 "Amazon Prime Video IN's 'Dil Dosti Dilemma' review: Anushka Sen's show is a heartwarming take on how route can wait, root comes first")
Cast: Anushka Sen, Kush Jotwani, Tanvi Azmi, Shishir Sharma, Suhasini Mulay, Arjun Berry, Shruti Seth, Khalid Siddiqui, Parinitaa Seth, Priyanshu Chatterjee, Mahesh Thakur
Director: Debbie Rao
Language: Hindi
Dil Dosti Dilemma is basically the psyche of the protagonist Asmara (played by Anushka Sen) and how it becomes a tool of conflict and coming-of-age for her as this new series on Amazon Prime Video IN progresses. She has a bunch of happy-go-lucky friends and destiny is about to call her to Canada when life happens. She’s thrown into a familiar yet alien land where family are strangers and friends disappear. The adage that talks about growth amid discomfort is literally taken into consideration by the director Debbie Rao and her team of seven writers.
The duality of dilemma
The word dilemma in the title brings with it a certain sense of duality. The first dilemma is Asmara’s princess-like aspirations themselves. She is exactly like a comic-book character that is no different from Cinderella. Her dilemmas would surely be dismissed as rich people’s problems by people who look at such people with a gaze of disdain. And then there’s the actual dilemma of this girl when reality strikes, when the clock turns 12 and Cinderella loses all she had.
Brat or lost?
At first, her life boats off everything one would describe as privilege. There are multiple montages of Asmara with her friends and family that are shot with a sense of style that camouflages with the characters’ sense of living. The 2010 Aisha comes to mind. It’s all fluffy and frothy. Once she lands at her grandmother’s house, her sense of being lost suggests it’s gone for a toss. She’s not being a brat, she’s just a headless chicken that has no idea where it has landed. She lies to her friends of being in Canada ala the recent hit _Madgaon Express_ . And Sen is able to bring the whirlwind of emotions to the forefront just like how a teenage born with a golden spoon would when she has to survive in a shop that only has wooden utensils.
Dil Dosti Dilemma is both alarming and aspirational. It can be scary for any child who aspires to travel to Canada to land up at a place she has no desire to be at. But as the narrative progresses, she begins to rediscover her roots. And it’s helped that the ensemble doesn’t pretend to play their characters but be them as long as the show lasts. It’s always wonderful to see the inimitable Tanvi Azmi and it was equally wonderful to see the veteran Suhasini Mulay.
By the end, the show makes it clear that no matter where the mind and body is, ultimately, it’s the heart that does all the talking. Canada can wait, let the girl first enjoy her time with the family at her grandmother’s house she was petrified of. Route can wait, root comes first.
Rating: 3 (out of 5 stars)
Dil Dosti Dilemma is now streaming on Amazon Prime Video IN
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