Expectations

It's said that there is a child inside all of us. Maybe due to this proverb, there are times when we as an adult end up enjoying films which are known as kids flicks. We have seen that happening in the case of many Hollywood animated films and some of our films like 'Taare Zameen Par', 'Chillar Party', 'Bhoothnath', 'Koi Mil Gaya', 'My Friend Ganesha', 'Hanuman' and few more including films like 'Rockford'. The latter one is among one of the finest and cute films from our country which talks more about the adolescent age. This movie was made by director Nagesh Kukunoor, who is also known for his movies like 'Iqbal', 'Lakshmi', 'Hyderabad Blues', 'Dor' and others. His latest film is 'Dhanak', which has won several international awards in children's film category. The promos look appealing and has a good amount of freshness attached to it.

Story

'Dhanak' is a story of a blind boy Chotu (Krrish Chhabria) and his elder sister Pari (Hetal Gadda) staying in a remote village of Rajasthan. Pari's only wish, is to get her brother's eyesight back. One day she spots a poster related to eye-donation with her favorite actor Shah Rukh Khah on it. Pari keeps writing letters to Shah Rukh Khan but, fails to get any reply from her dream hero. At that time Pari comes to know that Shah Rukh Khan is shooting in Jaisalmer. This motivates her and Pari along with Chotu sets out on a long and lonely road trip to Jaisalmer.

The 'Glitz' Factor

The story is based on the original work of Yusuf M Sheikh and has a great set up. The difference of opinion between Chotu's love for Salman Khan and Pari's love for Shah Rukh Khan is brilliantly woven into the screenplay of the film.  This is a movie where minute nuances adds as an additional screenplay and one can see that in scenes featuring Chotu and Pari. Cinematography is of top notch and goes well with the film. Music of 'Dhanak' by Tapas Relia is good and has some extra-ordinary songs like 'Dhanak' and 'Dum-a-Dum'. The folk songs also goes well with the flow of the film. Director Nagesh Kukunoor has given us some really sweet films like 'Dor', 'Iqbal' and 'Rockford'. 'Dhanak' also belongs to the same category. The cuteness of Pari and Chotu will be loved by everyone. Hetal Gadda as Pari is sweet, caring and adorable. Her love for her brother gets reflected in her eyes and every movement. Krrish Chhabria as Chotu is cute, humorous and charming. His one liners are highlighters. Both the kids have acted extremely well and have displayed a remarkable performance. Vipin Sharma, Vijay Maurya, Suresh Menon, Rajiv Ram, Vibha Chibber, Bharti Achrekar and others lend good support in their respective roles.

The 'Non-Glitz' Factor

Sadly, the second half starts to go on a repetitive mode with few unwanted scenes like the foreigner track followed by Bharti Achrekar's unconvincing track. Suresh Menon's part is sweet but, lacks the intensity. The finale is good but should have been better and impactful. The narrative part in the second half is a bit slow due to which the screenplay is inconsistent as, after one good track there is dull and low moment followed by another good track and then again the dull moment. This works fine till the first half but in the second half, it dilutes the impact of the film.The later part of the film drags a bit with lack of reality and hardship in it. If these minor points would have been taken care of, the movie would have ended up being one among Nagesh's finest films.

Final 'Glitz'

It's said sometimes big things come in small sizes and one does witness the same in case of 'Dhanak'. It's a small film with large heart worth a watch for everyone who likes this genre. The movie, however could have been one of the landmark films, but misses out due to its slow narration and a little bit of dragging screenplay.