Kill Dil

It has a few witty lines, but its predictable plot and forgettable characters let it down

Fortunately, Kill Dil is just a takeoff on the title of the Tarantino movie, Kill Bill, and not its content. Had director Shaad Ali done a stylised version of ‘B’ grade exploitation cinema in India, the result might have been quite disastrous. But, as it is, Kill Dil is a fairly conventional narrative of a gangster falling in love, trying to turn over a new leaf, then finding it impossible to sever relations with his former profession and associates.

Dev (Ranveer Singh) and Tutu (Ali Zafar) are hitmen who execute ‘suparis’ for their gang lord, Bhaiyaji (Govinda). The boys were orphans, raised to be killers, and are paid well for the hit jobs; well enough to frequent expensive night clubs. This is where they meet Disha (Parineeti Chopra), a rich Delhi girl who, ironically, does social work connected with reforming criminals.

It is a plot that becomes easy to predict, yet is held together by some witty one-liners. Dev and Tutu are uneducated and are poor English speakers, but have the gift of the gab, and charm the jet-set crowd that Disha moves in. She is amused at first, especially by Dev’s naive text messages, and starts dating him.

Of course, it is a relationship that is headed nowhere because Bhaiyaji is keyed in to the social life of his hitmen and will not let his best supari man cross over and turn legitimate. The tale is evidently an old chestnut, but the persona and performances of the central characters keep the film ticking along for a while. Govinda has not lost the timing and flair of his flamboyant delivery of lines, nor has Ranveer lost his wackiness.

But in the end, there is nothing you take home from the movie—not a scene or character that is memorable, not a song you can hum, nor any visual composition that stays imprinted on your mind. Kill Dil is a movie that flits past multiplexes without too much of a flutter.

About The Author

Ajit Duara