| Mere Brother Ki Dulhan | |
|---|---|
Theatrical release poster |
|
| Directed by | Ali Abbas Zafar |
| Produced by | Aditya Chopra |
| Story by | Ali Abbas Zafar |
| Starring | Imran Khan Katrina Kaif Ali Zafar Tara D’Souza |
| Music by | Sohail Sen |
| Cinematography | Sudeep Chatterjee |
| Editing by | Ritesh Soni |
| Distributed by | Yash Raj Films |
| Release date(s) | September 9, 2011 |
| Running time | 145 minutes |
| Country | India |
| Language | Hindi |
| Budget | 29 crore (US$5.51 million)[1] |
| Box office | 94 crore (US$17.86 million)[2] |
Mere Brother Ki Dulhan (Hindi: मेरे ब्रदर की दुल्हन; English: My Brother's Bride), also known by the abbreviated form MBKD, is a Bollywood romantic comedy film that marks the writing and directing debut of Ali Abbas Zafar and stars Imran Khan, Katrina Kaif and Ali Zafar in the lead roles. Produced and distributed by Yash Raj Films. The official theatrical trailer was released on 13 July 2011. The film released on 9 September 2011, to mixed reviews from critics. It was a box office hit.
Contents |
When Luv Agnihotri (Ali Zafar) has a bad breakup with his girlfriend, he insists his younger brother Kush (Imran Khan) to find him a bride. Kush travels all over India to find a bride suitable for his brother. However, he and his friends are unsuccessful. Then Kush finds Dimple (Katrina Kaif), his old college friend, who is very flamboyant and outgoing. Kush decides Dimple is the perfect bride for Luv. After meeting each other, Dimple and Luv agree to the marriage.
During the wedding preparations however, Kush and Dimple realize they have fallen in love with each other. They come up with hilarious, crazy plans to get married, but fail in every attempt. Kush then calls Luv's ex-girlfriend, Piyali (Tara D’Souza) and makes her believe that Luv is still in love with her. Luv then realizes that he does truly love Piyali and the two elope. When Dimple's father Dilip Dixit (Kanwaljit Singh) and Kush's father Colonel (Parikshat Sahni) find this out, they figure that the only way to protect their respect and pride is to get Kush and Dimple married. Since Dimple and Kush's plan has been successful, they bring up a condition: if Luv and Piyali can be accepted back into the house, they will get married. The condition is accepted. After the marriage, Kush and Dimple tell Luv the truth, and he accepts it quite happily.
"I always had this fear of writing till I picked up a pen and then, the words just flowed. Writing the 150 pages of my script marked the high point of my life."
Yash Raj Films announced the then-untitled project on 5 August 2010.[5] Ali Abbas Zafar, who's been an assistant director on a number of Yash Raj Films productions such as Jhoom Barabar Jhoom, Tashan, New York and Badmaash Company, makes his feature writing and directing debut with this film, which has been described as a comedy of errors by lead actor Imran Khan.[6] After Band Baaja Baaraat, this marks the second Yash Raj Films production in a row to be helmed by a first time director who was previously an assistant director. Zafar is originally from Dehradun, where much of the story is set.[6] After years of working with Yash Raj Films, he submitted three love stories to producer Aditya Chopra, who eventually greenlit Mere Brother Ki Dulhan, enabling Zafar to start writing his 150 page long script.[4] Ali Abbas Zafar is an alumnus of The Players, the acclaimed theater society of Kirori Mal College, University of Delhi, where he acted in different plays including an adaptation of William Golding's Lord of the Flies.
Like many Bollywood films, Mere Brother Ki Dulhan has suffered allegations that it is a rip-off of an American film even before filming wrapped. According to these sources, the film rips off Dan In Real Life,[7][8] in which Steve Carrell's character also falls in love with his brother's girlfriend (played by Dane Cook and Juliette Binoche respectively). The film has also drawn comparison to an earlier Yash Raj Films production, Mere Yaar Ki Shaadi Hai.[9]
Imran Khan and Katrina Kaif play the romantic leads in the film, and their involvement was announced in the same press release as the initial production company announcement.[5] This is the first time they've been paired together. They were initially to star together in 7 Days In Paris for director Sanjay Gadhvi, but the film has been indefinitely postponed.[10] some media publications have alleged that their casting was an attempt by Yash Raj Films to end a recent string of box-office flops and disappointments.[11] While this is Imran Khan's first movie for Yash Raj Films, Katrina Kaif had previously worked with them (and then assistant director Ali Abbas Zafar) on the critical and commercial hit New York. She was able to take the role thanks to the postponement of Dostana 2 to which she was already committed.[12] Her role has been reported in the media as different than characters she'it down after initially accepting it.[13] It was then given to Ali Zafar (no relation to the director), an actor who'd received rave reviews for his debut film Tere Bin Laden and who confirmed his participation via his Twitter account.[14] A popular singer, Zafar will also perform his character's singing in the film and described his casting as "a dream come true"[15] and his role as a "parallel lead role".[16] The film additionally stars a new actress Tara D'Souza who is a former Kingfisher model.
On 17 October 2010, several media outlets reported on the casting of Preity Zinta in an unspecified "glamorous role".[17] The actress however quickly denied the report on her official Twitter page.[18]
Filming started on 25 September 2010 and was scheduled to be completed by November.[19] The film started shooting in Delhi[19] and Pataudi,[20] before moving on to Chandigarh,[21] Agra,[15] Dehradun,[22] Mussoorie,[19] Haridwar,[6] Dhanaulti,[22] Punjab[19] and Himachal Pradesh[19] for a total of 45 days of filming in northern India and finally finishing the film in Mumbai.[23] Juggling between this film and the final shots of Tees Maar Khan and Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara,[24] Kaif joined the shoot on September 27.
A bloody incident happened very early in the shoot, on September 29, while the crew was filming at Pataudi Palace. The scene being shot, comic in nature, involved Imran Khan pulling Katrina Kaif towards him while pointing a gun towards other cast members. However, Khan miscalculated the move and instead sent the gun barrel crashing into Kaif's nose, causing it to bleed profusely. I am pretty bruised but the staff feels it's good luck for the film. But it was a funny scene so I think it was worth it"[25] and "Please don't make it seem as if Imran was careless or something. These things happen. We were shooting one of the really madcap scenes where the actors' limbs acquire a life of their own. Imran's hand landed on my face"[24] Another incident of sorts was reported by the media in early October[26] and involves an emotional scene where Kaif's character slaps Khan's. Kaif would have been content to slap Khan once, however he insisted on sixteen takes so that the director would have a variety of slaps to choose from. Kaif was involved in another accident a few weeks later while filming in Nabha.[27] Her hair got caught in a fan, and it was thanks to co-star Ali Zafar's quick action that the incident didn't turn more serious. Zafar and a spot boy named Raju did however sustain minor injuries and bruises. The film's title, Mere Brother Ki Dulhan, was revealed on October 2 along with a few promo pictures.[28] Ali Zafar stated that Kaif promised him that if the film made over 600 million at the box office, she would do a music video with him.[29]
Yash Raj Films were first aiming for a July 2011 release,[30][31] but the release date was later pushed to 9 September 2011.[32] The studio drastically changed their marketing tactics with this film by revealing the title and two stills a week into filming, whereas they have previously been very secretive about sharing such information until about a couple of months before the theatrical release. It was released in Pakistan on September 9, 2011.[33]
The film received mixed reviews from critics. Taran Adarsh of Bollywood Hungama awarded it 4 out of 5 stars and wrote, "On the whole, Mere Brother Ki Dulhan is a delectably wholesome, heartening, feel-good entertainer."[34] Shivesh Kumar of IndiaWeekly awarded the movie 4 out of 5 stars.[35] Daily Bhaskar awarded the movie 3 out of 5 stars and wrote, "Surely a treat for Katrina’s fans, as it will be an experience to witness her talent."[36] Komal Nahta of Koimoi gave it 3 out of 5 stars and said, "Mere Brother Ki Dulhan has reasonable entertainment value, very good music, exciting song picturisations which will all result in a good run at the box-office", but " The screenplay dips at a few places; a few comic scenes seem forced."[37] Rishitu Amarnani of India Forums rated it 3 out of 5 stars saying, "Mere Brother Ki Dulhan is a light entertainer. It doesn't promise or provide anything extra-ordinary. The film does dip at places, however, it has its mature performances, appropriate direction, entertaining music and Imran-Katrina's fresh pairing as its plus points. Overall, it's a likeable one-time watch." [38] Sukanya Verma of Rediff rated it 2.5 out of 5 stars and said, "At the end of the day, Mere Brother Ki Dulhan is a pretty ordinary effort. It's the kind of movie where everyone looks catalogue cool and beams with enthusiasm to make the going-ons appear droll and exciting."[39] Kaveree Bamzai of India Today also gave it 2.5 stars and wrote, "A large part of the film is a spoof--from Dabangg to My Name Is Khan. Some of it also an ode--from Padosan to Mughal e Azam. Some of it works, a lot of it doesn't."[40] Review from Movie Talkies Says"There are points in 'Mere Brother Ki Dulhan' when you can't really remember whether the girl yapping away on screen is still Dimple Dixit or has she suddenly turned into Geet Dhillon. In case you need your memory jogged, Geet Dhillon was the ultra-talkative, mildly insane, all-around good girl character, played to perfection by Kareena Kapoor in 'Jab We Met'. Dimple, on the other hand, is the name of Katrina Kaif's character and the titular 'Dulhan' of 'MBKD'. They rated the movie with 3 stars."[41] Gaurav Malani of The Times of India wrote, "The screenplay fails to tap the little potential that the story offers (esp. in the second half) pretty much like the film fails to exploit the talent of Ali Zafar. The writing is shallow and resorts to a convenient climax."[42] Krita Coelho of Gulf News rated it "e+" and wrote, " Watch if you're a sucker for a sweet Bollywood romance."[43] Reuters wrote, "If you are willing to ignore some flaws", Mere Brother Ki Dulhan "is a fun good one-time watch."[44] Rahul Gangwani from Filmfare gave it 2 out of 5 stars and called it Knot recommend however he praised the performance of the lead actress and added: "the film ultimately belongs to Katrina Kaif. She sparkles, sizzles and infuses energy into the film. Watch out for the scene where she breaks into the shehnai rendition from Ashutosh Gowariker Swades." [45] Rajeev Masand in his review for CNN-IBN called the film too predictable and said: "The film doesn't always work because it relies too heavily on silly stereotypes and clichés, and because you can see exactly where it's going from the moment you settle into your seat. I'm going with two out of five for director Ali Abbas Zafar's 'Mere Brother Ki Dulhan'. Aside from a few enjoyable moments, this film recycles so much that you've already seen before." Hamara Bollywood [46] gave the film 4 out of 5 stars and said that Katrina Kaif's performance alone 'is worth paying the admission price' [47] Aniruddha Guha of Daily News and Analysis gave the film 1 star(s) and said "The brief must have been clear: ‘Don’t use your brains, just do what we’ve been doing for years now. It worked the last time; it’ll probably work again. If not, we’ll try again the next time.’ That’s perseverance."[48]
Mere Brother Ki Dulhan has had a good opening with first day of 7.50 crore net,[49] It had a good first weekend of 25.50 crore net.[50] the film held up well on Monday with business of the 3.75 crore net mark, taking its four day business to Rs 29 crore net.[51] It grossed Rs 38 crores net in the first week of its release. It was declared a hit after its net gross totalled 57.25 Crore in 3 weeks. At the end of its theatrical run the film netted 94 crore worldwide.[52]
| Mere Brother Ki Dulhan | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Soundtrack album by Sohail Sen | ||||
| Released | 9 August 2011 | |||
| Recorded | 2011 YRF Studios, Saba Studio Mumbai, India |
|||
| Genre | Feature film soundtrack | |||
| Length | 35:51 | |||
| Label | YRF Music | |||
| Producer | Sohail Sen | |||
| Sohail Sen chronology | ||||
|
||||
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Bollywood Hungama | [53] |
The score and soundtrack of the film is composed by Sohail Sen, best known for being the man behind the music of What's Your Raashee?.[54] Lyrics are penned by Irshad Kamil. Ali Zafar sings one song in the film.[55] The music was released on 9 August 2011. The album contains six original tracks and two remixes.
| Track listing | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Artist(s) | Length | ||||||
| 1. | "Mere Brother Ki Dulhan" | KK (Additional Vocals: Krishna Beura) |
4:24 | ||||||
| 2. | "Dhunki" | Neha Bhasin | 4:17 | ||||||
| 3. | "Choomantar" | Benny Dayal, Aditi Singh Sharma | 4:20 | ||||||
| 4. | "Isq Risk" | Rahat Fateh Ali Khan | 4:54 | ||||||
| 5. | "Madhubala" | Ali Zafar, Shweta Pandit | 4:22 | ||||||
| 6. | "Do Dhaari Talwaar" | Shahid Mallya, Shweta Pandit | 5:00 | ||||||
| 7. | "Choomantar" (Remix) | Benny Dayal, Aditi Singh Sharma | 3:42 | ||||||
| 8. | "Isq Risk" (Risky Mix) | Sreerama Chandra, Neha Bhasin | 4:39 | ||||||
|
Total length:
|
35:51 | ||||||||
Music of the film got positive to mixed reviews from the critics. Joginder Tuteja of Bollywood Hungama rated the album favourably, awarding it 3.5/5, stating "Mere Brother Ki Dulhan is a winning album by all means and has in it to be widely popular in days to come. As expected, the entire soundtrack follows a fun approach without anything becoming overtly mushy or mellow. Composer Sohail Sen can be assured that he would now have a successful soundtrack to his name as well that would find a wide audience for itself."[53] Nikhil Hemrajani of Hindustan Times wrote, "That all eight songs in Mere Brother Ki Dulhan’s (MBKD) soundtrack are high-energy thumpers probably makes sense for the coming festive season. But there’s nothing special about the music, so to speak."[56]