Cricket,
like
Bollywood,
is
an
addiction
for
a
wide
majority
of
Indians.
Dil
Bole
Hadippa
tries
to
capture
the
spirit
of
the
game
and
the
aspirations
of
a
sportsperson,
who's
keen
to
play
for
her
pind.
On
paper,
the
concept,
which
bears
an
uncanny
resemblance
to
She's
the
Man,
sounds
interesting,
but
the
problem
is
its
writing,
which
is
tame
and
mediocre.
Let's
elaborate.
The
plusses,
first...
It's
mandatory
for
cricket-based
films
like
Lagaan
and
Victory,
which
conclude
with
a
cricket
match,
to
have
a
thrilling
finish.
Dil
Bole
Hadippa
too
has
a
awe-inspiring
end.
Also,
the
story
of
an
ordinary
girl
who
aspires
to
play
cricket
for
the
national
team
is
motivating,
with
Rani
Mukherjee
handling
her
part
with
complete
understanding.
But
there's
a
flipside
too.
The
romantic
moments
between
Rani
and
Shahid
Kapoor
lack
fizz.
Even
the
assorted
characters
in
the
film,
like
Sherlyn
Chopra,
Vrajesh
Hirjee
and
Rakhi
Sawant,
contribute
nothing
to
the
film.
They're
mere
props.
Final
word?
You
expect
Dil
Bole
Hadippa
to
score
a
century,
like
several
films
churned
out
by
Yash
Raj.
But
it
settles
down
in
the
half-century
range.
Strictly
average!
Veera
[Rani
Mukherji]
is
a
fire-cracker
of
a
girl
who
lives
in
a
small
village,
but
chases
big
dreams.
She
works
in
a
local
theatre
group,
but
dreams
of
playing
cricket
in
the
big
league.
Yes,
believe
it
or
not,
she
wants
to
play
with
Tendulkar
and
Dhoni
for
India.
While
Veera
dreams
on
in
India,
Rohan
[Shahid
Kapoor]
is
an
accomplished
captain
of
a
county
cricket
team
in
England.
Rohan
returns
to
India
to
captain
his
father's
cricket
team,
which
has
been
losing
consecutively
for
the
last
8
years.
In
a
village
where
girls
don't
play
cricket,
Veera
has
to
put
on
a
turban
and
beard
and
become
a
man
to
fulfil
her
dreams.
Her
brilliance
on
the
field
earns
her
a
place
in
Rohan's
team
and
Veera
Kaur
becomes
Veer
Pratap
Singh.
But
what
happens
when
the
secret
is
out?
Dil
Bole
Hadippa
has
a
patchy
script.
It's
interesting
initially,
but
takes
the
beaten
path
later.
Rani's
obsession
for
cricket
is
well
established
at
the
outset.
So
is
the
friendship
between
Anupam
Kher
and
Dalip
Tahil
[who
heads
the
Pakistani
team].
Also,
the
initial
scenes
between
Anupam
and
Shahid
are
well
integrated
in
the
story.
The
film
shows
promise
when
Rani
transforms
from
Veera
to
Veer.
All
this
happens
in
the
initial
20-25
minutes,
but
the
story
comes
to
a
screeching
halt
thereafter.
Problem
begins...
Shahid
loses
his
heart
to
Rani
and
the
film
suddenly
turns
into
a
love
story.
Sherlyn
surfaces
in
between
to
spice
up
the
proceedings,
but
nothing
happens.
The
conflict
during
the
finale
-
when
Shahid
learns
the
truth
-
doesn't
make
the
desired
impact
either.
Even
the
re-emergence
of
the
mother
[Poonam
Dhillon]
in
the
story
looks
like
a
complete
compromise
from
the
writing
point
of
view.
However,
the
match
between
the
Indian
and
Pakistani
teams
in
the
climax
is
well
executed
and
though
the
viewer
is
well
aware
what
the
ending
would
be,
it
keeps
you
hooked
nonetheless.
Unfortunately,
the
final
speech
by
Rani
[after
the
match
is
won]
is
outright
predictable.
The
film
would've
benefitted
with
an
innovative
end.
Anurag
Singh
shows
sparks
of
brilliance
at
times,
but
how
one
wishes
the
debutante
director
and
his
writers
would've
come
up
with
a
solid
script.
Pritam's
music
doesn't
help
either.
Barring
the
title
track,
the
balance
songs
are
plain
average.
Cinematography
is
nice.
Dil
Bole
Hadippa
belongs
to
Rani
and
as
always,
she
delivers
a
sparkling
performance
as
Veera
as
well
as
Veer,
carrying
both
the
roles
effortlessly.
Shahid
plays
second
fiddle
to
Rani,
which
is
very
surprising.
Nevertheless,
he
enacts
his
part
well.
Anupam
Kher
and
Dalip
Tahil
lend
decent
support.
Poonam
Dhillon
has
nothing
to
do.
Rakhi
Sawant
and
Sherlyn
Chopra
are
wasted.
Vrajesh
Hirjee
is
passable.
Shri
Vallabh
Vyas
does
well.
On
the
whole,
Dil
Bole
Hadippa
is
an
ordinary
fare.
At
the
box-office,
the
film
has
some
chances
in
North
mainly
thanks
to
the
Punjabi
flavour.
The
holidays
ahead
may
help
its
prospects
at
multiplexes
essentially,
but
the
single
screens
will
be
dull.