Director: Harshavardhan Kulkarni
Stars in the film: Rajkummar Rao, Chum Darang, Sheeba Chaddha, and Bhumi Pednekar
Platform: Theatrical Release
Language: Hindi
Rating: 3/5
STORY: Sumi and Shardul live dual lives as gay and lesbian community members who are socially Suppressed. They believe that settling for a compromise marriage to please their intrusive families will provide them with cover while they seek partners of their choosing. The story of this family performer is built around what they finally achieve and how they do it.
REVIEW: Both Shardul and Sumi meet their respective, same-sex loves through body excreta and wet spit. It’s a subversion of not just the romance genre, where filth and disgust are favored outside the realm of love, but also the gay genre of narrative, which is neatly, comfortingly sanitized – think of Vaani Kapoor as the ideal of femininity in Chandigarh. Kare Aashiqui, Ayushmann Khurranna’s svelte man in Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan, and Sonam Kapoor’s lonely, aching self in Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga, all dressed in Rimple and Harpreet Narula’s fabric, where hand-holding and Mooney gazes serve to convey love.
Rajkummar Rao in a still from Badhaai Do:
Badhaai Do, on the other hand, performs its job by presenting us with a couple stuck in a Lavender marriage. There’s a cause for fatigue, and it’s mostly due to the trailer. So much has already been disclosed that it nearly feels like a three-minute description of the entire film.
The core issue is well-known: a gay man marries a lesbian lady. It’s an agreement they make to avoid their parents and their endless questions and taunts. He is a police officer, and she is a Physical Education teacher, living together as roommates and enjoying different lives in Dehradun.
A still from Badhaai Do:
Badhaai Do is a lengthy song that feels much longer.
The post-interval slow walk to a predictable resolution follows. When Sumi falls for Rimjhim, who has a charming screen presence, things get knotted. Harshvardhan Kulkarni, who also wrote the script with Suman Adhikary and Akshat Ghildial, includes gags, stereotypes are marketed as a comedy, and the small town-big extended family backdrop is literally woven into the proceedings.
They work mostly because we are fortunate to have actresses like Sheeba Chadha, Seema Pahwa, Nitesh Pandey, and Love leen Mishra who can keep things lively even when the parts aren’t really unique. Gulshan Devaiah makes a cameo appearance and controls every frame in which he appears.
Rajkummar Rao & Bhumi Pednekar in Badhaai Do:
Bhumi Pednekar and Rajkummar Rao, who play the major roles, are strong performers who deliver their lines with the flair of consummate actors. Rao, in particular, lets you realize how stifled he feels in a police uniform, all the while wishing to own his truth openly with his empty deadpan gaze.
In a pivotal sequence, Bhumi’s profound sadness as she seeks comfort from her father is softly and lovingly depicted. These are the moments where Badhaai Do excels when it presents the narrative as it is rather than “performing” it to communicate a message or a PSA.
