Dilwali Diwali Review: ★★★★☆ (4/5)
Dilwali Diwali is a warm, honest family film that packs real feeling into a very short runtime. Some dialogue is too direct, but the heart and the cast make up for it.
Rating: ★★★★☆ (4/5)
Genre: Family Drama
Language: Hindi
Director: Ritesh Menon
Writer: Ritu Mago
Cast: Mihir Ahuja, Manoj Pahwa, Neelu Kohli, Aurra Bhatnagar Badoni
Runtime: 61 minutes
Festive films on streaming can feel like sweet adverts. Dilwali Diwali looks like one at first, then quietly proves it has something real to say. It is now streaming on Netflix, and it lasts just 61 minutes, so it is easy to watch in one sitting.
The story starts with a neat idea. Sudhir and Sukhi Sikka, a middle-class Punjabi couple played by Manoj Pahwa and Neelu Kohli, are getting ready for a visit from their son, Ansh, played by Mihir Ahuja. He lives in Norway and has not come home for three years.
Their 13-year-old daughter, Mahi, played by Aurra Bhatnagar Badoni, is part of the plan too. The family packs their bags and leaves their busy old locality to pretend they live in the posh apartment Ansh bought for them. It is a routine.
Every Saturday, when he video calls, they make sure he sees them in the swanky flat. The truth is that the flat has been empty for months. They simply prefer their old home, surrounded by friends and neighbours they have known for decades.
The act gets harder when Ansh arrives and plans a big Diwali party. Many films would turn this mix up into pure comedy. This one goes deeper. Ansh believes he is helping his family by giving them an easy life. He sees love as sacrifice, and he wants to prove that his hard work paid off.
Through a few flashbacks, we learn that the old neighbourhood is actually a partition refugee camp, where their ancestors arrived from Rawalpindi and turned a small room into a home for many generations.
Ansh grew tired of watching friends leave the camp for better lives, so his wish to move forward comes from a real place. The film mentions the partition only once, yet its shadow is everywhere, especially in the images of the family carrying suitcases into a strange new world.
What I liked most is how fair the film is. The rich neighbours in the high-rise are a bit snooty, and the building feels cold, but the writing never turns them into villains. Sukhi even makes friends with a neighbour who changes how she sees herself. Both worlds get room to breathe.
The film also looks at the quiet patriarchy inside the family. Sudhir assumes everyone wants what he wants because he is the head of the house. Ansh believes his family should be grateful for his help.
Both men keep trying to be right while the women wait to be heard. Even the camera shows this, with Mahi often standing in the background of scenes like a silent observer.
The cast keeps everything honest. Pahwa and Kohli never push into melodrama, and Ahuja plays Ansh’s mix of love and pride with care. Nobody is made to look wrong. Instead, everyone is fighting with themselves, and that makes the family feel real.
It is not perfect. Some lines are too direct, and a few scenes explain feelings that the images already show. Still, the intent matters more than the delivery. The ending is clean and warm, and it treats Diwali as a festival for everyone, not just one community.
If you enjoy festive stories, our Taken: Natalee Holloway review is a heavier watch about a mother’s fight for answers. For a lighter Netflix pick, try our A Dog’s Perfect Christmas review. You can also read our Dilwali Diwali release date article for everything else about the film.
Dilwali Diwali is a small film with a big heart. Come for the quick dessert and stay for the healthy meal.
Dilwali Diwali is now streaming on Netflix.