Shubh Mangal Saavdhan (2017) Review!!

Synopsis – In this remake of Kalyana Samayal Saadham (2013), a couple fall in love but then the groom discovers that he suffers from erectile dysfunction.

My Take – It clearly seems that audience are nowadays in for tales set in small towns of India. Recent hits Toilet-Ek Prem Katha, Bareily Ki Barfi, Jolly LLB 2, Badrinath Ki Dulhania, Sultan & Dangal have managed to be successful not just critical, but commercially too, hence, it comes as no surprise that this R.S. Prasanna directed film is easily going to join those ranks of the most affable films of this torrid year. Not that the trailer didn’t give enough hints for it, but then these days, trailers are seldom indicative of a well-rounded finished product. It’s amusing how in a matter of few weeks, the pair of the 2015 sleeper hit Dum Laga Ke Haisha, Ayushmann Khurrana & Bhumi Pednekar star in films with similar characterizations yet manage to come up with superb performances yet again in a different setting. Unlike the 2015 film, the two find themselves in an unusual situation in this Hindi remake of Prasanna’s own 2013 Tamil film, Kalyana Samayal Saadham, which explores the bold subject of erectile dysfunction with aplomb. The film might not be hailed as boundary-pushing cinema—and yet, in its own unassuming way, it is. Like Vicky Donor, which kicked a hole in the middle-class-morality wall simply by saying “sperm” some 500 times, this bright, unembarrassed film discusses a somewhat taboo subject loudly and sensibly. However, your reaction maybe while watching the film, I certainly think director Prasanna and his team must be applauded for choosing such a taboo subject and giving a hilarious treatment to the film. The best thing about the film is that the setup, characters and dialogues all are believable.

The story follows Mudit Sharma (Ayushmann Khurrana) from whom its love at first sight as he sees Sugandha (Bhumi Pednekar) near his workplace. But he somehow does not gather confidence to go to her and voice out his love for her. Sugandha certainly enjoys the attention showered on her by Mudit, but does initially expects Mudit to express himself directly, which he tries but due to an incident involving a bear, he chooses to send a marriage proposal online. The families meet over an awkward Skype session, & after a short but banal ‘will she, won’t she’ period, Mudit gets the girl of his dreams. Despite being official engaged, Sugandha wants a bells and whistles romance before marriage and she decides that’s what she’ll get with Mudit. She says yes to the music and thus begins their romance. They steal kisses away from prying eyes and it’s when they decide to go a step further that things fall flat. A DDA flat, pics of Sugandha’s dead grandparents and parents, cause Mudit anxiety. They finally move to the bedroom and Mudit can’t do it. It’s when the talk of ‘gent’s problem’ aka erectile dysfunction is immortalized on screen by a limp biscuit hits us. Sugandha being the mature one in the relationship, makes the first move to address it & the couple realizes that they have to conquer their own insecurities for the long haul. But complications arise when the families get involved. The parents add to the confusion – Sugandha’s are appalled that their future son-in-law is lacking in masculinity and Mudit’s are in denial. “He’s my son – nothing on him can be small!” the groom’s father rages. Add this to the usual confusion and chaos that surround an Indian wedding and we have a romantic comedy that has all the makings of a breezy watch, in spite of an unusual premise. This film is one joyful ride that will keep you entertained throughout. You will fall in love with the film, the moment you enter the premise. The film begins with a typical boy-meet-girl followed by engagement. Till here, there are enough scenes to tickle your funny bone. However, the film goes one step ahead once the issue of erectile dysfunction is discovered. If first half is good, second half is sparkling and few scenes will definitely bring down the house. Admirably, the makers navigate this tricky material without it coming across as crass or making you squirm in your seat. There’s also genuine warmth and heart in the relationship between Mudit and Sugandha, and the script gives them enough room to explore ideas of commitment and adjustment while going through the messiness of love and marriage. The film does highlight the story of middle class families. The characters shown seem to be familiar. The characterization of Sugandha as an assertive yet sensitive girl is done well. Mudit’s awkwardness and frustration is also very much relatable. We also get a wide selection of oddball characters that nevertheless feel entirely real, and the dialogue is peppered with laugh-out-loud lines. Writer Hitesh Kewalya infuses his script with some solid writing. The story does not waver for one moment and every dialogue elicits laughter from the viewers. The repartee or dialogues here, loaded with pop-culture references, bordering on fine Hindi literature, are absolutely spot-on. Some of the best one-liners in the film belong to the two set of parents. Mudit’s macho man of a father corrects his son when the latter rebukes him for not having time to listen to anyone else because he is busy ‘watching Sunny Leone’. His father retorts, “Deol, Sunny Deol!” An exchange between Sugandha and her mother in which the older lady uses an Arabian Nights analogy to discuss the birds and the bees is hilarious, as is a visit to an animal doctor in Haridwar seeking a cure for Mudit’s condition. Writer Hitesh Kewalya contributes a sparkling screenplay—one sublime moment occurs when Sugandha’s father and uncle each yank a slipper off to beat her younger brother, but then become sentimental when this reminds them of their late father.

The dysfunction may be on Mudit’s end but Sugandha makes it clear—over the sound of his self-flagellation—that this is a problem for them to solve together. It’s also made clear as the film progresses that there are insecurities on both sides. One surprising scene in a Delhi park starts out comic, with Sugandha inexpertly attempting to seduce Mudit, and ends with her crying and being comforted by him. Mudit describes their impending marriage as “love-cum-arranged-cum-love”, and even though their relationship walks over its share of hot coals, this seems about right. Director R S Prasanna has ensured he has stayed true to the script and the way he has adapted it for the Hindi audience is apt. This rom-com has got the casting so right that every character adds more flavor to the film be it Sugandha’s brother or the priest. Everyone evokes laughter with their dialogues and antics. With so much going for it, it’s disappointing when the film doesn’t come close to sticking the landing all thanks to an underwhelming finale. The film’s final 20 minutes includes an elaborate, less-than-sensible gag, a spot of screenwriting panic, an on-the-nose sermon when none was required. For as much build up that it creates, the film has a dud of an ending. the melodrama doesn’t match the rest of the film, which is almost glaring. But I can say gladly this doesn’t erase what’s come before: a funny, hopeful film, with enough dry wit and generosity of spirit to allow it to circumvent the farcical pitfalls of its subject matter. The cast also blends beautifully with their respective characters. Ayushmann Khurrana‘s experimentation with unusual subjects is appreciable, be it his Vicky Donor, Dum Lagake Haisha, Bareilly Ki Barfi or now this one. Khurrana seems to have perfected the art of playing the distressed, frustrated lover, and he delivers a solid performance in this one. His growth as an actor is evident in the quieter moments when Mudit broods about his situation and the louder ones when he stands up for his choices. Khurrana and Pednekar share an affable chemistry and she embraces her character with resourcefulness. The reason he’s paired opposite the lovely Bhumi Pednekar in this film though is quite simply the recall value of the couple from the sleeper hit Dum Laga Ke Haisha, a slightly similar milieu, where the boy marries a fat girl, which leaves him wholly disappointed. Pednekar is, of course, sprightly, petite now. Bhumi Pednekar effortlessly portrays Sugandha as smartly negotiating the middle-class patriarchy. Pednekar is excellent as a young woman whose response to her partner’s shortcoming is both surprising and mature. She’s on a roll, following up her confident, fiery performance in last month’s Toilet: Ek Prem Katha with another winning turn. Seema Pahwa is excellent as Sugandha’s mother. Given some of the choicest one-liners (who also starred in the recent Khurrana starrer Bareilly Ki Barfi in a similar role) such as comment on the wedding in Haridwar when she says a destination wedding means fewer people will come and the those who do can wash off their sins at the same time. The performance by Sugandha’s father, Neeraj Sood, is particularly noteworthy. Brijendra Kala and rest of the cast Anshul Chauhan and Chittaranjan Tripathy are also very good. Aanand Rai favorite Jimmy Shergill also has a hilarious cameo, where he is playing himself shooting a condom ad in Haridvar. On the whole, ‘Shubh Mangal Saavdhan’ is unusual film which despite a flawed climax is fantastic in every sense.