By Joginder Tuteja
In a dimly lit room, Paresh Rawal sips over his whiskey, while enjoying an umpteenth rerun of Rajesh Khanna and Sharmila Tagore’s classic Amar Prem. He loves to reminisce the years gone by, and also regrets the fact that he never gathered courage to woo his lady love Ratna Pathak Shah. However, he doesn’t want to repeat his mistake. He knows that his love will eventually conquer, because his prem is Amar Prem.
That’s the core of Hum Do Hamaare Do, which believes in the virtue of doing everything that you can to earn the love of your life. Just four weeks back producer Dinesh Vijan had released another film around eternal love, Shiddat. That was more about ‘paagalpan’ in love, the kind where it’s okay to go crazy and even give your life when it comes to love. Hum Do Hamaare Do is more about ‘thehrav’ in love, something where calmness and composure is required to make things right, even though the mode of attempt is wrong.
Wrong, that’s the kind of plan that Rajkummar Rao hatches with his friend Aparshakti Khurana when it comes to ensuring that the love of his life, Kriti Sanon, eventually gets a family in the form of her in-laws. After all, once she steps out of her loving family (Manu Rishi Chaddha, Prachi Shah), she wants to get into a similar loving atmosphere at her husband’s place as well. So Rajkummar, who has graduated from being a helper at a highway dhaba to a VR entrepreneur, goes back to the dhaba owner (Paresh Rawal) and the woman that latter loved in his heydays (Ratna Pathak Shah) and requests them to act as his parents.
A formula that worked so brilliantly in Chupke Chupke has seen different variations with parents/relatives/guests coming over home, sometimes willingly, sometimes unwillingly. Call it a coincidence but somehow Paresh Rawal is a regular in such family gatherings, be it Atithi Tum Kab Jaoge, Guest Iin London or now Hum Do Hamaare Do. Humour and emotions have come together in different proportions in each of these outings and this Abhishek Jain directed film is no different.
This time around though, the narrative is titled more towards emotions. The promo has promised a rollicking outing though where humour would be there in abundance. Somehow that’s not the case here as out and out comic scenes are intermittently placed while heartwarming and emotional moments are comparatively much more. Moreover, the film does take its own time to come to the core plot, i.e. fake parents stepping into the household. One would have expected that to happen after 20-30 minutes but the story reaches that point only after an hour. Moreover, even after that the characters do not set the house on fire. There are mild chuckles and laughters, post which emotions take over the proceedings in the last 20 minutes.
The good part is that practically each and every actor performs well for screen. Rajkummar Rao is efficient and is particularly impressive in the climax outburst. Kriti Sanon has gained so much credibility as an actress post Mimi that in a conventional set up like this, one is left asking for more over and above being good. Paresh Rawal is good, and much more in control, especially after Hungama 2. Ratna Pathak Shah pretty much embodying the whole ‘maa’ character is endearing. Aparshakti Khurana fits in into his ‘hero ka dost’ part. Manu Rishi Chaddha is in fact the best of the lot amongst the senior actors, and is absolutely natural. Prachi Shah is reliable as ever.
The film as a whole too stays reliable in its treatment and meets the kind of expectations that one has from it. It’s the kind of film that you can comfortably watch at home with family, especially this festive season where one is looking for clean entertainment. Watch it with everyone from 6 to 60 at home.