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Dum Laga Ke Haisha backdrop

Dum Laga Ke Haisha

27 February 2015Hindi1h 51m
out of 10
Recommendedmost critics liked it
Monk Score · 34 scored reviews · 6 not rated

A warm, grounded small-town story that stumbles only at the finish line.

Verdict tier Recommended, most critics liked it, on a scale of Unfavorable, Mixed, Recommended, Exceptional.

  • Praised: grounded story and characters
  • Criticised: rushed, abrupt climax

Audience

User score 7.1 out of 10 from 28 ratings, Recommended
Read 7 audience reviews ↓

Critic consensus

What 36 critics are saying

Critical reception for Dum Laga Ke Haisha was strongly positive, with most reviewers praising its grounded, realistic storytelling and well-drawn characters as a refreshing departure from mainstream Bollywood conventions. Critics frequently highlighted the authentic 1990s small-town setting, the genuine performances from the lead cast, and the film's ability to blend humor and heart without resorting to melodrama. The most common criticism was a rushed or overly tidy ending that felt abrupt given the careful character development that preceded it, while at least one dissenting voice argued the film's premise still centered a problematic male-validation narrative for its overweight heroine.

How the 34 scores spread

6 not-rated reviews aren't plotted

Positive / mixed / negative reviews

Positive = 6.5/10 and up · negative = below 5/10

AI-generated summary of 36 critic reviews · may contain errors

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From the papers

Critic reviews (40)

Top critics first, then by score · not-rated last · updated

  1. Top critic

    IBNLive

    Film review ·

    Simple and breezy, while at the same time evocative of life in small-town India, Dum Laga Ke Haisha is a charming film that you really shouldn't miss.
  2. Top critic

    Indian Express

    Film review ·

    The first thing you should know about 'Dum Laga Ke Haisha' is that it has a story. Verily, the thing that movies ought to have before they get made, the very thing that Bollywood forgets, unbelievably, so often. The story is the basis of a solid, honest-to-goodness script, a lead couple that wins you over gradually but surely, and a bunch of actors who know exactly where they are at.
  3. Top critic

    NDTV

    Film review ·

    It should to be held up as an example of what a mainstream Bollywood banner can achieve when it lends its clout to an out-of-the-box idea executed by a director who clearly knows his onions better than most in the business today.
  4. Top critic

    Rediff

    Film review ·

    Dum Laga Ke Haisha is so simple that it never gives you a single moment of unpredictability...
  5. Top critic

    Firstpost

    Film review ·

    Director Katariya keeps things very simple, yet entertaining and relatable. If you've had first hand experience with a situation like the one in which the film's lead couple find themselves, they'll find enough to appreciate in Dum Laga Ke Haisha. For the rest, it's a chance to revisit a lost decade and revive our interest in Yash Raj Films. It's good to know that the production house that brings us over-the-top spectacles like the Dhoom films can make something small, hilarious and straight from the heart.
  6. Bollyspice

    Film review ·

    The only disappointing thing in Dum Laga Ke Haisha is its rushed ending. After Prem and Sandhya resolved their differences, we needed to see the blossoming of their relationship. The falling in love moment comes too abruptly and leaves one asking for more. However, it is easy to overlook such flaws when the film entertains so thoroughly. And this little gem doesn't just entertain, it warms the cockles of your heart. Don't miss it!
  7. India Glitz

    Film review ·

    'Dum Laga Ke Haisha' is a 111 minutes gem of a rom com. YRF brings the most distinguished, charming and loving love story in recent years. Push yourself to the nearest theater with your love and pull your love for your love and cinema.
  8. KoiMoi

    Film review ·

    Dum Laga Ke Haisha is a straight from the heart film which is easy to connect to. The characters are beautifully crafted and the love story is heart-melting. No over the top dances, shoddy music and bad climaxes, this is YRF's best films to have come recently.
  9. Mid-Day

    Film review ·

    One of the best romantic comedies to come out of Bollywood, 'Dum Lagaa Ke Haisha' steadily grows on you and warms the cockles of your heart even before you realise it. By the end of it, you might just want to go and hug the people in your life who you otherwise take for granted.
  10. Rediff

    Film review ·

    Dum Laga Ke Haisha is a series of riveting moments that make you moist in the eye and chuckle with joy.
  11. Sify

    Film review ·

    Director Sharat Kataria weaves together a film that has enough heart, humour and romance to warrant a second-time watch. Do not miss!
  12. SKJBollywoodNews

    Film review ·

    DLKH is a heartwarming charmer suffused with that lived-in feeling which seemed to have vanished in the run to that glitzy shallowness where a dhoom or a bang-bang were seen as viewer-friendly explosions. Here is a big-hearted shout for a bygone era and arranged marriage where love happens later crammed with episodes and moments that add up to an invaluable and cherishable experience.
  13. The Navhind Times

    Film review ·

    This could well be the Queen of 2015. Films from the Yashraj stable have been a mixed bag with more misses than hits, but full credit to them for producing a film that is not run of the mill, this is one of the best films they have made in recent times.
  14. Wogma

    Film review ·

    Dum Laga Ke Haisha is not a very serious film. Sure, it addresses a social flaw and how the people that make the same society are coping with it. At the same time it isn't too satirical or dark. It brings a smile because the characters have their quirks and keeps you interested because the characters are like you and me, only with different quirks. What else can one ask from a film that aims to do exactly that! And this once I mean that in a nice way.
  15. Zee News

    Film review ·

    This movie is a feel good package and a must watch for those born in the 80s and the 90s simply to relive the decade. For those who are not, go for the performances. It is rare that a Bollywood movie makes you all warm, fuzzy and gooey from the inside – the experience is a must for those who love cinema.
  16. Bollywood Life

    Film review ·

    If you want to relive the times when life was much simpler, then Dum Laga ke Haisha is the movie for you. Packed with some wonderful performances by the entire cast, the film tells a sweet story, with plenty of comic punches to keep you entertained. Watch it for Bhumi Pednekar who has shown great promise. In closing, I would like to say, go watch Dum Laga ke Haisha with no expectations and more often than not you would leave the theatre with a faint smile lingering on your face.
  17. DNA India

    Film review ·

    Dum Laga ke Haisha is one of the most honest and feel-good films in a long time – definitely go for it.
  18. Gulf News

    Film review ·

    What sets apart DLKH is that it doesn't rely on any dramatic twists or grand gestures from the lovers at the film's climax. It's a simple love story that warms your heart. It's set in the 1990s and the DLKH team has lavished a lot of attention on recreating that era. The stand-alone stores before the rise of shopping malls in Haridwar and the near-defunct tape cassette stores transport you to a different world. It's delightful to watch the couple and the world that they live in. The pace is languid, but doesn't get tiring. Take the plunge and watch this romantic comedy.

From our readers

Audience reviews (7)

28 ratings · user score 7.1

  1. 6/10

    Dum Laga Ke Haisha, a film by Sharat Katariya, is a sweet Hindi Romantic Comedy film. The movie deals with the way matrimonial alliances happen in our country. Arranged marriage is arranged to such an extent to accommodate all the arrangements, but the very concept of love misses from the same. Parents decide for their children (which is no wrong) and choose the most 'suitable' for them, but it need not be the most suitable alliance. Sharat in this movie Dum Laga Ke Haisha shows the mental agonies of both Prem and Sandhya. The tag line of the movie 'Love comes in all sizes' is also very appropriately chosen. I liked the concept of the movie, but I didn't like certain dialogues which was used to comment upon obese woman as 'Saandh', 'Moti' etc. But probably the director has tried to capture the mentality of the people. The movie is set in Hardwar in 1990s. Prem (Ayushman Khurrana), Kumar Sanu's fan, manages his father Sanjay Mishra's shop of cassettes and recording. Prem is a school drop-out. He confesses that three things bring tears in his eyes: Exam's English question paper, his father's slippers and Kumar Sanu's melodious voice. His parents convince him to marry Sandhya (Bhumi Pednekar, a newbie), who has completed her B.Ed. Family feels that Sandhya can get a teaching job and that can help them financially. The scene is very interesting where the whole family goes to see her in a temple. Prem is reluctant to marry her due to her weight but had to yield to parents when they say that he is also incapable of getting a girl with 'Juhi-Chawla-level-of-looks'. Prem and Sandhya get married in an elaborate mass wedding ceremony. It is interesting to see the brides dressed up as if for Jagaran. The journey starts thereafter. It is so difficult for Prem to accept Sandhya the way she is. There are instances, when Prem feels uncomfortable even to go to the market with Sandhya. There are obvious misfits. Sandhya has done her B.Ed and she aspires to be a school teacher whereas Prem, a school drop-out with a laidback body language. Prem is uncomfortable speaking English and so at times he feels inferiority complex as well. Sandhya is a woman of substance, who is comfortable with herself and not ready to accept the jibes of Prem or family just without retorting. She is not worried to speak her mind. Although Sandhya loves Prem and is assertive enough to express herself, she is not able to win over Prem. Both the families are worried about the future of their relationship due to their detached relationship. Lot of events unfold but ultimately Prem and Sandhya participate in Dum Laga ke Haisha competition where the husbands have to carry their wives on their back and run and cross every hurdle. How the movie progresses? Can Prem find his love in Sandhya? Is Sandhya able to continue the relationship with Prem even at the cost of her self-esteem. Whether the idiom "देर आये दुरुस्त आये" fits for their relationship or not? Is Prem able to accept Sandhya?

  2. Tejas NairApr 2015
    5/10

    Take a story, edit the characters, and present it in an easy way through music and subtlety, and you hope to flood the audience and the entertainment industry with a new wave of fresh air. Fortunately, the audiences are clever and kick it into the less-visited stream of mediocre attempts at inventive filmmaking. This film is one such mediocre attempt. The year is 1995. An ignorant Kumar Sanu fan Prem (Khurrana), who runs his father's audio video shop in Haridwar, finds himself struggling with the threads and aftermath of a forced wedding. Equally ignorant are his family who think that the arrival of an educated girl (Pednekar) in their house would inspire happiness and bring about prosperity. Things get out of hand when Prem openly derides his wife's bulkiness. What follows is a seen-before parade of almost friendly intra- and inter-familial tiffs originating from this hassled marriage. Then the film uses same old methods for salvaging this implicated complication. As a result, predictability takes over and that fresh air turns stale. Now the setting is fine, where the guy is a 10th-grade failure and the girl a teacher aspirant: perfect source of egos that could wreak havoc. One senses the climax even before the film starts narrating its story, thereby losing its sheen. The expectations that a twist or a story arc would save the play ends in disappointment. Khurrana is good, but newcomer Pednekar is better. The former is in a different avatar than whatever he was in his previous disaster Hawaizaada (2015). Pednekar acts through her face and is only supported by her portly frame. Supporting cast is brilliant. Writing is good at parts starting with the collective wedding (samuhik vivah) and ending with a fun game. The no-nonsense narration always comes directly to the point. The short running time is a relief and so is the sporadic family humor that is better than the story itself. The mature setup and characterization further adds into the pleasure. The score sounded plagiarized, but the songs by Anu Malik are good. Welcoming Kumar Sanu to the industry after a long hiatus gives it brownie points. Great camera work captures the drama well while the native language adds to the originality, unlike how it was in PK (2014). But if there is a best thing about the film, then it is the virtue of the husband who accepts his failures rather coming as a winner. BOTTOM LINE: The attempt is mediocre narrating a clichéd story, but for the multiple messages that it conveys and a simple storytelling, it is worth a lazy afternoon watch. 5/10. Can be watched with a typical Indian family? NO Vulgarity: Mediocre

  3. RohithMay 2015
    6/10

    Dum Laga Ke Haisha is a sweet movie that is bound to entertain with its witty humor and unusual storyline.

  4. 7/10

    Dum laga ke haisha: Teen cheeje mujhe khush kare bina nhi rehti,one gud story, two gud acting,three gud screenplay...so here is dis 90's nostalgic drama which has all dese ingrediants to flavoured ur entertainment dish...for me,bringing back that era was a +point to the movie..all those tape recorders,cassettes,songs makes u feel great...yes there were flaws and may b for many of us,this would be quite boring bt still it deserves ur pocket atleast one tym...all in all a cute love story...

  5. devJan 2016
    7/10

    'Dum Laga Ke Haisha' directed by Sharat Katariya, is a little feast for eyes for its cinematography and got heart which is generally missing in now-a-days movies.Its realistic approach make it more charming. Bhumi Padnekar acting for a debutant is very genuine and she definitely needs credit for her acting skills, Ayushman's acting is average. I wish i could give it 7.5.

  6. 7/10

    The Film Will Make You Travel To 90s But Still It's Style Of Making Is Modern.Sweet Love Story, Good Screenplay And Good Acting.And A Perfect Convincing Ending.Though It Loses Pace In Between But That's Not A Big Issue.

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