Dil Dosti Aur Dogs is cute affair for children—of all ages!

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Those who have watched the 2020 excellent web series, Cheesecake, know that the Hindi industry too is capable of making great stuff on the animals-human beings bonding. A similar premise is followed in this movie, wherein dogs generate and finally solve issues of men and women—of all ages.

In this dexterously-designed film, based in Goa, the real heroes are the animals and the animal trainers. While the former are complete and delightful naturals in the way they come across (and there are so many here, not just one as in most animal-drove fare) , it is the latter that really shine as they have given the real heft to the storytelling. The script obviously is quite old-school (as such stories must be, though we are in an era wherein cinema, by and large, has lost its innocence).

A child (Avyana Chhorwani), whose mother (Keerti Gaekwad Kelkar) has remarried, does not accept her stepfather (Sharad Kelkar) and adores her confidante, a dog named Keymon. The canine goes missing. Police suggest he has been ‘kidnapped’ by a group of criminals who smuggle dogs abroad (!). Stepfather bonds with her as he fervently searches for Keymon.

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An old lady (Neena Gupta), who is quite cantankerous and addicted to alcohol after a traumatic backstory, adopts a dog and becomes totally dependent on him for her emotional bonding, little realizing that the dog is “75 years old” (as per comparison with a human being).

A couple (Kunaal Roy Kapur and Masumeh Makhija) that is drifting apart after a miscarriage is advised by a counselor (Tinnu Anand) to adopt a pet dog so that they can come close again through caring for him.

A young man (Ehan Bhat) running a restaurant started with his prospective father-in-law’s money is terrified of dogs, but must change his image after he nearly drowns a pooch who has broken into his café and belongs to an animal shelter run by an orphan girl (Tridha Choudhury). His ill-treatment of the dog has gone viral and he must rectify his image and the future of his café by ‘turning an animal lover’ on social media.

All these plots have endings that can only be termed predictable, but the fun comes in the charming lines we hear, and the way the stories get intertwined and of course the absolutely enchanting four-legged ‘furries’. The climax for the old lady is heartwarming, but the way Keymon is found seems very far-fetched and this film would have got a higher rating had a better solution been found.

But all in all, this is a pleasant 101-minute home watch that will elicit some lumps in the throat and possibly a tear falling. Children will love this animal-based cute drama that is technically upscale, and DOP Ayananka Bose deserves a special pat on his back.

The writing is imaginative if template-driven (which such stories have to be!) and co-writer Viral Shah must be complimented for keeping everything contemporary and yet creating and then facing the challenges of getting the animals to match or outshine their human counterparts!

The finest performance comes from Neena Gupta, needless to be said, while in an underdeveloped and unidimensional role, the versatile Sharad Kelkar is again expressive. Ehan Bhat makes a solid impression as the restaurateur and Tridha Choudhury also leaves a mark as the owner of the animal shelter. Tinnu Anand is as effective as ever in a short role, and Kunal Roy Kapur, (co-producer) Masumeh Makhija, of Chupke Se… 2003 fame, and Avyana Chhorwani do the needful along with Keerti Gaekwad Kelkar, playing her real-life husband’s reel wife.

Rating: ***

Jio Hotstar presents Jio Studios & Creative Tribe’s Dil Dosti Aur Dogs  Produced by: Jyoti Deshpande, Masumeh Makhija & Viral Shah Directed by: Viral Shah Written by: Viral Shah, Hardik Sangani    & Nisarg Vaidya Music: Simran Hora & Ambaresh Shroff  Starring: Kunaal Roy Kapur, Masumeh Makhija, Tridha Choudhury, Ehan Bhat, Keerti Gaekwad Kelkar, Sharad Kelkar Tinnu Anand, Neena Gupta, Avyana Chhorwani, Moumita Pal & others

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