DUM LAGA KE HAISHA

Director: Sharat Katariya
Writer: Sharat Katariya
Stars: Ayushmann Khurrana, Sanjay Mishra, Bhumi Pednekar
Strength: Story, Acting
Weakness: Editing, Predictable Climax
Runtime: 111 minutes
Rating: 4/5

Plot: It tells the story of a marriage arranged between a slim guy and an over-weight girl and the challenges each face in their relationship.
Review: The film is set in mid 1990s Haridwar, where school dropout Prem Prakash Tiwari (Ayushmann Khurana) is weighed down by life in more ways than one. The young man's burden increases manifold when his family forces him to marry Sandhya Verma (Bhumi Pednekar), an overweight girl who has nothing in common with him. Sandhya is educated and aspires to be a school teacher; Prem is a dullard who is pushed around by his father and friends. Sparks fly as their relationship lurches from one messy dead-end to another until a door opens, magically, to show Prem that both beauty and happiness are always more than skin deep.
Dum Laga Ke Haisha, written and directed by Sharat Katariya, is worth its weight in gold. It consists of wonderfully written scenes that flow seamlessly into each other, eventually culminating in a heart-warming climax. The film plays primarily with emotions but not for a moment does it stray anywhere near what might be deemed excessive. Produced by Band Baaja Baaraat director Maneesh Sharma and presented by YRF's Aditya Chopra, the film tells a slice-of-life love story that is exceptionally unconventional, and not simply because of the heroine's body type.
In short, Dum Laga Ke Haisha is more than just a must-watch. It should to be held up as an example of what a mainstream Bollywood banner can achieve when it lends its clout to an out-of-the-box idea executed by a director who clearly knows how to display his prowess.

Reviewed by S.M. Intisab Shahriyar