Hindi
An average rom-com with limited appeal
Mumbai : Looking at Mere Brother Ki Dulhan, it becomes obvious that the writer-director Ali Abbas Zafar is a film buff and has acquired most of his story telling from the films he watched.
The theme was earlier made as Devar in mid 1960s with Dharmendra and Deven Verma, where one looks for a match for the other.
Imran Khan has an elder brother, Ali Zafar, aptly called Bhaisaab, living in London. He sets the tone for the story by ending his five-year-old romance, thereafter wanting to settle down and, hence, asking Imran to look for a bride for him; he sort of identifies with his younger brother‘s choice! After a mandatory montage of some hardly tolerable faces as prospective brides, finally it is the bride‘s family who reaches him.
The eligible girl is Katrina Kaif, born and brought up in London, who swings between two personas; a guitar strumming, torn jeans bold girl on the move, she is ready to be domesticated for, as she says, if a girl was still single after 25, tongues would wag. Imran has encountered the bold and wild Katrina earlier and as the families are preparing for the wedding, Imran and Katrina come closer and soon realise they love each other.
So far so good, it is all fun and joy. The pair weighs many ideas to avoid the inevitable wedding between Ali Zafar and Katrina Kaif. While she wants to elope, Imran wants to find an honourable way out. From here on, Mere Brother ki Dulhan becomes one tryingly winding film with many attempted comic scenes and cliché sequences like a bhaang song, dug up from old hits. The wedding changes venues as the bride changes too.
Ali Zafar‘s Patel girlfriend from UK is brought down, his romance for her rekindled and they marry, paving the way for Imran-Katrina romance to flourish and since all preparations are made, they should marry too. One thought this was the happy ending but, no, the director thinks he still has one smart gimmick up his sleeve. Both fathers fight, exchange insults and call off Imran-Katrina‘s marriage, adding a senseless extra sequence and stretching the film further.
With a script that can go in any direction, Mere Brother Ki Dulhan is generally a rehash of most things seen on screen before.
Direction lacks inspiration, the treatment is cliché filled; how does one depict Katrina to be a fun-loving, outgoing bindaas girl? Well, she strums on a guitar, gathers crowds around her and generally keeps waving from a car or scooter like a mobile traffic cop!
Musically the film has two decent numbers in ‘O Malang……‘ and ‘Madhubala…‘ Dialogue is routine. Performance wise, Imran Khan passes muster more because of his role than the acting. Katrina Kaif overdoes her chulbuli fun loving girl and is loud at times. Ali Zafar is good in a brief role. Tara D‘ Souza is not up to the mark, Kanwaljit and Parikshat Shahni are okay.
Mere Brother Ki Dulahn is an average rom-com with a very limited appeal.
Hindi
Dhurandhar 2 hit by YouTube leak amid record box office run
Cam-rip surfaces online but blockbuster streak continues at record pace
MUMBAI: It has been a dramatic week for Dhurandhar: The Revenge. Even as the espionage thriller smashes box office records, a piracy scare briefly threatened to steal its thunder after a full-length version surfaced on YouTube.
The leak emerged on March 30 via a channel titled “A2z movie”, which uploaded what appeared to be a cam-recorded print of the film. Clocking in at nearly three hours and 49 minutes, the footage was reportedly blurry but complete enough to spark spoilers and fan outrage online.
Soon after, users on X began flagging the issue, explicitly naming the “A2z movie” channel in their posts while tagging the film’s makers and urging swift legal action. Fans of director Aditya Dhar and lead star Ranveer Singh were particularly vocal, helping the issue gain rapid traction.
Within hours, the video was taken down, likely through a mix of platform detection systems and intervention by producers Jio Studios and B62 Studios.
Despite the leak, the film’s theatrical run remains virtually unshaken. As of March 31, the sequel has raked in an estimated Rs 872.17 crore net in India, with worldwide collections soaring to Rs 1,392.23 crore. Its Hindi opening day alone brought in Rs 102.55 crore, setting a new benchmark.
In a notable milestone, the film has matched Pushpa 2 as the fastest Indian release to cross the Rs 1,000 crore mark globally, achieving the feat in just seven days.
Interestingly, the version leaked online is believed to be an earlier cut. Midway through its theatrical run, the makers issued revised prints after eagle-eyed viewers spotted a fleeting editing error involving a cameraman’s reflection. The corrected version now plays across cinemas, adding an unusual twist to the film’s release journey.
Directed by Aditya Dhar, the high-stakes sequel stars Ranveer Singh alongside Sanjay Dutt, R. Madhavan, Arjun Rampal and Sara Arjun. The film has drawn praise for its scale and action sequences, though some critics have pointed to its intense violence and layered political themes.
For now, piracy may have made noise, but it has not slowed the juggernaut. If anything, the episode underlines the film’s cultural grip, proving that even a leak cannot derail a box office storm already in full force.
