An Intimate Look at Sunny Kaushal and Radhika Madan’s Film “Shiddat”
Shiddat Review: Radhika Madan gives Kartika sass, if not solidity. The chemistry between these two lead guitarists is effortless. The presence of Mohit Raina lends weight to the proceedings.
The film’s supporting cast includes Sunny Kaushal, Diana Penty, and Mohit Raina, in addition to Radhika Madan.
Kunal Deshmukh directed the film.
An unsatisfactory rating of 2.5 stars (out of 5)
In Shiddat, a young man will go to any length to win the heart of a girl who has rejected him, leaving him heartbroken and naive. So, contrary to what Kunal Deshmukh claims, the film isn’t just a love story about elemental power.
Shiddat’s froth, which can be found on Disney+Hotstar, is difficult to beat. As a result, despite its liberal use of pop philosophy, the film is very short and to-the-point as the male protagonist, Joginder ‘Jaggi’ Dhillon (Sunny Kaushal), sets out to prevent a wedding from taking place from Jalandhar to London.
The catch is that he must rule over all of Earth’s realms in exchange. He’ll go to any length to achieve his goal, even if it means putting his life in danger. For him, falling in love is more of a leap than a step forward. Do you believe Jaggi will be able to overcome all of the challenges he faces? The answer to that question determines Shiddat’s squishy core. His reckless passion and ill-conceived mission, on the other hand, are completely implausible in every way.
Jaggi, a hockey player, develops feelings for Kartika (Radhika Madan), a swimmer, while at a sports camp. After a long one-night stand, he learns that she is engaged to be married to a Londoner in three months. Despite his raised eyebrows, Jaggi is soothed by Kartika, who claims marriage is an overrated institution.
She then goes into great detail to support her point of view. He insists, and she declares that if his zeal lasts until their wedding day, she will cancel the wedding. “I’m free to be whisked away from the marriage in the DDLJ style,” she says.
Jaggi is adamant about keeping her word and disregards common sense. He enters the country illegally in an attempt to enter Europe and ends up in a lot of trouble. There are no rules prohibiting him from expressing his love in this manner; however, the fact that he takes over two hours to do so results in pure boredom.
One of the most significant aspects of the film is its presentation as a modern, progressive love story about an independent young woman who believes in living life on their terms. She is fighting a losing battle because the young man who is forcing her hand requires professional assistance. If he makes the Canadian national hockey team, Jaggi hopes to have a stable career. However, he does not appear to be taking any concrete steps toward that goal. Apparently, he thinks it’s perfectly fine to show up drunk at a diplomat’s wedding (Mohit Raina).
After all, the groom’s emotional wedding speech about his undying love for his bride (Diana Penty) moves him so much that he decides to use the man as his compass even after being rudely kicked out of the party.
Then he meets Kartika, a Maharashtra swimmer who represents her home state. He wouldn’t have been able to charge her if he had a by-your-leave. Free alcohol, in his opinion, is the same as a free-spirited damsel. Is it possible to fall in love at first sight with someone? That is a complete misinterpretation. As Jaggi has discovered in this case, love can be deafeningly blind. This is also ridiculous.
When he finishes swimming practice, he posts a photo of the girl to a social media platform without her permission. The enraged girl lashes out at him in the boys’ locker room by clicking starkers on him. This does not sit well with her. In the film, gender equality is interpreted as tit-for-tat. What a boy can accomplish, a girl can outdo. Everything is now back to normal!
To demonstrate this, the author depicts two types of love in Shiddat: one that blooms in French language class between a girl who goes with the flow and an ambitious man who carefully considers every decision. The other type occurs when a country-raised man meets an independent city woman. The first leads to marriage, while the second leads to the desperate measures that fuel much of the plot.
In mythology, bhanwar and toofan have both been compared to whirlpools and storms. To put it another way, the other is a strong boat that brings you to shore. Life, according to one character, is a four-course meal that must be finished in order to be considered a complete experience. He advises you to eat more than salads. Appetizers, entrees, and desserts are all welcome. Have fun with them all. You’ll miss out on the variety that keeps life interesting if you don’t.
When a woman in his life tells him that he only sees shades of blue when she sees a riot of colors – red, green, violet, the entire spectrum – he is the one who suffers. When discussing nutrition and pigments, it’s easy to overlook issues such as illegal immigration, refugee rights activism, and the threat of deportation.
Between Jaggi and Kartika, there is a world of difference. Similarly, the two on-screen actors who play them are. Sunny Kaushal’s earthy voice gives the male lead a human quality. Radhika Madan is the one who gives Kartika some spirit, if not much substance. The chemistry between these two lead guitarists is effortless. When the characters, like Mohit Raina’s, are mired in superficiality and superfluity, his game effort is a drop in the ocean.
The social and familial backgrounds of any of the main characters are obscured. Jaggi mentions his mother several times, but the audience is left in the dark about how she is doing. She’s gone missing with no trace. Furthermore, the screenplay withholds information about the backgrounds of the Indian consular officer stationed in France and his wife. Only Kartika’s family members appear. Nonetheless, the father dominates the conversation, with the mother hovering in the background, unable to speak.
Shiddat’s heart isn’t always in the right place, despite its two-and-a-half-hour running time. At one point in the story, the heroine of the hero’s heart admits to feeling like a heroine from a Hindi film from the 1990s. She’s not completely off the mark. Shiddat’s soul can barely be heard over the din of Shiddat, even with its voice. They, like the two main characters, have opposing forces at work within them. Nobody wants to see it.
