Dil Bechara-Film Review

‘Dil Bechara’ is the Hindi film adaptation of John Green’s popular 2012 novel, 'The Fault in Our Stars'.The book’s Hollywood adaptation with the same name released in 2016 and met with much critical acclaim.
The film, set with a backdrop of Jamshedpur boasting of the Tata Main Hospital, the Tata Steel Plant, Jubilee Park and Payal Cinema, creates an ambience that touches Indian sensibilities. The premise of the film revolves around the heart wrenching love story of Kizie Basu (Sanjana Sanghi) and Immanuel Rajkumar Junior (Sushant Singh Rajput) aka Manny. Full of beans, Manny dances his way(literally) into Kizie’s life, brightening her world. Their affinity is sparked by mere interactions starting at a college fest and Dr Jha’s cancer support group and grows through rides on Manny’s scooter through the lanes of Jamshedpur. The two get along like two peas in a pod, in spite of having contrasting personalities. Kizie, a shy and introverted girl, extremely sheltered by her parents falls for the overly exuberant Manny. Despite fighting their individual battles with cancer, the two hold onto each other, living each day to the fullest. Their love story unravels as they shoot for a film that Manny’s friend, Jagdish Pandey (Sahil Vaid) intends to make before he loses his eyesight to cancer. The two make a trip to Paris to meet with Kizie’s favourite musician who left his last song song incomplete, an eccentric man named Abhimanyu Vaid (Saif Ali Khan) with whom she feels she has some kind of connection. Apart from the sheer disappointment caused due to their meeting with him, the turn of events that ends their trip in Paris will leave you in a puddle of tears.
The films rejoices in love and life but the direction seems rushed, being 20 minutes shorter than the original film. The debutante, Sanjana Sanghi effectively and passionately fills in the shoes of her character. Sushant Singh Rajput’s talent is showcased but the actor most definitely deserved a more gripping swansong. Despite employing the same story line as the original film, Dil Bechara will go down in the History of Bollywood for a reason that isn’t it’s vehemence or content.
Regardless, do watch Dil Bechara on Disney+ Hotstar to celebrate a talent that deserved far more than his brief vocation.
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