'Dil Bechara' review: Sushant Singh Rajput makes you celebrate life in his final film
Sushant Singh Rajput and Sanjana Sanghi in poster of 'Dil Bechara'
For millions of fans who have been mourning this past month the untimely death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput, 'Dil Bechara' would be a difficult watch. Helmed by Mukesh Chhabra, its the Hindi adaptation of John Green's famous book 'The Fault In Our Stars' and premiered on Disney+Hotstar on July 24. A film that emphasizes the importance of living in the moment is too close to reality and leaves a lump in many of the scenes for it resonates with the sudden death of its lead actor.
The film is narrated by Kizie Basu(Sanjana Sanghi), a college-going teenager in Jamshedpur who finds comfort in funerals and sadness. Kizie suffers from Cancer, is a loner and has a oxygen tank called Pushpinder for company. When she meets Immanuel Rajkumar Jr or Manny (Rajput), she tries hard to ward off his infectious energy and charm but to vain.
In no time, the two find solace, love, happiness in each other as Manny makes Kizie realise the importance of living life to its fullest. With his charm, over-enthusiasm, and overtly positive outlook towards life, Manny is infectious and refuses to back down much like the dreaded disease they both are suffering from, and makes Kizie see life differently. The two have company in Manny's best friend JD who, just like the two, is suffering from Cancer and going blind. His only wish is to shoot a feature film before he completely loses sight and Kizie and Manny help him to complete the film.
If one has to be objective about a film that rides so high on emotions, one has to point that the film at 1 hour 40 minutes appears rushed. The editing is patchy and the writing is incoherent on many occasions which leaves so many questions unanswered. There is a bizarre cameo by Saif Ali Khan that may have been an important part of the story but unfortunately at the execution level leaves viewers questioning its necessity.
The film may appear hurriedly put together, yet one easily overlooks it because of the performances and AR Rahman's soulful music. Rahman's music, in fact, is effectively used through the narrative- that takes the story forward.
'Dil Bechara' has a supremely talented cast. Not just Rajput, but others too perform well. Newcomer Sanjana Sanghi exudes confidence and holds her own in every frame she shares with Rajput. We know that Rajput is a terrific actor but its also equally hard to not notice Sanghi on screen. The young actress shows the right amount of vulnerability and confidence and makes Kizie a strong individual who over the course of the film learns to live it up.
Bengali actors Saswata Chatterjee and Swastika Mukherjee plays Kizie's parents and are simply fantastic in their roles. They are protective of their daughter, sometimes helpless at her demand and the most relatable new age parents on screen. Wish they had more screen time though. Sumit Tandon(as the young couple's doctor) and Sahil Vaid also do justice to their roles.
'Dil Bechara' though has Sushant Singh Rajput's looming presence throughout. The film begins with a video montage of Rajput playing the guitar and ends with a pictorial tribute to him. He plays the exuberant Manny to perfection. With a twinkle in his eye and that famous smile of his, he makes Manny endearing. His energy is infectious and Manny is easily the most charming character Rajput has played in his career. Its also tragic that Rajput who died by suicide just a month back, plays a character who admits of being scared of dying. There are in fact several scenes especially in the latter part of the film that are hauntingly real.
"Can we just pretend? I am not dying, I am not going anywhere?" says Rajput at one point in the film and one can help but look at the irony of the situation. There are portions that bring a lump on your throat as it becomes difficult to demarcate reel from real. As the end credits roll in Sushant's voiceover looms "We don’t get to decide when we’re born or when we die. But we do get to decide how we live our lives.” Truly, the actor bows out one last time in style.
'Dil Bechara' is heartbreaking and heartwarming in equal parts. It highlights the importance of making each moment in life count and it celebrates Sushant Singh Rajput, the entertainer one last time.
