Written by James Rawson, New Media, DFI

‘Mere Brother Ki Dulhan’ opens with young Assistant Director Kush (Imran Khan) living the high life at the premier of his latest film which stars (real life) Indian superstar John Abraham. “You’re ready to direct your first film” coos one of the party girls, hanging off his arm. Kush isn’t so sure.

In real life, ‘Mere Brother Ki Dulhan’ is helmed by first time director Ali Abbas Zafar, a seasoned Assistant Director whose biggest film as AD, ‘New York’, starred the one and only John Abraham. This self-aware nod to Bollywood fans is the first of many – ‘Mere Brother Ki Dulhan’ is an Indian romance that knows it’s an Indian romance. It plays on the clichés and standards of the genre, but never quite manages to rise above them.

Aside from his career in the movies, Kush has just been granted an assignment by his London based brother Luv (musician Ali Zafar, no relation to the director). Luv has recently split up with his girlfriend Piali (newcomer Tara D’Souza), and is now ready to find a nice Indian girl, settle down and start a family. Trusting his brother completely, Luv assigns Kush the job of auditioning potential brides so that he can return to India and become a married man.

After a few disastrous applicants, Kush receives a phone call from a local businessman who thinks his daughter Dimple (Katrina Kaif) may be suited. She’s beautiful, intelligent, perfectly suited to Luv and, by coincidence, met Kush 5 years earlier in her wild-child days as a rock chick. Fortunately she’s calmed down now, and Kush agrees that Dimple is perfectly suited for her brother.

But, the course of true arranged-marriage never did run smooth, and Kush and Dimple find themselves falling for each other. Can Kush and Dimple find a way to get married, save their families’ honour, and still find a bride for Luv?

‘Mere Brother Ki Dulhan’ runs on very safe, familiar themes for Bollywood audiences: arranged marriages, family pressures versus true love, and the differences between Indians in India and NRIs (non-resident Indians). Despite its frequent jokes about Bollywood romance and cheesy cliches, the film does nothing to subvert the genre or give the audience anything they don’t expect. After thirty minutes we know exactly who is going to end up with whom, and we can make a pretty good guess at the fiendish plots and double crossing that will get us there. The dance numbers are slick, and the songs are enjoyable, but you won’t be singing them for days.

The one element that raises ‘Mere Brother Ki Dulhan’ above its competitors is Katrina Kaif (best known to international audiences for the monster hit ‘Sheila Ki Jawani’) and her portrayal of Dimple. Dimple is not the simpering, passive Indian girl waiting to be swept off her feet. She’s confident, feisty, speaks her mind, and if she has to drug and kidnap her man to get what she wants, then she will. Kaif plays her to perfection, with exuberance and conviction, both saving the film from stultifying mediocrity and cementing her place as one of India’s most watchable actresses.