Dil Bechara - A film review

"Dead people receive more flowers than the living ones because regret is stronger than gratitude"

This quote sums up the reviews/reactions people are sharing regarding the late actor Sushant Singh Rajput's final appearance on the silver screen. I'm surprised to see an IMDb rating of 9.8/10! I don't think any of his films rated beyond 7.5 or 8 when he was alive.. Well, that's hypocrisy for you.. To give you context - when news headlines read "Covid patient dies on the road while waiting for an ambulance" - no one bats an eyelid! But when the Bachchan family tests positive for Covid, the media goes into a frenzy and people across the country are praying for the speedy recovery of the entire Bachchan khaandaan.. So Mr Bachchan and his family not only have access to the best medical facilities, they also have special mention in the prayers of millions of people across the country! So yeah, like I said - that's hypocrisy.. Of course I'm also in the list of these hypocrites.. Instead of writing about issues that can create awareness among people, I choose to write book/film reviews or other seemingly fickle issues.. Well, like they say - "When in Rome, do like the Romans do".. 

Coming to the movie, to say that I'm disappointed, would be an understatement.. Not that SSR's acting has anything to do with it.. For the uninformed, the movie is based on John Green's novel, titled "The fault in our stars".. I'm not really a fan of love stories, especially not teenage romance, but that novel made me feel a wide range of emotions that no other piece of literature could ever make me feel (This could also be because I'm not well read as compared to my mother or other voracious readers I know)

Well, about the novel, it is the best book I have read till date, simply because it evoked in me a whole lot of emotions.. I could visualize the lives of the protagonists - Hazel Grace Lancaster and Augustus Waters.. I felt the pain and hopelessness that Hazel felt as she went about her day to day life.. I felt the joy and exuberance that Augustus brought to the lives of all whom he came in contact with..  It was heart rending to read how Hazel's mother put her fears aside and put up a brave front for her daughter.. This story is about love and the pain one feels when you lose someone you love.. And though it's a tragic love story it also has so much positivity and leaves you with the message that though life is short and filled with challenges it is still worth living and we should try to make the best of the short time we have on this earth.. 

So I'm not really a fan of movies based on books because the movie never does justice to the book.. But I found the Hollywood movie "The fault in our stars" to be an exception.. Shailene Woodley as Hazel Grace Lancaster and Ansel Elgort as Augustus Waters played their parts brilliantly well.. and their camaraderie and on-screen chemistry was on point.. Something that was missing in the Bollywood remake..  There was zero chemistry between SSR and his female co-star.. Dil Bechara somehow felt rushed and incomplete.. The movie failed to make me feel emotional.. I didn't shed a single tear even through the emotional scenes.. and to think I cried buckets while reading the novel.. The less said about about Sanjana Sanghi's acting, the better.. And thank God, Saif Ali Khan's role in the movie was a cameo.. It was the worst 2 minutes in an already uninteresting movie.. and for all the hype Farah Khan is being given for not having charged a penny for choreographing SSR in the first song in the movie - there was no 'choreography' involved.. It was something SSR could've 'choreographed' himself, what with being a professional dancer having trained for years under Shiamak Davar.. 

More than being a tribute to SSR this movie and the events related to its promotion just seem to be an attempt by all and sundry to gain a few seconds of fame at his expense.. I wish people let him rest in peace.. All those Facebook warriors screaming "Justice for Sushant", well, he's gone and hopefully at peace wherever he is now.. If you guys actually want to fight for justice please fight for the family of that Covid patient who died on the road while waiting for an ambulance.. Or fight for that father who sold his cows because he couldn't afford an android phone for his children to attend online classes..

R.I.P Sushant.. I hope you are in a better place.. See you on the other side.. Until then - "Seri"