Now you see magic, now you don't

Dilwale
Hindi (U/A)
Cast: Shahrukh Khan, Kajol, Varun Dhawan, Kriti Sanon
Director: Rohit Shetty
Rating: **

Both Shahrukh and Kajol have a back-story in Bulgaria, where Khan plays Raj (for god knows how many-th time) and woos his woman.

Fluttering eyelashes, weak knees and a haunting “Gerua” in Iceland later, the love story is torn apart by a zillion bullets and one misunderstanding. The pair returns to India, but has no clue of each other’s whereabouts!

Yes, phones and emails don’t figure in Rohit Shetty’s scheme of things.
So it takes 15 long years for the lovers’ paths to cross and the bloody mess to be sorted out. Wait, it’s 15 saal, 4 mahine aur 10 din. Shahrukh has done his maths.

Alas, Shetty hasn’t done his homework. So all that one gets is some tomfoolery amid cars, cars and more cars. There is a car thief (Johnny Lever at his goofy best); another who buys stolen car parts (Sanjay Misra, absolute delight); and a drug lord (Boman Irani) who has a thing for vintage cars.

Here too, Shetty doesn’t deviate from his signature style of blowing money on blowing up cars. Apart form the machines, Dilwale also seems to be an ode to the rainbow. The sets sport all the shades on earth and Mars.

So you have Shahrukh relaxing in the violet, red and orange interiors of his workshop (car, what else?). He dotes on brother Varun Dhawan, who has freshly set eyes on Kriti Sanon.

The only time Dilwale gets back its pulse is when the SRK-Kajol track starts running. Kajol lifts the proceedings with her charm, though the same can’t be said about the pair’s celebrated chemistry.

Coming to Shahrukh, it’s another been-there-done-that. The magic has faded though Khan regains some of the romantic sparks towards the end with his intense lines and looks. Khan’s beard, take a bow. You have more oomph than Rohit Shetty’s fleet of imported cars.