Hum Do Hamare Do Review : The performances stand out in this family dramedy

STORY: Dhruv Shikhar (Rajkummar Rao), an orphan who has overcome all odds to become a successful entrepreneur, needs a family, because Anya Mehra (Kriti Sanon), the girl he falls in love with, wants to marry someone who has “a sweet family and a cute doggy”. His search ends with Purshottam Mishra (Paresh Rawal) and Dipti Kashyap (Ratna Pathak Shah), who have a history of their own. Whether Dhruv and Anya’s love stand despite the foundation of falsehood or not forms the crux of the story.

REVIEW: Despite not starting on a good note, a chance meeting between entrepreneur Dhruv Shikhar and blogger Anya Mehra at the launch of his virtual reality app leads to another and soon they fall in love with each other. However, her wish of getting married to someone with a ‘sweet family and a cute doggy’ sends him on the quest to fight the right parents. Her wish comes from the loss of her parents in a fire accident when she was seven, post which she was adopted by her uncle, Dr Sanjeev Mehra and aunt Rupa Mehra (Prachi Shah Pandya) and calls them dad and mom.

Dhruv, aghast at the options his friend Sandeep Sachdeva aka Shunty (Aparshakti Khurana) and Shaadiram (Saanand Verma) show him, decides to seek help from Purshottam Mishra, at whose dhaba he worked at as a child. When Dhruv and Shunty learn about his (Purshottam’s) college love Dipti Kashyap (Ratna Pathak Shah), they first get her to agree to be his mother, so they can get his (Mishra’s) nod to play his father. We learn that Purshottam and Dipti were to elope, but the latter developed cold feet. So, given their history, how Dhruv and Anya eventually walk the altar forms the crux of the film.

Director Abhishek Jain, who’s given hits in Gujarati cinema with films like Bey Yaar, tells an interesting story in ‘Hum Do Hamare Do’ (along with Deepak Venkateshan). If only Prashant Jha had come up with a more engaging and convincing screenplay, it would have taken the film to another level. Things get a little monotonous and the narrative lags in the second half, till cat is out of the bag. At first you wonder, for how long will Dhruv, Purshottam and Dipti play the family part because the truth about false parents has to come out in the open at some point. And then, it seems like the director was in a hurry to wrap it all up with a happy ending.

Rajkummar Rao, who has fast become an actor to reckon with, delivers yet another earnest performance and proves why he’s beyond the box office. Kriti Sanon is effective and does justice to her part as Anya. Paresh Rawal and Ratna Pathak Shah remain in fine form and not only show how to rise above the story but also lead the way. Proof lies in the chemistry between their characters — Dhruv, Anya, Purshottam and Dipti — and how they keep you hooked with their performances even when the screenplay slips and earn the film an extra half star.

Despite being a good actor, Aparshakti Khurana seems to being stereotyped as the hero’s best friend. Manu Rishi Chadha and Prachi Shah Pandya lend good support.

Sachin-Jigar’s soundtrack is hummable and aids the narrative.

Nonetheless, the film has some really nice and funny moments. At the same time, it also makes a telling comment on families portraying a happy and united image outside while squabbling and fighting within. And that one can choose a perfect family if need be. 'Hum Do Hamare Do' is a decent watch… but if only the second half had been more engaging with a few dollops more of humour.