Director/ Writer- Hitesh Kewalya
Cast- Ayushmann Khurana, Jitendra Kumar,Neena Gupta, gajraj rao, Manu Rishi,Sunita Rajwar, Maanvi Gagroo, Pankhuri Awasthy
In a nutshell:
What’s remarkable about this film that’s based on gay love and same sex relationships, is the way it balances the story laced with entertainment and humour while subtly trying to push the boundaries of our acceptance to a very alien concept.
Plot:
Aman Tripathi( Jitender Kumar) and Kartik Singh( Ayushmann) are best pals working together and they are in love.
Aman’s family based in Allahabad is a typical middle class, small town , delightfully entertaining joint family that includes his father Shankar Tripathi( Gajraj Rao), mother Sunaina ( Neena),Chacha Chaman( Manurushi), Chachi Champa( Sunita Rajwar)and cousin Goggle( Maanvi).
Hell breaks loose when, on the occasion of Goggle’s marriage, elder Tripathi chances upon Aman kissing his close friend Kartik( Ayushmann).
Barely had he recovered from that earth shattering revelation that the two lovers declare themselves to the world by kissing publicly during the marriage ceremony, which eventually gets called off for obvious reasons.
While Kartik is shooed away by Aman’s father, and Aman falters under family pressure, Kartik decides to fight for his love.
The story follows a breezy little path meandering through hilarious and often over the top situations to finally let us know how the lovers find happiness and each other.
Performances:
The film belongs completely to the awesome cast.
Ayushmann rocks once again. That man proves to the hilt that he can carry off any character with aplomb. As the flamboyant Kartik, he’s superb. Without resorting to cliches, he’s portrayed the character well. He looks cool, at times pretty and loveable .
Jitender Kumar shines. He’s the quiet and sober one between the two who gets occasionally charged up by his firebrand partner. He looks real with his fears and his dilemmas.
Gajraj Rao and Neena Gupta are both terrific once again. Those two are gems when it comes to expressions and portraying little nuances of the characters they play.
Manurushi Chaddha is superb, seen after long in a major role after Oye Lucky.
Sunita Rajwar is a pleasure to watch as the typical small town chachi.
Maanvi Gagroo is good too.
All these actors are truly the stars in making this story relatable and entertaining.
Analysis:
While the story/ plot cannot be called mind blowing or superb,
through some smart writing, director – writer Hitesh Kewalya creates a plot where the dialogues and the characters are the stars.The situations might seem exaggerated but there’s an endearing realism in the characters, their behaviours and dynamics.
The dialogues were hilarious and used the desi lingo to pep up the comic quotient.
Very diplomatically, Kewalya brings forth both the sets of thinking, the conservative and deep routed beliefs and the modern and open outlook. He gently prods and pushes the concept, using scientific and sentimental approaches while not negating the difficulty of parents and family faced with the dilemma.
I liked the subtle metaphors like efforts to modify the humble cauliflower to overcome its basic inherent nature or the bride opting for the ghodi and baraat.
For a concept where in the majority of audience might find difficulty in connecting emotionally, I think he did manage to infuse moments where we could feel the plight of the protagonists.
He lightened up the issue without trivialising. He gently pushed the envelope without sermonising.
And the best part is the lightness of the narrative and humour throughout.
Recommendation:
While it doesn’t wow you, I think the film is definitely worth recommending. It’s entertaining and humorous. The performances are a pleasure to watch. And I hope it chips away some of the inhibitions to accept what might not fall under the age old beliefs and general parameters of normalcy.
Score 7 on 10