Dil Dhadakne Do: Why the film is a must watch

Zoya Akhtar's recently released film, Dil Dhadakne Do, has been receiving a very positive word-of-mouth and is going strong at the box office. Apart from the entire cast of the film , Pluto Mehra, the bullmastiff, has also been getting loads of puppy love from viewers. News is that the dog has been loved so much by the audience that the demand for this particular breed has been increased extensively. Since the film's release, the bullmastiff has suddenly become really popular with pet lovers across the globe and the sales of this breed have increased. Zoya is also getting frequent calls, from people around her informing her about the news. "I just hope everyone who gets a dog, or for that matter any pet, treats it like a member of the family. Dogs are loving, loyal, intelligent and sensitive beings and people should only adopt one if they can honour the relationship like the Mehras do," says Zoya. Pluto was Zoya’s co-writer Reema Kagti's idea and since both of them have dogs for pets, they decided that they would give the Mehras one too. The dog was already well-trained and had done several commercials earlier. His owner is his trainer and that made shooting with him easy. But on the sets, Zoya still gave him the space to be himself. The set was kept as empty and quiet as possible when Pluto was around. And the makers would just shoot him doing what he was doing and edit around it and if Pluto was not in the mood, they did not shoot with him.

Check out the Amul poster advertisement of Dil Dhadakne Do, where Pluto is the star...

The Amul poster advertisements based on current affairs are always a treat to watch. After all, who would not like the cute Amul girl to interpret the burning issues in her own ‘buttery’ way. The girl with a cute pigtail also takes immense interest in day-to-day happenings of Bollywood. After Piku and Tanu Weds Manu Returns, she now presents her view on Zoya Akhtar’s Dil Dhadakne Do. Dressed like Priyanka Chopra’s character Ayesha Mehra from the film, the brand mascot is accompanied by Pluto Mehra, the beloved dog of Mehras. The ad is satirically captioned ‘Dil Dhadogne Do’.

While Amul’s take on DDD is indeed a hilarious one, Pluto Mehra has joined Twitter to interact with his followers. Read more…

The cutest member from Dil Dhadakne Do's Mehra family is on Twitter. Pluto Mehra, the adorable bull mastiff, is on the micro-blogging website to chat with his fans and followers. The official Twitter account of the film, @DDDTheFilm, changed its name to Pluto Mehra. The surprise move immediately got the Tweetizens interested and this made #PlutoMehra one of the top trending topics on Twitter. Pluto's first tweet read, "Hi, I'm #PlutoMehra, the coolest member of the Mehra family! @RanveerOfficial @priyankachopra @ShefaliShah_ @AnilKapoor." [sic] He then asked followers to chat with him and no, while in the film, Aamir Khan provides the voice-over for the dog, the dog wasn't a pseudo name for Aamir Khan.

Pluto's move comes as no surprise considering the film's popularity online. Read on to find out who is the most famous family member from amongst the Mehra family...

Having grossed close to Rs 50 crore at the box-office in its five-day run, Dil Dhadakne Do has turned out to be a hit at the ticket windows. But that’s not the only place where Zoya Akhtar’s comedy-drama is doing well. It’s a hit on social media too with a total of 1,84,352 mentions over a week, according to Germin8 Social Intelligence, a social media analytics and engagement site.

Now that you know that DDD is a hit in the virtual world, you would definitely like to know who among the ensemble cast of the film is the most mentioned on social media. Well, it is not Ranveer Singh. It isn’t Anushka Sharma either. It is Priyanka Chopra with 29,763 mentions, followed by Ranveer who was mentioned 21,572 times! Anushka Sharma fetched a decent 17,077 mentions while Farhan Akhtar got 13,418 mentions. The social media also took interest in seniors actors Anil Kapoor and Shefali Shah, who got 12,848 and 4762 mentions respectively. Without even making a screen-appearance, Aamir Khan’s role of a narrator earned him close to 7000 mentions.

With these eye-opening numbers, read further to find out why DDD is a must watch…

One of the most sought after films of 2015, Dil Dhadakne Do, is finally in theaters and movie maniacs are raving about it. The film has collected a decent Rs 36 crore over its first weekend, which is enough to prove the love and appreciation it is getting from the audience. The film has also been received well by industry insiders and film critics. And all this is not without a reason. Zoya Akhtar’s comedy drama is indeed a summer treat and there are plenty of reasons that make the film, a must watch. Here’s listing out some of them…

Aamir Khan as Pluto the dog: What’s Aamir Khan doing in Dil Dhadakne Do? For those of you who haven’t seen the movie or haven’t been following it closely, B-town’s perfectionist was rumoured to be part of the film. But it wasn’t clear as to what role would he play, considering the fact that the actor was nowhere in sight aboard the cruise with the Mehras. Well, Aamir has a crucial role to play in DDD. Not of an actor but that of the narrator. Mr. Perfectionist is the voice of Pluto, the beloved dog of the Mehra family. Pluto smartly observes human behavior and considers himself the only ‘normal’ member of the Mehra family. While it is amusing to see a dog expressing himself in human voice, his logical thinking is an eye-opener. Javed Akhtar has penned the dialogues for Pluto.

Ranveer- Priyanka’s chemistry: Cool brother-sister duos are a rarity in Bollywood. Dil Dhadakne Do, fortunately, is one of those films, where the sweet and sour relationship has been explored at length. It goes beyond those pillow fights and wrestling for that extra spoon of ice-cream. The siblings share a bond that is real and very non-filmy. It has none of the trappings of a typical, saccharine pair of siblings. The chemistry between Ranveer Singh and Priyanka Chopra, who have earlier played a romantic couple in Gunday, is unmatchable. Every time they come on the screen, you have a reason to smile.

Anil Kapoor-Shefali Shah: Anil Kapoor plays a character that is 20 years elder to his real age. Looking handsome in the salt-and-pepper look, Anil’s character is the soul of the film. In a film boasting of the most good looking ensemble cast, Anil’s character stands out. Equally magical is Shefali Shah’s screen-presence. She has a different set of expressions for each of the characters she deals with. Not even for a second do you feel that Kamal Mehra played by Anil Kapoor and Neelam Mehra played by Shefali Shah, is an on-screen couple. They look so real!

Breathtaking cinematography: Set on a cruise, each and every shot of DDD is breathtaking. Shot by ace cinematographer, Carlos Catalon, who has also worked on Zoya’s previous films, Luck By Chance and Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, the chemistry between the director and cinematographer comes through in the brilliant scenes they create together. If you missed out on the chance to sail on azure waters of the open seas, this might be the cheapest alternative.

Conveys it all without being preachy: While the trailers of the film made it seem like a light-hearted, entertaining watch, it certainly is much more than that. The film makes a hard-hitting point on gender equality. DDD also suggests that children be given the freedom to choose the career of their choice and marry the person they really want to. It also delves into the dark human traits like greed, jealousy and infidelity, albeit in a non-preachy manner. DDD is one of those exceptional movies where you sport a bright smile on your face while fighting tears.