I've never been a Sonam Kapoor fan, but Dolly ki Doli totally made me fall for her. Based on the true looteri dulhan incidents of North India, this ridiculously logic-less but very humorous comedy is very down-to-earth and desi. Starring Muhammad Zeeshan Ayyub, Varun Sharma, Pulkit Samrat and an effectively performing Rajkummar Rao, this spare-no-one drama relies on its sharp writing. The second half, although flawed, shakes you- the irony of separation in love is defined in just a song. At only 96 minutes, this mainstream, too Bollywood film packs in more than too much, but it still deserves an applause on its comment- being a con bride is always better than being a sex worker. And above everything, it's the triumph of Sonam Kapoor, who shows the vulnerable and the bold sides of Dolly. This is indeed one of the best Hindi films this year. I'm going with 3.5 out of 5 for Dolly ki Doli. Its never long, never is it labored, and it is always quirky, witty fun.

I like comedies about social issues; the reason I count myself among the few people who liked Daawat-E-Ishq's (2014) story. Dolly Ki Doli, as it turns out, is a mixture of that film + the female version of Ladies Vs. Ricky Bahl (2012) + Hollywood rom-com Runaway Bride.

The story about a petty girl who teams up with crooks to form a family and cheat well off grooms and their families is appealing. The screenplay starts off rather gaudily, slipping in the item song by the sexy Malaika Arora in the first fifteen minutes. There is no background on how and what and why Dolly (Sonam Kapoor) and her fake family are doing what they are doing. Not even the proceedings throw light into the origin. Of course, there is some silly philosophical babble that explains Dolly's immoral profession at the end, but it doesn't make sense.

There are few comedic sequences that jeers at issues like arranged marriages in India, auspicious post-wedding first-nights, traditions, dowry customs, etc., but they all fade into nothingness. The final twenty minutes are the worst I have seen in any movie in the past months and that includes Bhushan Patel's torturous, concocted dish Alone (2015).

Even if one sustains the tedious first half, nothing will stop you from wondering whether the writers really put in any effort to end this drama rather ceremoniously. There is nothing to talk about the filmmaking parameters, except that Sonam Kapoor cannot act. I have brought up this issue in many (all) of my reviews of her films that Kapoor is just not the chip off the old block. She should shift to catering, or even better: miming in a park in Bandra.

The supporting cast (Rao and Samrat, too) adds humor and ounces of glory to the film while Kapoor is busy dancing in at least four songs that I happen to notice.

BOTTOM LINE: If I were a 27 year old lad with a job and no girlfriend looking for a getaway this weekend, I would skip Dolly Ki Doli. I would even skip that pretentious Baby (2015) and Depp's career suicide Mortdecai (2015). Instead, I would go to a beach and watch the sun go down the horizon and induce pleasure from it. 3/10.

Can be watched with a typical Indian family? YES