You must have experienced a defective firecracker during Diwali. It seems alright and sparks come out of it when you light it. But towards the end, when it’s supposed to burst and show it’s true worth, it goes bust. Kill Dil is like that faulty phataka. It looks great and promising but during the finale when it’s supposed to go on a high, it instead ends on a thanda note, prompting viewers to ask: How did the makers approve of such a disappointing climax?

The story of the movie: Dev (Ranveer Singh) and Tutu (Ali Zafar) are abandoned by their parents as soon as they are born. Bhaiyaji (Govinda) spots them in a dustbin and raises them like their own sons. Bhaiyaji is a gangster and hence, from childhood, Dev and Tutu learn everything about guns and bullets. As soon as they turn adult, they become sharpshooters. One day, they bump into Disha (Parineeti Chopra) and Dev falls in love with her. This results in a friction between him and Bhaiyaji, leading to disastrous consequences.



Kill Dil is shot and executed beautifully, no two opinions on that. Songs are incorporated nicely and few little things that the makers have added make a neat impact. For instance, Dev and Tutu’s residence that’s partly on an open roof is lovely. Dev’s SMS tone and ring tones over a period of time is damn funny! Dev trying to find out the full form of SMS abbreviations is lovely. Ali Zafar’s entry is dhaasu. The intermission point is terrific while dialogues are absolutely killer! However, I always used to feel that a good execution can take the film to dizzying heights even if story is weak. But Kill Dil proved that’s not always the case. Despite great performances and moments, the film still disappoints because of the story. It’s nothing new and beaten to death (even Ek Villain was a story of a criminal finding love and what happens next). And yet, the film did engage the audience but the climax just ruined it all. It was thanda and could have had a fight scene or something followed by an emotional drama packed shot to heighten the impact. The makers were not even running short of time (the film is just 127 minutes long) and a couple of more minutes wouldn’t have done any harm. Instead, the makers culminate the film all of a sudden that spoils all the fun!

Talking of performances, Ranveer Singh’s films might disappoint but he always comes up with some great performances. Kill Dil is no exception and it’s great to see Ranveer getting a chance to play himself in a way in this film! His clean shaven look is dashing and he looks quite adorable romancing Disha and fooling around with Tutu and Bhaiyaji. Even in some of the emotional scenes, he is too good! Ali Zafar leaves a huge mark with his subtle performance. It’s always great to see how he plays all his roles with ease. An actor that deserves to be seen more, and in better films! Parineeti Chopra gets to play a glamorous role for the first time ever and looks quite a diva, despite not being the skinny-type. Performance-wise, she is first rate as always. However, one wishes she comes back after her much-needed break with a great film and a power-packed performaces. She deserves it! Govinda is in his element and oozes fear in some of the scenes. At the same time, he gets to showcase his much-loved dancing skills in the title song and Bol Beliya and needless to say, it is rocking! Murad Ali (Batuk) is fine in his small role. Brijendra Kala (jeweler) raises laughs while Alok Nath is okay.



Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy’s music is one of the best of the year. Songs have been well incorporated, visualized and shot. The best of the lot is Bol Beliya and Daiyya Maiyya, especially for the way it’s filmed…it’s terrific! Sajde is quite grand while title song, Sweeta and Happy Budday make for a great watch as well. Baawra and Nakhriley too are interesting but come at a juncture when one has lost interest in the film! Background score is nicely done as well and the signature title song tune is used very well at regular intervals. Sham Kaushal’s action is stylish while Sharmishta Roy’s sets are imaginative. Avik Mukhopadhayay’s cinematography is a bit raw which works well for a film of this kind. Nitesh Tiwari, Shreyas Jain, Nikhil Mehrotra’s dialogues are clapworthy and quite hilarious, in the Tigmanshu Dhulia space. Script is fine, more or less, but in the end, it all goes haywire. Story is beaten to death but could have worked if the ending was different and new. And Shaad Ali’s direction is quite interesting, especially when compared to his previous film Jhoom Barabar Jhoom. But he is let down with a disappointing climax. Hope he comes up with a good storyline (and climax) in his next!

On the whole, Kill Dil boasts of a great direction, performances and music. But the premise is stale and climax is so unimaginative and thanda that one is left shocked! Plain disappointment!

My rating - ** out of 5!