Review: 'Dil Boley Oberoi' is like a RE-PACKAGED version of 'Ishqbaaaz' with changed leads!

India's first ever spin-off show, 'Dil Bole Oberoi' went on-air this week, where the wait was a long one. The fans of 'Ishqbaaaz' were curious and perplexed at the same time as the show proposed several things. Be it the shift of focus from Shivaay (Nakuul Mehta) to Omkara (Kunal Kulbhushan Jaisingh) or be it the change of setting from urban to rural, 'Dil Bole..' is here and the fate rests.

The Story So Far..

Into the rural setting of Baraeily, in the most quintessential Bollywood style entry (as shown in the promo) enters Omkara (Kunal Kulbhushan Jaisingh), getting out of his car. And (once again, as shown in the promo), enters a dancing and chirpy damsel, Gauri (Shrenu Parikh). After a prolonged musical introduction, we are finally introduced to the base plot of the show.

Omkara's visit to Baraeily is for a specific purpose, where he has come to capture the land in the village which belongs to the three Thakur brothers. And, amidst some emotional scenes involving Gauri and little kids, we witness the first encounter of Omkara and Kaali Thakur (Rahul Dev).

The vicious, ruthless and unforgiving Kaali, who is also anarchic, lives by his principles. The rules of the city are made and managed by Kaali and he doesn't like to lose. After a series of events which include Kaali striking a deal with Omkara and the showdown between Omkara and Gauri, things keep getting worse for Gauri.

Her relatives are a pain and they actually 'sell' her to Kaali in return for money. Gauri manages to save her mother and sacrifices herself to Kaali.

In the most typical style of 'kidnapping', Kaali abducts Gauri in an open jeep with paid goons and tries to drive away. However, Omkara, who is resting near the road on a chair, watches Gauri being abducted, only to still let it happen. Then comes a shocking moment, when Kaali's wife, Jaanvi (Nidhi Uttam) decides to commit suicide. Due to her husband's infidelity, Jaanvi is sick and ends up burning herself, while a helpless Omkara watches.

Gauri is captured and trapped by Kaali and even after repeated attempts, she fails to escape. After a Devdas-styled mujra, Gauri is made to dance and Omkara is still watching by.

After finalising a deal with Kaali, Omkara plans to leave and does so. However, what follows is a one-of-a-kind marriage, where Gauri is forced to get married to the 'Thakur brothers' trio.

While this marriage was of course not meant to happen, Gauri and Nahar's master plan leads to the duo escaping from Kaali's trap. Amidst all this, Rudra and Soumya have their little stint, where they are invited for the marriage, but agree to attend it only on the condition - that the other person doesn't come.

Will Gauri and Omkara's hatred for each othe reduce anytime soon? How will Shivaay and Rudra fall into this setting? Only time will tell..

Rating - **1/2 (2.5/5)

What's Good?

Just like 'Ishqbaaaz', if there is one prime thing that Dil Bole Oberoi successfully achieves is the opulent setting that it proposes. Inspite of the show being set in a village, the grandeur hasn't been compromised.

Another good thing is again something that 'Ishqbaaaz' is known for and i.e. the costumes. Apart from Omkara's attires, the wardrobe of every actor is a visual treat, especially when it comes to Gauri and Kaali.

The idea of having short appearances by the other two 'Ishqbaaaz' brothers, Shivaay and Rudra (Leenesh Mattoo) along with the other cast members is a fantastic move. While Omkara and Gauri may take their time to develop a fanbase, sporadic appearances by the 'Ishqbaaaz' cast is a certainly good idea.

Rating -***1/2 (3.5/5)

What's Not-So Good?

The Special Effects were not 'special' at all. Poor VFX and below par visuals manage to spoil the mood occasionally.

The torture faced by Gauri's mother is just too much to digest. The annoying aunt is quite literally the most annoying thing about the show. Her squeaky voice, loud tone and pathetic acting just makes you drift away from the show instantly.

Even if we accept that the character of Omkara is shown to be emotionless, especially when it comes to Gauri, how does the chivalrous and feminist man in you manage to just stand and watch a girl do 'mujra' is what's beyond several people's understanding!

Rating - ** (2/5)

The Performances

Kunal Kulbhushan Jaisingh excels as Omkara, which he has been doing since 'Ishqbaaaz' anyway. However, taking centre stage in this setting, Kunal is more than capable to carry the show on his shoulders and has an enigmatic screen presence.

Shrenu Parikh makes her comeback after a long time and there couldn't have been a better wagon for the actress to do so. Watching her in a totally new avatar, she has thoroughly become the perfect desi Gauri. Apart from some overboard acting instances, Shrenu is a treat as Gauri.

Rahul Dev as Kaali is one of the prime reasons to watch the show. It is one of the first instances, where the leads, as impactful as they are, are getting supremely overshadowed by the blistering performance of Rahul Dev aka Kaali. You get scared, you get awed and you end up becoming a fan of the already-celebrated actor, Rahul Dev.

The rest of the cast has some good performances and some extremely bad performances too.

Rating - ***1/2 (3.5/5)

The Verdict

'Dil Bole Oberoi' may be a spin-off and may be an apparently different show than its parent show. However, in reality, 'Dil Bole..' is nothing but a re-packaged version of 'Ishqbaaaz' with different faces as the leads. The irony is that Shivaay and Anika's story did in fact begin in a similar fashion as that of Omkara and Gauri. The show isn't bad at all, but doesn't manage to live up to the idea of exceeding the hype. The fans, albeit are bound to love it irrespective of several glitches.