JOIN OUR WHATSAPP CHANNEL
Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan Review: Ayushmann Khurrana and Jitendra Kumar shine in the comedy drama
Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan Movie Review: After normalising the taboo of erectile dysfunction in Shubh Mangal Saavdhan, Ayushmann Khurrana has again rightly touched upon another touchy topic of homosexuality.
Movie name: Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan
Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan Director: Hitesh Kewalya
Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan Cast: Ayushmann Khurrana, Jitendra Kumar, Gajraj Rao, Neena Gupta, Maanvi Gagroo and Pankhuri Awasthy.
Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan stars: 3.5/5
In the era when a major chunk of Bollywood movies is about biopics and period dramas, Ayushmann Khurrana's films have always been providing us with a breather. And this time, it is a triumph again. Khurrana is now a poster boy for making movies on taboo concepts and turning them into massive hits and it seems like this movie is another addition to the list.
As soon as the trailer of Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan was dropped, the first reaction of people was to hail the makers for making a movie on homosexuality which is still a taboo and touchy subject in India. However, several questions also loomed. Did the makers take the naturalistic approach or they fell for stereotypes? Will it be preachy or just entertaining or satirical? I think the makers did their job, especially by trying to balance both funny and serious scenes.
Speaking about the storyline, it revolves around Kartik and Aman who are a gay couple from a small town of India and they are very front-footed about it. All hell breaks loose when Aman's father witnesses their makeout session in train. They try their best to convince Aman's family to accept their relationship. The writer's script got infused with solid dialogues and terrific performances. The movie is packed with funny dialogues and one-liners that elicited laughter from the viewers.
Ayushmann and Jitendra, they stole my heart with their earnest performances. However, there were some moments when their chemistry was affable, while in other parts the same was missing. Again, their performance was elevated by talented supporting actors (Pankhuri Awasthy, Manu Rishi Chadha, Maanvi Gagroo and Sunita Rajwa among others) who blended seamlessly.
The first half is easy breezy and very entertaining, keeping the audience hooked to the screens; however, the second half gets marred by the predictability and when narrative slightly steers towards the didactic route and also the pace become slower. But the superb acting of the seasoned performers has covered these flaws. There are several brilliant scenes in SMZS and most of them revolve around Jitendra, Neena and Gajraj Rao. Neena Gupta and Gajraj who wowed us with their impeccable performances in Badhai Ho has again managed to steal the show with their acting chops and perfectly timed comic punches. Another show-stealer was Maanvi Gagroo who played the role of Aman's cousin Goggle. She deserves a special mention.
The movie's subtle way to portray the subject is what I liked the most. At the start of the movie, we saw how Gajraj's character gets flak for starting black colored (a better version) cauliflower. He thought the same is a massive breakthrough in science; however, he eventually realises that one cannot change nature. And along with the black cauliflower, he also burns away the angst he has been withholding with him since he knew that his son is gay. The film does well to call out the flag-bearers of Sanskriti and to those who feel homosexuality is a disease.
All in all, I liked the movie despite having a predictable plot, with chuckle-worthy dialogues and a reasonable length. The movie deserves a watch as it one of the first commercial movies to talk about the subject which was and still an aberration.
Latest Articles
