That cancer-afflicted girl nicknamed “Sexy” from Balki’s Cheeni Kum? The gratingly precocious child has been reincarnated as Dhara.
Dhara (Inayat Verma) is already world-weary at a tender age and openly dismissive of her widower father. A self-declared genius, Dhara idolises the choreographer Maggie (Nora Fatehi). Impressed by Dhara’s skills, Maggie suggests to her father Shiv (Abhishek Bachchan) that he should relocate from Ooty to Mumbai so that Dhara can participate in a dance show.
Dance is not about money or a competition but about personal expression, Maggie says, in Be Happy’s single-most unconvincing moment. Dhara’s grandfather Nadar (Nassar) is ecstatic – he has been encouraging Dhara to choose TV viewing over homework.
Shiv is understandably reluctant. But he is repeatedly told that by going along with Dhara’s demands, he will overcome his own sadness at losing his wife (Harleen Sethi).
Abhishek Bachchan and Inayat Verma were first paired together as a father and daughter in Anurag Basu’s Ludo in 2020. The chemistry between senior and junior actor is intact in Remo D’Souza’s Hindi film Be Happy. But Bachchan has the better everything this time – lines, scenes, emotional graph.
The Prime Video release emanates from the world of competitive dancing inhabited by D’Souza, a choreographer and talent show host when he isn’t making films. Written by D’Souza and Tushar Hiranandani, Be Happy peddles the idea that there’s no better measure of achievement and self-worth than a televised contest, even for a child.
Asking for nuance or scepticism about the wisdom of pushing children into talent hunt shows is as pointless as expecting D’Souza to mount a coherent, plausible story. A plot twist concerning Dhara should have been heart-tugging, but feels unearned and manipulative.
The grown-ups are better placed than Inayat Verma to execute D’Souza’s misguided idea of a fairy-tale. How can a 13-year-old actor know any better?
Nassar is typically entertaining as a grandfather reliving his adolescence. Abhishek Bachchan is the movie’s sober and sensible core. Bachchan leaps over the film’s overpitched bid to make you laugh at Dhara’s one-liners, marvel at her footwork and then weep when the going gets tough. I was born ready, Dhara says, but Shiv’s brevity speaks louder.
