Dolly Kitty Aur Woh Chamakte Sitare Movie Review - A Watchable-Enough Film Is Elevated By Smaller Moments And Praiseworthy Performances

Marked by good intentions and solid performances, Dolly and Kitty keep you grabbed before tumbling gradually.

Look closely, and the first few minutes, before the title, will reveal the gist behind Alankrita Shrivastava's Dolly Kitty Aur Woh Chamakte Sitare. Two women - Radha/Dolly (Konkana Sen Sharma) and Kajal/Kitty (Bhumi Pednekar) - navigate the mirror maze to find each other. In the film, these two will go through challenges before "finding" each other. Radha's husband, Amit (Aamir Bashir), inappropriately touches Kajal as the family poses for pictures. Amit will try to find pleasures outside the house. On one of those rides inside a haunted tunnel, Kajal informs Radha about Amit's intentions of sleeping with her. Though a few moments before, Radha says she will always support her cousin, she dismisses Kajal's statement by blaming the raging hormones. Radha will continue to turn a blind eye to the domestic problems. There is another angle to this story. One of Radha's son dresses as Mumtaz for the photoshoot. His sibling remarks that he can never look like Mumtaz. This son will try to explore his identity, but the people around him would oppose it. And so there you go, we have Dolly Kitty Aur Woh Chamakte Sitare in a nutshell.

Kajal, naturally, decides to move out of Radha's house. But not before showing her employer his place. Before quitting, she drinks a cold drink and later has alcohol. Kajal's arc can be defined as a shift from the soft drink (sweet, shy) to hard drink (bold, confident). She finds a place and starts working as a cyber-lover for the Red Rose dating app. You may remember Ayushmann Khurrana in a similar profession in Dream Girl. It is here Kajal becomes Kitty. It is here she meets Pradeep (Vikrant Massey). The flirtatious exchanges pull them closer. Unlike other customers, the first words from Pradeep are - "Dinner kar liya tumne?" (Have you had dinner?). Not only Kitty, but his words form trust with the viewer too. The casting of Massey puts the icing on the cake. Keep a sharp eye (or ear), and you will see Pradeep in love with Kitty, an imaginary creation made out of male horniness, and not Kajal.

Meanwhile, Radha gets attracted to the delivery boy Osmaan Ansari (Amol Parashar). He is a college student working part-time for the Ippy food delivery service. The attraction is strong enough to pull him as the only delivery boy for Radha's orders. Soon he starts encountering her outside the business. Before you know, they fall for each other. Their dates include a visit to the graveyard where he brings up his delivery ratings. Almost every scene in Dolly Kitty Aur Woh Chamakte Sitare works as foreshadowing. All you have to do is catch the string. Once you do that, no surprises would be left as to where it will eventually lead. Every turn, every corner reveals itself. As a result, the bigger picture becomes bland. What saves Dolly Kitty Aur Woh Chamakte Sitare then are the smaller pictures. The little moments tucked in this personal rage.

Apart from her regular job, Radha serves tea to her colleagues. What's striking is the casual manner in which she is asked to serve the tea. It shines because Alankrita doesn't underline the underlying patriarchal theme. It is there; it is subtle. Another interesting event occurs when Radha's colleague ogles at her as she enters a more modern get-up. The exteriors might be modern, but she still follows the traditional routine, serving tea to her superior. After a horrific incident, Kajal starts tearing her dress as if blaming it for the trouble. However, the best scene is where Radha's son dresses as a girl, standing in front of the mirror. He requests to enjoy the moment before being beaten up at home. You almost tear up.

Coming from the director of Lipstick Under My Burkha, a film I really enjoyed, Dolly Kitty Aur Woh Chamakte Sitare has a promising start. It just keeps on falling with progression. Alankrita Shrivastava deals with "what if" cases - What if it happens in this way? What if she meets him here? What if they start dating? What if they are caught in this situation? This leads to what we call "plot convenience." So convenient that a couple happens to be sitting near a rose on Rose Day. Though it gives Alankrita a chance to show how women feel in different situations, its overuse starts to degrade the noble intentions. The movie plays out like a mix of contrasts and similarities between Radha's and Kajal's lives: One wants a luxurious AC room while another is more than happy with getting a place to crash. Both start a relationship with people they meet because of an app service. The incidents spill over each other, leading to the character's unification.

These incidents are not connected with a rhythm. There is a spontaneity that doesn't let scenes breathe. In a snap, Kajal starts getting jealous if Pradeep is handled by another worker. We don't see or feel this growth. The only time this quickness worked for me was when Radha texted her mother for help. Packing in all the luggage, she arrives immediately on the doorstep. The following scene is another example of Alankrita's mighty skills as a filmmaker. If only there were used as mightily for the whole film. I understand Alankrita's decision to root the POV to the two women. But when coming to Radha's son's case, I wanted to know what her husband thought of the situation. Was he okay with it? This matter required input from both sides, and the restriction doesn't let it come out the way it should have been, which reduces this bit to an extra plot-point shoved in to differentiate Dolly Kitty Aur Woh Chamakte Sitare from Lipstick Under My Burkha. The "Chamakte Sitare" refers to freedom. Freedom to shine like a star in the sky, high above from the judgments of society.

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