BADHAAI HO (2018)
Director: Amit Sharma
This slice of life comedy will help you revisiting the era when middle of the road cinema was championed by Basu Chatterjee and Sai Paranjpe, a simple wholesome entertainer is what this drama offers.
Based in Delhi, a young corporate employee Nakul (Ayushmaan Khurana) is dating an elite high society girl Reneé(Saniya Malhotra) and lives in the government quarters of Lodhi Colony, an area where neighbours intrude in other’s homes, young and the elderly meet up at day end to share and care at the ‘nukkad’ and the housewives Meet over low budget kitty parties. All hell breaks for Nakul when his middle aged parents declare an unexpected and unplanned pregnancy ! The family has to deal with this “good news” inviting wrath of their grown up sons, inquisitive inquiries of the neighbours and curious sarcastic taunts of relatives. This situational comedy is dealt with a lot of humour and a tinge of emotions.
The director Amit Sharma has done a splendid job with a crisp storyline and impressive narration. With the running time of hardly two hours it’s straight to the point with no unwanted distracting side plots. Sharma is definitely a director to watch out for considering he’s tried to inculcate that old world charm of Hrishikesh Mukherji or Basu Chatterjee and excels in doing so.
The middle class aura in Nakul’s home and the nagging nature of the elderly, the camaraderie he shares with his friends is all so identifiable and true to life. The essence of Delhi is beautifully captured if not through the locales then through the attitude of the primary characters and the repertoire therein.
Music is passable. Screenplay, editing, dialogues, art direction, everything falls in place perfectly.
Ayushmaan Khurana has mastered the art of playing the realistic common man so well, after Dum Lagaake Haisha(2015), Shubhmangal Savdhan (2017) and Bareilly Ki Barfi (2017) this is yet another impressive act wherein he nails the middle class boy next door character with aplomb.
Saniya Malhotra passes off as a Kangana Ranaut clone and has precious little to do here.
The actual lead players Gajraj Rao and Neena Gupta are fantastic as the middle aged couple who are themselves shocked with their achievement at that age. Rao as the doting father who is a Govt employee at the Indian railways is grace personified, his initial reluctance and embarrassment on knowing about his wife’s pregnancy which later transforms to pride and gratitude is beautifully conveyed. Gupta is likeable and relatable in the expecting mother’s role, her casting is nothing short of perfection as she looks every bit like a housewife from a busy colony in Delhi and her realistic performance only adds to that impression.
Super senior citizen Surekha Sikhri is marvellous as the benign old grandmother who defends her family like an aged but strong lioness.
The director has ensured the movie has its “moments”, the brotherhood between Khurana and his teenage brother Guller(Shardul Rana) is straight out of any family. There are some beautifully woven moments directed by Sharma like the one where Sikhri defends Gupta’s pregnancy in front of the demeaning relatives including her own daughter Guddan (Alka Kaushal), or the scene where Khurana goes to Malhotra’s palatial mansion to apologise to the latter’s mother (Sheeba Chanda) wherein the scene strongly relies on Khurana’s subtle acting prowess. There are some special moments between Rao and Gupta which depict autumn romance in its most revered beauty.
Overall a beautiful slice of life comedy which needs to be relished to empower the offbeat genre of Bollywood cinema.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
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