Be Happy (2025) Review!!

Synopsis – The journey of a single father and his talented daughter who aspire to perform on the country’s biggest dance reality show.

My Take – With 25 years having passed since he marked an unremarkable debut with Refugee (2000), Abhishek Bachchan has well settled into picking up often overshadowed roles, rather than appeasing to the masses by staying a mainstream lead. Adhering to that, the last few years has since seen AB Jr mastering the beats of playing a concerned parent whose skills are put to test.

His latest too, which re-pairs him with Inayat Verma following Anurag Basu’s excellent Ludo (2020), aims to capture the tender bond between a father and daughter, and of course being helmed by choreographer-turned-filmmaker Remo D’Souza (ABCD, Street Dancer 3D), is set against the vibrant world of dance.

Anchored by Bachchan‘s now familiar silent supportive father approach that is laced with playful sarcasm and sparingly expressed authority, the Prime Video release has been clearly designed to tug at heartstrings at every turn. But with a predictable story line, it is up to the cast to carry the film.

While the endearing moments keep things engaging, director D’Souza and co-writers Tushar Hiranandani, Kanishka Deo and Chirag Garg‘s over reliance on familiar formula and melodrama distracts the narrative from its potential to offer a fresh perspective on the main dynamic or the pursuit of dreams.

Sure, it is not the worst film out there, at its best, the film delivers moments of genuine tenderness, particularly between Bachchan and Verma, but it’s definitely not breaking any new ground as you can probably predict every scene without even watching it.

The story follows Dhara (Inayat Verma), a bright-eyed, lively schoolgirl from Ooty who dreams of making it big as a dancer. Well supported by her maternal grandfather Nadar (Nassar), Dhara’s world revolves around everything dance and her idol, Maggie (Nora Fatehi), a renowned dancer and choreographer. To her luck, her school performance catches Maggie’s attention, who impressed by her skills invites her to join her dance academy in Mumbai to train and participate in a famous reality dance show.

However, Dhara has a major roadblock to cross: her father, Shiv (Abhishek Bachchan), a widower, who wants her to keep dance as a hobby and focus on her studies for a better career. But mostly he is resolutely against leaving Ooty because he is still reeling from the loss of his wife, Rohini (Harleen Sethi), and is adamant about staying in the place where his memories linger, a decision that puts him at odds with Dhara’s dreams. But while Dhara and Shiv eventually make it to Mumbai, fate plays a dark game and puts a halt to her dreams.

Yes, director Remo D’Souza can set the stage on fire but isn’t quite the storyteller. What follows is a familiar arc: a struggling parent, a determined child, obstacles along the way, and an ultimate showdown. The father doesn’t know how to dance but still supports his daughter’s dream, leading to some comedic and heartfelt moments.

But if you’ve watched any Remo D’Souza production, you already know what’s coming next. No surprises, no risks. While he sets out to tug at heartstrings with its simplistic yet compelling narrative, unfortunately he is still not much of a storyteller as he struggles to balance the script’s heavy reliance on clichés with its aspirations to offer something new.

Though the narrative has abundant potential to explore the characters and their underlying tensions, director D’Souza hastens through it all to center dance and the dance competition as the crux of the movie, bringing an air of nonchalance and superficiality to the film.

But the dance sequences, while visually engaging, don’t bring anything new either. Particularly, the Abhishek Bachchan and Inayat Verma dance piece that should have been a show stealer, but honestly, all the dance reality shows on Indian Television offer better-choreographed dance sequences, better-edited music, and better cinematography.

Indeed, the climatic song & dance manage to induce tears, and the whole sequence is well staged & executed. But it is a little too late to come back from how the predictable narrative hinder the whole film’s appeal.

Thankfully, Abhishek Bachchan delivers a compelling performance. His emotional depth adds authenticity to the character, especially in scenes depicting his internal struggles and evolving relationship with Dhara. Bachchan‘s understated portrayal of Shiv’s internal struggle as he grapples with letting go of the past for the sake of his daughter’s future is one of the films more poignant moments. Inayat Verma too shines as Dhara, capturing the audience’s attention with her expressive acting and impressive dance skills. Their on-screen chemistry, like Ludo, is once again the highlight of the film.

Nassar adds warmth and humor as the endearing grandfather. Nora Fatehi is decent enough in the acting department, but burns the screen with her dance moves. Harleen Sethi in a brief but significant role as Dhara’s late mother, is underutilized, On the whole, ‘Be Happy‘ is a watchable dance drama that doesn’t tread any new ground.