For a Madhur Bhandarkar film, ‘Dil Toh Baccha Hai Ji’ falls way short of expectations even if it is a genre he hasn’t explored in the past. The story of 3 men who undergo a transformation in the way they perceive love just doesn’t get off the tarmac and ends up being a wishy-washy attempt to show the ‘true’ meaning of love and map it to the personalities of the 3 characters.
The story revolves around 3 house-mates Naren, a divorcee, Abhay, a playboy and Milind, an idealist who cohabit Naren’s late parents’ house post his divorce. Naren is falling for his secretary who is over 15 years younger than him, Abhay is hooking onto an older richer woman, whom he calls ATM and Milind is head over heels for an RJ and is oblivious to the fact that she is using his money to further her film aspirations. How their individual bubbles burst is what the plot tries to uncover.
The story is quite thin and predictable, which is not necessarily a bad thing in this genre, for the quality of dialogue and the comic timing usually makes up for it. Bhandarkar’s writing, screenplay and direction fail to inspire. There is an underlying dark tinge to the treatment of them film, especially in the way Milind is shown to be used and Abhay’s toy-boy ways. But, the climax, though predictable is too simplistic and the ending has been written just as a feel-good. There are a few lines that crack you up, but even then you find yourself laughing just to rationalize having bought the ticket.
Ajay Devgn, Omi Vaidya and Emraan Hashmi deliver decent performances and all 3 have a flair for comedy which can be tapped with richer material. The well toned Tisca Chopra as Abhay’s rich lover has a good role in the film. Shruti Haasan comes in with a much-improved diction post ‘Luck’, but needs a lot more work on herself if she is to take on Deepika Padukone and Sonam Kapoor. Shazahn Padamsee as Naren’s object of love is cute and kiddish.
For a romantic comedy, ‘Dil Toh Baccha Hai Ji’ doesn’t inspire the laughs and the romance is insipid.