‘Do Deewane Seher Mein’ movie review: A reluctant nod to imperfect love

When the trailer of Ravi Udaywar’s romantic drama Do Deewane Seher Mein surfaced online, one was hooked to the tune of Gulzar’s melancholic Do Deewane (Gharaonda), searching for home and sustenance all over again. The haunting voice of Bhupinder Singh and the melody in Runa Laila’s timbre continue to capture the dreams, hope, and loneliness that lovebirds face in big cities. However, it turns out that old gold is being refashioned to win over a new audience, but the carat is compromised in the process.

While the original was a stark, middle-class morality tale about housing desperation and disillusionment in Bombay, the new film shifts to a softer, personal lens that doesn’t carry the moral weight of the title it flaunts.

It starts as the story of two socially awkward millennials in Mumbai who don’t know how to market themselves in a see-me society and in a hear-me workplace. Hailing from Patna, Shashank (Siddhant Chaturvedi) is in a marketing job but suffers from a speech impediment, common among people from the Hindi heartland, where his ‘sh’ is reduced to ‘s’. This explains the missing ‘h’ in the title.

A content creator, Roshni (Mrunal Thakur), works in a fashion magazine but is conscious of her features and body type: no nail art, no contact lenses. The film suggests that arranged marriage is the way out for such boys and girls. So, their parents bring them together, and over the next couple of hours, Shashank and Roshni heal each other’s complexes and, in the process, teach us that imperfections are fine.

Though shot tastefully, the screenwriting and treatment are bland and overstretched. It is a Sanjay Leela Bhansali production where the flaws are charming, but the spark is missing. And the words that add spice to the proceedings have been muted. Conversations on body positivity and inclusivity in fashion are not new. Similarly, with the advent of private news channels, the purity of language is no longer a concern in living rooms and boardrooms. So when the makers hang the story on the twin pegs, the conflict seems overstated.

The mental block, though real, remains on paper. When Shashank suggests what seems easy to others, it becomes a mountain to climb for him; it rings a bell, but the sentiment seldom seeps through the screen to grip you. While it avoids being overly melodramatic, it also shies away from deeper confrontation with the city’s harsher realities. It seems the protagonists and their problems are planted in a world they don’t belong to.

Perhaps, newcomers from mofussil towns making their way in Mumbai would have been a better way to explore the idea but the makers perhaps feel that the multiplex audience won’t be able to face reality during the Valentine’s week. 

In the absence of solid material, Siddhant and Mrunal fail to generate any tangible frisson. The big spectacles, and the stutter in speech seldom feel lived in. When they don’t become characters, it becomes difficult to believe in Shashank and Roshni’s lack of confidence.

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Mrunal doesn’t seem to be conscious of her looks. In fact, she looks chic. Her insecurities look silly and out of place. Apart from the occasional stutter, Siddhant looks like a cool dude living in a sea-facing apartment. The complex about speech doesn’t reflect in his personality, and the cure he gets was always with him. The support cast has some big names, but they all play along as if a pay cheque is the only motivation.

When the writing doesn’t fully trust its premise of introspective character study, it leans on convenient emotional beats or predictable insecurities rather than letting the awkwardness breathe longer. Too quiet, too safe!

Do Deewane Seher Mein is currently running in theatres.

Published – February 20, 2026 06:30 pm IST