Dil Dosti aur Dogs review: A heartwarming story with an underwhelming execution

Dil Dosti aur Dogs could’ve been a story that resonated with the audiences but fails to do so. Here’s why!

Dil Dosti aur Dogs review: Whoever said ‘dogs are a man’s best friend’ clearly knew what they were talking about! Over the years, we have seen cinema explore this phrase beautifully when wept while watching movies like 101 Dalmations, Marley and Me, and The Art of Racing in the Rain simply because it highlighted how loyal dogs are to their parents. These movies also portray the struggles and the joys of being a pet parent and how adopting a dog isn’t just something to be done on a whim since it comes with a lot of responsibility. 

Viral Shah’s Dil Dosti aur Dogs is made with the same intention but just does not connect with you. The story revolves around an ensemble cast who face various challenges and take life lessons from being a pet parent. There’s a step father who is trying to gain his step daughter’s trust by finding her lost pet dog. There’s a couple going through some trying times in their relationship and hence adopt a pet to grow closer to one another. Then there’s a hotel manager who is cancelled by the internet because he hates dogs. So to learn more about dogs, he goes to an animal shelter and becomes friends with the owner there and grows to love dogs as well. There’s an alcoholic old widow who has given up on making any new relations in her life until a dog shows up at her door step and changes her life for the better. There are many such heartwarming yet realistic scenarios that the movie has tried to shed light on. 

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But it falls flat because for a story so heavily reliant on dogs, this one doesn’t show the dog’s POV at all. Rather, this film just uses them like any other prop on set. It’s more about fulfilling the character’s needs than actually building a relationship with the dog, and that’s where the emotional connect lacks. It wasn’t just the story that felt weak, the cast did not seem convincing either. Dil Dosti aur Dogs has ace actors like Neena Gupta, Kunal Roy Kapur, and Sharad Kelkar but their roles were disappointing given that we know what their real potential is. Neena Gupta’s character as a Christian woman with a Goan accent felt rather caricature-like, and that seemed to be the case for a lot of characters in this film.

The most confusing arc to me was the hotel manager’s; first he is shown to be scared of dogs, then he seems to love them in the next scene, then he instantly falls in love with the animal shelter owner and then the two quarrel due to their misunderstandings. And just when you think things aren’t okay, they make up out of nowhere. It gets pretty confusing to follow and neither of their performances are one that stay with you. 

Overall, Dil Dosti aur Dogs could have been the perfect weekend watch when you need that soup for the soul story or a good cry even. But its lack of conviction pulls you back from resonating with anything in the film, whether you’re a pet parent, just a dog lover or someone watching a film. 

Dil Dosti aur Dogs is currently streaming on JioHotstar!

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