Dilkhush (2023)

Dilkhush follows the story of eight individuals who find themselves in the loop of urban melancholy. Discovering love with the help of AI makes their ordinary lives extraordinary. At first glance, Dilkhush might be seen as yet another romantic film featuring multiple romances on the lines of Love Actually or Life in a Metro. However, director Rahool Mukherjee doesn’t experiment much, resulting in four relationships that seem to be ‘perfect’. But perfection comes with a price, and that is where the narration truly takes off.It takes a bit of convincing for the story to sit right and therefore the app itself seems to match very few individuals who seem to have little choice in finding the ‘perfect partner’ for each other, without considering much else than interest. In it, an ageing actor finds a home chef struggling with her business, a confirmed bachelor meets a merry widow, while a camgirl finds love in a yet-to-be-divorced night watchman and a social media influencer finds herself matched with a serious researcher.Opposites attract – maybe that’s how easy and simple the filmmaker Dilkhush wanted to keep these relationships, exploring the chemistry in these while finding a solution to the problems at hand and giving space to each relationship. However, a rushed storyline with some deliberate omissions make the relationships seem a bit too forced at times. Aparajita Adhya and Kharaj Mukherjee fit in perfectly as the homemaker and the actor. Ananya Sen as Adhya’s daughter Putul is a striking addition to the cast and delivers an entirely believable and complex performance that is crucial to the film’s progress. Paran Bandyopadhyay and Anashua Majumdar add a sweet, romantic aspect to the drama that’s rather adorable to watch, while Aishwarya Sen is a surprising and welcome addition to the cast, playing the role of a young social media influencer.There are many surprises in this mixed bag of love, but perhaps the film rushes through the drama too much to highlight certain important moments. There are also some wildly unbelievable sequences that make one question the entire premise. That is why perhaps Madhumita and Soham’s story remains unconvincing. Even the ending seems to be rushed and almost too convenient. Music is decent if not memorable, while cinematography is crisp and nostalgia-inducing, making Dilkhush a nice weekend watch with friends and family.