Movie Review: ‘Dream Girl’

Dream Girl Poster Image
Bollywood Movie Dream Girl Ayushmann Khurrana and Nushrat Bharucha
Dream Girl Poster Image
Dream Girl Review: A Movie Packed with Feel-good Fun and Light-hearted Comedy

‘Dream Girl’ is a 2019 rom com by Raaj Shaandilyaa, it is about a man called Karamveer Singh who can impersonate the voice of women. Released right before the lead, Ayushmann Khuranna’s birthday, Dream Girl is a laugh-a-minute film.

Directed by- Raaj Shandilyaa
Produced by- Ekta Kapoor, Shobha Kapoor, Nachiket Pantvaidya
Star Cast- Ayushmann Khurrana, Nushrat Bharucha, Annu Kapoor, Manjot Singh

Plot

Karamveer Singh, played by Ayushmann Khurrana is forced to play the role of Sita in his town’s Ramlila. Little did he know that this coerced cross dressing during his childhood will later become his profession where he would require to impersonate voice of a woman for shady hotline services to fill the void of lonely men.

Analysis

I often wonder what would have Bollywood done if Khuranna was not an actor? You see the subjects which were considered taboo for a long time in the society or have been brushed under the carpet for a long long time, nobody wanted to make films or leave films, people didn’t even want to talk about them. Then came Ayushmann Khuranna with all his spine to apprise the role of a ‘sperm donor’ which no other leading actor could think of. Since then, Bollywood has put all the pressure on his shoulders, and he became the most bankable star of our recent times. Roles of a sperm donor, dealing with erectile dysfunction to a son whose mother just conceived a child in her late 40s- early 50s, Ayushmann has never failed to crease us up. This time, he is back with another stellar performance in ‘Dream Girl’ as a cross dresser/talker.

Talking about its concept, this is not the first time in Bollywood that someone is portraying as a cross-dresser. It has been done several times before, through TV shows and films. Back then, those comedies were funny as they were meant to be funny. From then on the audience has evolved and they will take an offense in those pantomimes. This is where ‘Dream Girl’ really stood out. It resorts to comedy to delineate cross dressers but the comedy or the jokes don’t touch your morality. The story-line provides a lot of room to maneuver but this is where it fails to keep up with its own presupposition, subject and face of the lead.

On the face of it all, the writing seemed to be in a constant conflict with making it a ‘family-friendly’ film at the same time imputing right amount of adult comedy. And that contention turned the narrative into a confusing one. However, the concoction of comical elements and just the right amount of Khuranna saved its bacon. The film also successfully breaks the established set of rules and proves that a comedy film can be made without dirty sexist dialogues and “sexualized picturization” of women.

The supporting cast did an equal effort to hold the film from drowning. Annu Kapoor as Ayushmann’s father was a treat to watch. Watching them together will constantly remind you of the doctor-donor duo and they have taken their chemistry to a new level in Dream Girl. Nushrat Barucha on the other hand is yet to hold her own ground in cinema. Her roles so far seem to revolve around men just like in ‘Pyaar ka panchnama’ and ‘Sonu ki Titu ki Sweety’. She has again depended on her male co-star in Dream Girl.

Overall, despite having a repetitive screenplay and a confusing plot, ‘Dream Girl’ is a light-hearted and a hilarious film, which makes it a must watch.