Sahher Bamba – The Only Good Thing About ‘Pal Pal Dil Ke Paas’

by Akash Sharma Akash Sharma

Since ages, the recipe for a hit Bollywood love story has been mountains, songs, a “good-looking” couple and the “Khandaan” drama. Karan Deol's debut film, Pal Pal DilKePaas, has it all. From the scenic beauty of the Himalayas to blackmails and family melodrama, Pal Pal Dil Ke Paas is made with every element required for a hit romantic film. Yet, it fails to deliver what is usually expected from a romantic film.

Karan Deol, who is making his Bollywood debut with his father Sunny Deol's directorial film, seems too rookie to be an actor. He manages to make it through the entire film with only one expression. Only good thing about this otherwise-average film is debutante Sahher Bambba. The mountain girl shines in this extended travel vlog of a film, which sees a little drama only towards the end. The screenplay is weak, which is unable to lift up the weaker performance of lead actor Karan Deol.

Karan Deol plays the role of Karan Sehgal, who lives in Manali and owns Camp Ujhi Dhaar, which organises adventure treks. The protagonist had a sad childhood as he lost both his parents to an avalanche. Sahher Bambba, on the other hand, plays Saher Sethi, a sharp and gorgeous video blogger from Delhi. With the intentions of exposing what she thinks to be a scam, the Delhi girl lands in the Camp Ujhi Dhaar. She is 'on a break' in her relationship with boyfriend Viren Nagar (played by Aakash Ahuja), who is a spoilt brat and son of an influential lawyer and three-time MP Ratna Nagar, played by Meghna Malik.

Saher goes to a trek organised by Karan's company, which charges Rs 5 lakh for a week-long adventure experience. Expensive? Karan has a reason to justify it: a chopper ride. Karan takes Saher on this 'trip' and are dropped off to the starting point of the trek. Like every love story, the boy and girl initially fight over trivial issues to eventually fall head over heels in love with each other. Enter disgruntled ex-boyfriend. And all hell breaks loose.

Karan Deol is just a cute face in the 2-hour-and-36-minute-long film. The actor is pretty consistent with the same expression for the whole duration of the film. Deol Junior needed extreme polishing before his launch. One can see Papa Sunny in Karan in bits and pieces when the former gets angry and the dhai-kilo-ka-haath threatens to break out. Sahher Bambba, on the other hand, is a pleasant surprise. She creates magic with her portrayal of a typical Delhi vlogger. You may find some Delhi girls in your friend list who are just like her - chirpy, beautiful and family-loving.

Saher'sDadi (Kamini Khanna) brings a little laughter in this otherwise humourless film. Meghna Malik as Viren's mother also does justice to her role. Simone Singh and Sachin Khedekar as Saher's parents are convincing in the little screen time they get.

Pal Pal Dil Ke Paas is an innocent film made with equal innocence. The Bollywood gossip columns may try to compare it with Sunny Deol's debut film Betaab (hello, mountains?), but there is nothing to compare between these two films except for the fact that both of them begin with splendid shots of nature, and that's about it. Sunny was far more promising in his debut film, whereas Karan needs a lot of improvement in his acting skills.