Dono

Story: Two strangers nursing broken hearts meet at a lavish destination wedding in Thailand. As they foster a friendship, they help each other heal and move on. Will their companionship lead to a new chapter in their lives?

Review: The story opens with a young entrepreneur, Dev Saraf (Rajveer Deol), struggling to keep his startup afloat. Besides the professional ordeal, he faces a setback in his personal life when he is invited to his best friend and childhood crush, Alina’s (Kanikka Kapur) wedding. He reluctantly heads for the lavish destination shaadi in Thailand and hopes to get closure. Although miserable about losing the game of love, he participates in all the celebrations for her sake. The ‘friend of the dulhan’ meets the groom’s bestie, Meghna Doshi (Paloma Dhillon), who has recently broken up with her boyfriend, Gaurav (Aditya Nanda), and sparks fly between them.

First-time director Avnish Barjatya’s venture is the quintessential bright and colourful wedding soiree that his father Sooraj Barjatya’s banner is famed for. The modern destination wedding includes games and hip parties, a romantic proposal, shenanigans of youngsters, and more. But more than this, it’s a sweet love story that has more than just romance. It takes a look at the confidence with which the new generation deals with relationships and expectations they find stifling. As Meghna realises she deserves better than being gaslit by an overbearing partner no matter how much she loves him, Alina maturely addresses expectations from a good bahu that may not align with her freedom and individuality. And these are portrayed in a matter-of-fact manner without seeming overly dramatic or confrontational.

Whether at the plush wedding venue, the pristine beaches or the streets of Thailand, the movie is a visual treat. Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy’s music is replete with wedding and dance beats in Khamma Ghani and Agg Lagdi and the title by Armaan Malik is hummable, though some tracks stretch the movie’s length.

Rajveer Deol and Paloma Dhillon make an impactful debut with great screen presence and pull off their respective roles well. The duo has an easy on-screen chemistry as new friends and confidantes, and it’s a delight to see them together. Rohan Khurana as Alina’s to-be husband and Aditya Nanda also deliver decent performances.

The film seems a tad overstretched at 156 minutes, and many festivities slow it down further intermittently. The romantic saga is refreshing in the times of edgy dramas, however, it will only appeal to those who have an appetite for warm and fuzzy love stories.