Dil Bechara

Mukesh Chabbra | Sushant Singh Rajput, Sanjana Shanghi | 2020 | Romance Drama

Dil Bechara, a humorous romantic drama of the debutant Casting Director Mukesh Chhabra featuring Sushant Singh Rajput and Sanjana Shanghi. An adaptation of John Green’s best seller ‘The Fault in our Stars’, Dil Bechara has been perfectly adapted to the Indian cultural setting and is relatable to the audience through its best possible portrayal. The film being the last on-screen appearance of actor Sushant Singh Rajput holds an entirely different meaning now. It is no more about the story that tugged at our heartstrings, but the man who left us with tears. Dil Bechara is a tale of two cancer patients who show us how beautifully life could be lived despite the hurdles to our joy. The blending irony of the plot into reality makes the audience emotional and speechless at multiple instances. Narrated from the female lead’s perspective, the film shows us the journey of how she met a guy who changed her perception towards life.

Dil Bechara will be remembered for multiple reasons. But the agony traced throughout the plot line intensifies in the light of Sushant’s untimely and tragic demise.  Playing the character of Immanuel Rajkumar Junior or Manny, a jovial hyperactive guy who has previously suffered from osteosarcoma and is in remission, Rajput stole our hearts with his charm and screen presence. A Rajinikanth fanatic with a touch of Thamizh Granny’s backing it brings in additional flavor to his character. Converting cinematic commercial logic of Rajinikanth as a reason for his chirpiness and spontaneity,  Manny steals the limelight from Kezie Basu. He preaches the importance of shedding the burdening layers of pain and finding solace in joy and optimism. Kezie Basu, a Bengali girl living in Jamshedpur fighting thyroid cancer is a big fan of musician Abhimanyu Veer and crazy over his incomplete album song “Main Tumhara”.  Accompanied by her oxygen cylinder Pushpender, she’s a blogger who blogs her life every day. Initially wanting to stay away from Manny but later bonding over Rajini movies and Abhimanyu songs, the protagonists sketch a simple yet blissful story of love. This beautiful tale of how Manny entered Kizie’s life, became a friend, turned into a lover and finally left her reminds us of how Sushant’s real cinema life was to us, the fans – he came – entertained us and left us when we wanted him the most now.  

Kizie’s, “Heart, it beats faster every time you come closer” is one of the cutest proposals in the history of Bollywood cinema. The Farewell Premier scene hits us hard when he says he wants to attend his own funeral and wants to hear Kizie and JP’s funeral speeches. Unfortunately feels so real right now. The all-time highlighted dialogue of the movie, “We don’t get to decide when we’re born or when we die but we get to decide how we live our lives”, gives us the message to smile and help people smile during their hard times. Kizie’s parents portray a mixture of modernity and orthodoxy of typical Indian parents whose ultimate aim is nothing more than their child’s happiness. A trip to Paris in order to meet Veer and the film they make for JP were all moments that a cancer patient would never get to experience and things that would change their life drastically while fighting such an uncertain disease. The Memory Board placed in the film screening reads, “When someone you love becomes a memory, the memory becomes a tale”. Written above Sushant’s photograph, this phrase brings along with a stream of tears and colossal regret. The void left behind due to the demise of Manny is intensified when correlated to the real time. Life is a roller coaster, you go up – come down – twist and roll but never fail to enjoy the ride when you have the chance to, just like how Manny taught Kizie – Live the moment. “Seri, Kezie? Seri, Manny!” will find its place in the collection of iconic moments to be remembered forever. 

A R Rahman has been the soul of Dil Bechara, the man who pushed the intensity of the film miles away with his songs and background music. He has never failed at making us fall in love with the story. And as always, the soundtrack of Dil Bechara does not fail the legacy of Rahman in the slightest. Whether in love or not, the on-point portrayal with perfectly timed soundtracks enchants every individual. Cinematographer Satyajit Pande’s colour palette and lighting has successfully retained the feel throughout the film and has been an icing on the cake. The title song, said to be a continuous single take shot within a small auditorium was brilliantly executed and stood as a plus to Sushant’s dance performance. The film is definitely an emotional yet successful debut of the film maker. The novel of a foreign country perfectly blending in our lives, family and culture display the thought and efforts put in by the entire team.  Dil Bechara is a 101 minutes emotional rollercoaster ride wherein every minute reminds us of the void left behind by Rajput in the Indian Cinema.  

Seri Kizie? – Seri Manny!