If you go about and ask your neighbors asking who is the best kollywood onscreen pair the answers would vary a lot; Ajith-Shalini, Vijay-Genelia, Kamal-Sridevi, so on. But ask the same question in Bollywood and 5 out of 10 will answer the best chemistry exists between King Khan and the twinkling Kajol. After the mega success of Rohit Shetty and SRK combo in Chennai express, the duos come back to join hands again for this romantic entertainer which also has the young and promising Varun Dhawan and Kriti in the ensemble cast.

Rohit shetty's films are synonymous with comedy and drama, strangely in Dilwale we see less of Comedy and more of drama, some ravishing stunts on par with Hollywood. The story has romance as the core, glueing it with some nutty action and dramatic sequences Rohit weaves out an average entertainer. SRK and Kajol are from two different mafia families from Bulgaria, conflict is the word and as you should have guessed by now meet, greet and fall in almost love. Just when you think love is in the air, guns are fired, blood is flown and soon the two lovers are forced to find separate ways.

They both have siblings, SRK's brother Varun and Kajol's sister Kriti. Oddly enough after closing down their mafia business they shuttle off to India and the respective siblings fall in love. What happens to the elder almost fallen in love couple, their family feud etc forms the rest of the plot. Shetty moves on to the drama much more. The film has conflict, romance and heart-break, something you would not expect in his film. The dialogues are chirpy and typically Sajid-Farhad but after a point they don't work much. Sanjay Mishra who plays the character of Oscar gets the best comic one-liners where he keeps rhyming his lines with brands.

As again what else to expect from Rohit Shetty? The man has been christened as the prince of commercial Bollywood cinema, he takes the best pair out of Bollywood, tries to inflict love in a rather suppressed way which sometimes makes you want to forget those DDLJ and KNPH days. Too much of those cars blazing and action stunts seem to have hindered the screenplay although the action sequences need good ol pat on the back. SRK-Kajol chemistry might be the only reason for you to walk into this average commercial cinema which is an abode of everything, but put together in a clumsy package. Too many scenes are a direct rip off from Hollywood flicks and even more from the famous sitcom "How I met your mother", makes you wonder where the originality of the bigger stars have gone.

SRK in his new avatar with the beard looks ravishingly smart, his suave and cool style seem to have clicked well, no words on his acting for they are simply done with ease. Kajol comes back after a 5 year hiatus, almost looks like she is in desperate need of an acting revival, some of the scenes looks quite artificial but she manages to use her experience to do justice. Varun after some high voltage performances looks to have gone back to those Student of the year days, charming but re-mindful of his old movies. Kriti has to simply walk here and there to show here presence. The lighting is bright for most of the scenes and a lot of color in each frame, be it the cars, the house all of it. Among songs, Gerua and Janam Janam definitely stand out. Daayre is used in the background, but does not create much impact. Some of the best scenes with SRK and Kajol has been left at the last, making you wait for its worth and sadly by the time the magic happens, we are almost done!

Ergo, the film is not completely a drag, for die hard SRK fans, Kajol fans, Varun fans, Rohit fans and some those who want to pass away their weekend with an average entertainer that is on its way to the 200 crore club; this film might not harm you for a one time watch.

Verdict : Too much expectation, just caters the need to an extent.

Rating : 2.5/5