Movie Review: 'Badrinath Ki Dulhania'

It begins on a disturbing note with the lofty portrayal of a newborn baby boy as an ‘asset’ and baby girl as a ‘liability’. Thereafter the movie leaves no stone unturned in over emphasizing this gruesome fact of gender discrimination to the point of utter disgust and anger.

Badri the sexist son of a misogynist moneylender from Jhansi falls for Vaidehi the self-assured daughter of a hapless father who has earned all his living only to build dowries for her daughters. Both these fathers of protagonists are seen carrying oxygen cylinders to keep their hearts pumping during distressing times, mainly gifted by their children with surprise. Special mention to the father of Badri - the epitome of the crudest creature in an elderly human form – who gets furious even with the polite request from a girl’s father if she could do a job after marriage. Vaidehi is an extension of Ananya of 2 States, this time from the opposite side of the country. She chases her dream of being an air-hostess and Badri, enamoured of her, chases her for marriage. The setting is known: Parents of primitive mindset in a pathetic patriarchal society that believes in proud distribution of costly sweets for the birth of a baby boy and shameful declaration with inexpensive pedas for a baby girl; on the other side, a resolute girl transforming a lover boy from a mindlessly nodding son into the women-respecting husband.

In presenting this obvious conclusion, the movie dabbles rather clumsily between being a light romcom and a serious one, much in the way Shashank Khaitan does in being a director and a writer. This seems to have lost some deserved impact in its climax. For instance, when Badri’s father blurts repelling threats of finding out Vaidehi and hanging her or shooting her to set an example for she had run out of the wedding, one would really want a strong lesson to be given to an uncouth goon like him. But the movie bails him out easily and quickly without him having shown any guilt, remorse, or apology to anyone he had humiliated so inhumanly. I think the plot of the movie is a brave attempt but it has certainly punched below its weight. However I must say the leads carry it with conviction and charm.

Alia is a cuteness school in herself and Varun is a modern day Govinda; rather Govinda with a taste. She is an effortless stunner and simply fabulous in carrying off all emotions with grace and grit. He is an adrenaline bag, always on the move, and bang on with his acting. If there is anyone whom I have to put for a stellar side-role after Deepak Dobriyal (remember Pappi bhaiya from Tanu Weds Manu?), it would be Sahil Vaid, who nails it being Badri’s close friend.

It’s watchable for it dares putting the gut-wrenching societal frame of India of 2017 out in the open for us to shame and correct the course. The unfortunate definitions of asset and liability beg to bring their termination.