Film
Dum Laga Ke Haisha
- Romantic comedy
- Light-hearted
A romantic comedy about an arranged marriage between a judgmental man and a woman he initially dismisses for her weight. It's warm and funny, genuinely interested in both characters' inner lives, and refuses easy targets. For anyone who loves Bollywood romance with actual stakes and a partner who refuses to shrink herself for love.
Should you watch it?
Watch it if you like comedy that finds warmth in awkward, unglamorous people and lets a flimsy premise turn quietly tender, the way ordinary marriages and rivalries actually feel from the inside.
Skip it if you need your comedy quick and sharp, since the jokes arrive gently and the story takes its time getting to its strongest scenes, so restless viewers may drift.
What it asks of you: Roughly two hours of unhurried everyday life, with plenty of heart and a middle stretch that lingers longer than the plot strictly needs.
Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.
If you liked this
Toilet: A Love Story2017
Ayushmann Khurrana again, in another film that wraps social commentary inside genuine romantic warmth. The premise is absurd, the execution is tender, and it never talks down to its audience or its subject matter.
But It's about toilet habits and rural sanitation, which can feel didactic if you're not in the mood for Bollywood's particular brand of message cinema.
Badhaai Ho2018
An older couple's unexpected pregnancy mortifies their adult son. It's a sitcom premise that becomes genuinely moving—funny without being cruel, explicit without being crude, and deeply affectionate about every character.
But The humor hinges on sex and bodily functions. If that isn't your lane, nothing here will win you over.
Shubh Mangal Saavdhan2017
A couple navigating erectile dysfunction with comedy, honesty, and real affection. It takes a subject Bollywood usually avoids and makes it both funny and tender without ever becoming a lecture.
But The entire movie is about sex dysfunction. If you need your rom-coms to pretend that aspect of relationships doesn't exist, this will feel relentless.
Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Dum Laga Ke Haisha
The wildcard
Something you would not have found on your own.
C.I.D.1990
Both are Bollywood films unafraid to let their characters be flawed and their emotions sincere; both trust that honesty and absurdity can coexist in the same frame.
A wild, unhinged Bollywood thriller that exists in its own logic—camp and sincere at once, with action sequences that defy physics. It's what happens when a Hindi film stops trying to be respectable and just commits to pure invention.
But The plot is genuinely incoherent and the acting is theatrical to the point of parody. If you need your films to make logical sense, you will be frustrated immediately.
More like this (8)
Piku2015
Deepika Padukone and Amitabh Bachchan in a film about aging, bodily reality, and stubborn love. It's messy and human and funny because these people are real, not because of jokes landing.
But It's slow and digressive, more interested in character than plot momentum. Some find it wandering; others find it perfect.
Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge1995
The template for modern Bollywood romance: a love that survives doubt, family, and distance. It's gorgeous, earnest, and still feels alive because Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol genuinely seem to like each other.
But It's three hours long, and the pacing is 1995. You'll wait for plot to happen. Also genuinely sexist in ways even generous rewatching can't entirely excuse.
Vicky Donor2012
A film about sperm donation that treats its subject with humor and dignity. Ayushmann Khurrana's debut—he's charming, the jokes land, and it doesn't condescend to its own premise or its audience.
But The comedy is very reliant on bodily fluids and fertility jokes. If scatological humor exhausts you, you'll be worn down by halfway through.
Bareilly Ki Barfi2017
A woman distributes an erotic novel to fix her single status, and everything gets delightfully complicated. It's funny, the leads have chemistry, and it actually likes the woman's appetites instead of punishing them.
But The plot becomes increasingly convoluted. By the third act, you're watching because you love these people, not because the story makes sense.
Mimi2021
A young woman becomes a surrogate mother and refuses to disappear into noble sacrifice. It's funny and sad and angry all at once, and Kriti Sanon is brilliant—raw and funny and never less than fully human.
But The subject matter is heavy: infertility, class, bodily autonomy. It earns the laughs by never letting you forget the weight underneath.
Article 152019
A police officer investigates caste-based violence with rage and growing disillusionment. Ayushmann Khurrana in a role that asks him to break his usual charm. It's urgent and important and genuinely unsettling.
But It's not a romance or a light drama—it's angry and specific about Indian caste violence. If you want escapism, this will feel like being lectured at.
Pride & Prejudice2005
Both center on a couple who initially misjudge each other, and both believe that real love requires seeing who someone actually is, not who you assumed them to be.
Elizabeth Bennet refuses to marry for anything but genuine affection, and the film is alive with the tension of two people slowly recognizing each other. It's witty, romantic, and genuinely about the work of actually knowing someone.
But It's a period romance in English, which means if you were expecting Bollywood conventions, the entire register will feel foreign and slow.
Everything Everywhere All at Once2022
Both films are fundamentally about people choosing to love each other despite—or because of—seeing all their flaws clearly. Both trust that acceptance and absurdity are not opposites.
A joyous, chaotic multiverse film where an ordinary woman becomes extraordinary. It's visually inventive, absurdly funny, and genuinely moving about parent-child relationships and acceptance.
But It's American indie sci-fi maximalism. If you watch it for a calm romance, you'll be overwhelmed by the form and the weirdness.
People
Cast
Bhumi PednekarSandhya Verma
Ayushmann KhurranaPrem Prakash Tiwari
Sheeba ChaddhaNain Tara
Sanjay MishraChandrabhan Tiwari
Seema PahwaSubhadra Rani
Shrikant VermaShakha Babu
Alka AminSashi Tiwari
Kumar SanuHimself
Chandrachoor RaiNirmal- V.K. SharmaRaghuveer Nautiyaal
Directing
- Sharat KatariyaDirector
Writing
- Varun GroverLyricist
- Sharat KatariyaStory
Production
- Aashish SinghAssociate Producer
- Shanoo SharmaCasting Director
- Yogendra MogreExecutive Producer
- Gurpreet SinghLine Producer
- Aditya ChopraProducer
- Maneesh SharmaProducer
Recommended by
Lust Stories 2, Badhaai Ho, Khosla Ka Ghosla!, Fukrey, Bareilly Ki Barfi, Luka Chuppi, Angrezi Medium, Band Baaja Baaraat, Main Hoon Na, It's Entertainment, Rajma Chawal, Singh Is Kinng, Shaadi Ke Side Effects, Fidaa, Geetha Govindam, Lost Ladies, Tanu Weds Manu: Returns, Atithi Tum Kab Jaoge?, The Angrez 2, Mere Dad Ki Maruti, Thamasha, Shaadi Mein Zaroor Aana, Saath Saath