For once, a love story focuses on the respect needed between individuals to bond. It’s nothing like the usual Mills and Boons charade that happens in romantic movies. When they come together you get a love story that’s not only fresh, but mature. She’s chubby, bubbly, outspoken and she can break into a dance at the first whiz of a whistle. A complete contrast to this guy is his wife Sandhya, played by debutante Bhumi Pednekar.

He’s hiding behind a wall of audio cassettes. He’s closed his eyes, he’s deafened to the noise of the world by the Kumar Sanu hits blasting on his headphones. Even though that description seems like the most clichéd character in cinema, you have to see Ayushmann Khurrana’s portrayal to believe in how wonderfully flawed Prem is as a person. He merely wants the world to know that he’s not invisible and he’s not useless. He doesn’t want to be the richest guy in the world.

His only worthwhile ambition is to take control of his dreams and life. He is your typical small town boy from the ’90s. The most complex of them is the leading man Prem, played by Ayushmann Khurrana. It’s the characters who are the driving forces of this film. Full marks to the writing team of Dum Laga Ke Haisha, who’ve painstakingly etched out great detail in the story, narrative, dialogue and characters. The contrast between the setting and the way the characters behave in a completely unorthodox manner is fascinating. But even so, when it comes down to their moment of conflict, she chooses her dignity over her emotions. Yes she loves the guy only after meeting him once and getting married to him on the second go. Instead, it portrays the girl, who is plus size, as a very attractive and self-respecting woman. Surprisingly, the movie never gets sexist. The problem arises, when the boy’s family disregards his dislike for the girl because she’s fat and unattractive. And even before the boy and girl can exchange glances, the alliance is on. As is the norm in Northern India, two families pile up and meet at a common location. The situation is a stereotypical marriage arrangement between two families. If any film deserves to be a hit in 2015, it’s this brilliant piece of cinema. This is actually how real life pans out in matters of the heart and matrimony. The series of events depicted in the film aren’t just limited to the goofy love saga of its protagonists. What seems like a happy-go-lucky movie about odd love actually turns out to be an almanac for life.

Sharat Katariya’s Dum Laga Ke Haisha is one surprise package. Sometimes, what seems like a skim on the surface actually goes much deeper than anticipated.

Cast: Ayushmann Khurrana, Bhumi Pednekar, Sanjay Mishra, Seema Pahwa and Alka AminĪ simple story is often the most profound.

Dum laga ke haisha full movie part 1