Kill/Dil Review: Or How A Weak Script Can Kill A Film

It’s an old story – two abandoned children rescued and raised by a man who becomes their father figure. Indebted to him, and raised in his shadow, they become fearless killers until one of the boys falls in love and wants to reform to be worthy of the girl’s love. The other boy stands by loyally acting as a shield between reforming boy and unhappy mentor.

Here we have the case of Dev (Ranveer Singh) and Tutu (Ali Zafar), raised by goon Bhaiyaji (Govinda). They are his senior shooters with an exemplary record.

But things start souring when Dev falls in love with Deesha (Parineeti Chopra), the the manor born independent girl who rehabilitates former criminals.

Finally able to dream of a ‘normal’ and ‘acceptable’ life, Dev decides to leave his past behind and start afresh, but Bhaiyaji is not a magnanimous man.

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Director Shaad Ali’s Kill Dil starts off with promise, even though there is predictability about the story. Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy’s music shows some of the cheekiness you associate with Ali’s films (Bunty Aur Babli, Jhoom Barabar Jhoom) thanks to Gulzar’s unique lyrics, but there are too many songs that rupture even a two-hour long film. The camerawork is fine but the art direction and costumes are outlandish and jarring.

Ali Zafar drawls through a part that is he is clearly miscast to play. Parineeti steps out of her comfort zone a little with a more glammed up role but is given very little to bite into. Govinda is a caricature of the up-state bad guy in his few scenes shot in angles that project him to be larger than life. One wishes there had been some build up his relationship with the two boys he rescued and raised.

A growth is craft is most visible in Ranveer Singh as he shifts between mischievous and reckless to vulnerable and sincere especially as he elucidates his dilemma to Deesha saying, ‘I was afraid you would find out I am bad, and Bhaiyaji would find out I am good’. What derails the film undoubtedly is the by the absence of a sound script. A wafer-thin plot leads to a convenient ending that just feels like a cop-out, and kills the film.

Rating: **

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