

    Final Words: Go watch it. What are you waiting for?

    Rating: 7.5/10

  • Rani has left such a huge void in the industry – I wish all current actresses watch her movies and learn, sad state in the industry………

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