Opening Doorz

By Martin D’Souza | Opening Doorz Editorial | September 03, 2017

Rating: 3.5 / 5

The essence: The dialogues are delivered in a matter-of-fact style, highlighting the mood of the moment even as the screenplay evokes a huge round of applause and laughter all around. Never in a long time has the entire audience erupted in spontaneous laughter that lingers on till the next scene.

R S Prasanna is the hero here. The writer-director who has remade his 2013 Tamil film Kalyana Samayal Saadham (Wedding Feast), which was well received down south, does not disappoint in its Hindi remake.

Shubh Mangal Saavdhan is a winner all the way and word-of-mouth publicity will surely see this movie gross in a decent amount at the Box Office. Like Bareilly Ki Barfi which released two weeks ago, this one is something the film enthusiast will relish with delight.

Viewed in totality, it is the film that stands out as a whole with no individual actor hogging the limelight. The entire cast is spot-on in the characterization conceptualized for them. Be it the boy and girl who are the main protagonist; their respective parents, uncle, extended families or even the videographer… everything falls into place as Mudit (Ayushmann Khurana) and Sugandha (Bhumi Pednekar) hit bulls eye with their exceptionally real portrayal of what love should be like, despite the problem that ‘erects’ itself weeks before their marriage!

The dialogues are delivered in a matter-of-fact style, highlighting the mood of the moment even as the screenplay evokes a huge round of applause and laughter all around. Never in a long time has the entire audience erupted in spontaneous laughter that lingers on till the next scene. There’s genius in its direction by Prasanna and brilliance in its execution by every actor.

Towards the last 10 minutes, however, the film falters a bit only to gather steam and ‘take off’. That’s the only grouse in the entire film; the crisp narrative loses its impact. But then, you still leave the theatre smiling at the entertainment, entertainment, entertainment.

Mudit falls in besotted with a girl from his neighbourhood. He keeps following her. Sugandha is aware that Mudit is following her and leads him on. Mudit finally musters courage to meet up with her and also send a proposal online. Upset at the turn of events (Sugandha was looking forward to romance, not an arranged marriage), she tries to bring spice into the relationship as she too has a liking for him. One night, after their parents have decided on their marriage date, both find themselves alone in a room. However, Mudit fails to ‘perform’ and that causes a huge concern for him; he even tells her that she can call the marriage off.

Sugandha will have none of it. She is positive this is just a passing phase, and Mudit will survive his erectile dysfunction! It’s no big deal she reassures him even as he tries to address the frustrating issue.

The situations created by Prasanna for a scene to follow and the scenes that follow all weave into a mountain of entertainment. He has carefully created relationships within a typical Indian family where seniority demands respect and everything be told to him. It’s so close to home which many will relate to.

After coming together in Dum Laga Ke Haisha two years ago, Ayushmann and Bhumi keep the sparks flying. For Ayushmaan, this is a winner all the way, considering he is ‘away from his usual acting self’ doing what the character demands. And credit to that goes to Prasanna who has extracted a fine performance from him.

Seema Pahwa, Neeraj Sood, Supriya Shukla, Chitranjan Tripathi, Brijendra Kala and even master Anmol Bajaj all ‘rise’ up to the occasion.

‘SMS’ your friends, this is a must-watch film!

CREDITS
Producer: Aanand. L. Rai, Krishika Lulla
Director: R.S. Prasanna
Star Cast: Ayushmann Khurrana, Bhumi Pednekar, Brijendra Kala, Seema Pahwa, Neeraj Sood