Star Cast: Abhishek Bachchan, Inayat Verma, Nora Fatehi
Director: Remo Dsouza
Be Happy Movie Review Synopsis:
BE HAPPY is the story of a father and a daughter. Shiv Rastogi (Abhishek A Bachchan) lives in Ooty with his daughter Dhara (Inayat Verma) and father-in-law Mr Nadar (Nasser). His wife Rohini (Harleen Sethi) died in an accident and ever since, Shiv has been depressed. Dhara is passionate about dancing and wins the contest in her school. The judge at the contest is the popular dancer and dance instructor Maggie (Nora Fatehi) and she invites Dhara to join her dance academy in Mumbai. Maggie wishes to train Dhara well so that she can get shortlisted for the popular dance contest, ‘India’s Superstar Dancer’. Shiv, at first, refuses as he doesn’t take Dhara’s dance passion seriously. But Dhara remains adamant and Nadar also pushes him. Hence, he agrees. Shiv and Dhara, thus, move to Mumbai on a temporary basis. Thanks to her immense talent, Dhara becomes the top dancer at ‘India’s Superstar Dancer’. All is going well until she is asked to dance with a family member for the ‘Family Round’. What happens next forms the rest of the film.
Be Happy Movie Story Review:
Remo Dsouza’s story is different from his other dance films. Tushar Hiranandani, Remo Dsouza, Kanishka Singh Deo and Chirag Garg’s screenplay is a bit weak in the first half but then leaves a mark, especially in the emotional scenes. Kanishka Singh Deo and Chirag Garg’s dialogues are witty and they sweetly bring out the banter between the father and daughter and daughter and her nana.
Remo Dsouza’s direction is simple. Like always, he peppers the film with relatable conflicts, humour, drama, music and of course, lots of dance. The characters of Dhara and Shiv are well fleshed out and the viewers will instantly get invested in their story. The trailer gives a bit too much of the story but thankfully, the makers didn’t divulge the main conflict. Hence, when it unfolds on screen, it comes as a jolt and that’s where the film gets immensely touching and moving. The finale is lovely.
Be Happy – Official Trailer | Abhishek Bachchan | Prime Video India
On the flipside, things happen very conveniently in the first half, from Dhara winning the school contest to being shortlisted for ‘India’s Superstar Dancer’. The makers probably wanted to keep the major obstacles for Dhara in the second half. Yet, there’s not much of a challenge for Dhara, except convincing her father. Viewers anyway knew that he’d agree and hence, the first half is entirely predictable. The second half is way better but even here, the narrative gets dragged. The Ganapati song will stand out individually but as part of the film, it seems forced. The film ends a bit abruptly and one wishes the makers had informed viewers what happened to the characters. Lastly, the recital of a poem during the end credits gives a very heavy feeling and it doesn’t go well with the otherwise uplifting finale.
Be Happy Movie Review Performances:
Abhishek A Bachchan, as always, puts his best foot forward and keeps his act subtle. He gets better in the second half and yet again proves why he’s a supremely talented performer. Inayat Verma is the life of the film and she dominates all the other actors in several scenes. Her dance moves are killer. Interestingly, she and Abhishek have teamed up for the second time after LUDO [2020]. Nasser is adorable. Nora Fatehi delivers an impressive performance. Harleen Sethi leaves a mark in a cameo. Johny Lever (Gopi) and Sanchit Chanana (Prem) are funny. Rupali Krishnan (Kusum; neighbour) is okay. Jay Bhanushali, Punit J Pathak, Salman Yusuff Khan, Elli AvrRam and Sonali Bendre play themselves and are fine.
Be Happy movie music and other technical aspects:
Harsh Upadhyay’s music won’t have a shelf life but is well woven into the narrative, except ‘Raja’. The ones that work are ‘Sultana’, ‘Devi Aayi’, ‘Superstar’, ‘Mere Papa’ and ‘Dream’. Harsh Upadhyay’s background score is better.
Vijay Kumar Arora’s cinematography is impressive. Rahul Shetty’s choreography is stunning. Denish Hamirani’s costumes are realistic while Jerry Dsouza’s performance costumes are flashy. Tanvi Leena Patil’s production design is appropriate. Sherwin Bernard’s editing could have been slicker.
Be Happy Movie Review Conclusion:
On the whole, BE HAPPY works due to the performances of Abhishek A Bachchan and Inayat Verma and the strong emotional moments in the second half.