Be Happy review: Abhishek Bachchan dances, but the story trips

Be Happy promises an emotional father-daughter tale but stumbles with a half-baked story and predictable tropes. Abhishek Bachchan delivers a heartfelt performance, but even he can't save this lacklustre dance-drama. Weak storytelling makes it forgettable in the realm of OTT content.

In Short

• Be Happy is about the father-daughter bond
• Remo D'Souza's film lacks engaging dance sequences and substance
• Abhishek Bachchan's performance shines despite weak storytelling

For someone who loves a good old-fashioned tale of survival against all odds, where everything gets better by the end, Prime Video's Be Happy felt like a film right up my alley. A chirpy little kid with big dreams, a grumpy single father, a cool/funny grandfather, and a personal crisis that changes the father-daughter relationship, leading to a lot of tears and subsequent smiles. If I had a rupee for every Bollywood film about an emotionally distant father bonding with his child, I'd be rich enough to produce another one.

This one revolves around Dhara (Inayat Verma) who wants to move to Mumbai to join her Maggie teacher's (Nora Fatehi) dance school. But her father Shiv (Abhishek Bachchan) - still mourning his wife's (Harleen Sethi) death - refuses to move away from Ooty. One pep talk from the father-in-law changes how he feels about moving cities. Just when little Dhara's dreams seem to be coming true, her world comes crashing down. Now, the father is determined to move mountains for his daughter: "Main apni Dhara ko kabhi girne nahi dunga" (I won't let my daughter fall).

The first half of the film is a snoozefest. While watching it, I wondered, was this always meant for OTT, or did the film's director, co-writer, and producer Remo D'Souza realise midway that a half-baked story wasn't worth a theatrical release? The only relief, if you are looking for one, is Dhara's quirky digs at her 'khadoos' father.

The film is a trademark Remo D'Souza film: heightened emotions, many dance sequences, a song dedicated to Lord Ganesha, and a climax on the stage of a dance competition. While there’s nothing wrong with such a template, is Bollywood contractually obligated to keep rehashing this same formula forever?

At times when it takes just one boring sequence for an audience with a wafer-thin attention span to turn to their phones, isn't it already late for filmmakers to realise that a lazy attempt at filmmaking won't land them viewers, especially on OTT?

The second half starts on a promising note. It wants to deliver a message: to make people around you happy, you first need to be happy from within. If you’re an emotional person, you might even shed a few tears when a "life-altering crisis" hits Shiv and Dhara. But just when you think the movie is about to gather momentum, it crushes your hopes.

Like Abhishek’s last release, I Want To Talk, this too features a Johnny Lever cameo. But unlike Shoojit Sircar, Remo appears unsure of how to use him and ends up wasting a good resource.

A DANCE-DRAMA WITH NO GROOVE

What's worse? Not a single dance sequence or a song in the film, which is sold to us as a "dance-drama" stays with you, not even seconds after they are over. With no real substance and depth in the story, you begin thinking, "Yeh kab khatam hogi (When will this end?)", you finally feel happy not because of the film, but because it’s over.

An afterthought: It’s disappointing to see good performances, in this case by Abhishek Bachchan and Inayat Verma, being marred by poor storytelling. Abhishek truly embodies the role of a distressed father who wants to fulfill his daughter's dream while requiring her to focus on her studies. Watching him give his all, you can't help but wonder 'does this actor not deserve better scripts to do justice to his craft?'

After watching the Be Happy trailer, I expected a simple, slice-of-life film about families, fathers and daughters, and their struggles. Sadly, the film's story was encapsulated by those two-minutes-and-18-seconds.

1.5 out of 5 stars for Be Happy.