Film: Badrinath Ki Dulhania
Cast: Varun Dhawan, Alia Bhatt
Director: Shashank Khaitan
Rating: 3/5
What’s it about:
Badrinath Ki Dulhania is nowhere similar to Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania. Neither the plot nor the message. While Humpty was a movie with no cause, Badrinath Ki Dulhania comes with a strong message. The only similarity is the lead pair! Alia Bhatt and Varun Dhawan can create magic together. The movie is set in the small town of Jhansi and Kota where patriarchy still prevails. Badrinath, who is a tenth passed, has been raised in a family that believes that men are the sole decision makers while women only belong in the kitchen. He falls in love with the highly ambitious and career oriented girl Vaidehi (Alia). While Badri thinks he is the most eligible bachelor and no girl can ever reject him, Vaidehi doesn’t believe in the concept of marriages and wants to be the ‘son’ of the house! This is where their values clash and the sweet love story turns bitter. BKD sends out a very strong message on equal rights and dowry while keeping it vibrant. Hats off to Shashank Khaitan’s direction. Vaidehi’s character is the spine of this movie. She’s competitive and real; she’s pulled down but knows her way back; she protects her dreams and doesn’t let anyone manipulate her. She makes the movie so relatable.
What’s hot:
The movie is likable and will make you smile throughout but it also has heavy scenes where Alia and Varun have proved their acting skills. While we have already seen Alia in endearing roles, this was a first time for Varun. Varun keeps you intrigued with his varied emotions throughout the film. He can get serious in a moment and dramatic in another! We loved his comic timing (he never disappoints) and his chemistry with Alia. Varun’s monolog in the last scene is definitely the highlight of the movie. Alia’s work is flawless (as usual). Right from her accent to her looks – she’s aced it all. Sahil Vaid deserves special credits for his good work. Gauhar Khan’s presence also took us by surprise. The soundtracks of the movie were a total hit and fit the scenes perfectly. Tamma Tamma remake was a great decision and it worked quite well for the makers. The title track of the movie was an apt release for the Holi week and goes well with the theme. Bits and parts of the movie definitely proved it to be a Dharma film, we can’t deny! While we have seen many movies where the hero helps the heroine achieve her goals but in this movie, the girl helps the boy improve and become a better individual. The first half of the film deals with prevalent issues like child discrimination, dowry system, and patriarchal society and shifts its focus to the relationship of Badri and Vaidehi in the second half. The movie is not about two of them finding a way to their love, it is about finding their own selves, which is what keeps us intrigued.
What’s not:
The movie gives a sense of nostalgia and makes you feel you’ve been there, seen that. There is nothing new about the movie that will make you excited. A few scenes look so out-dated and the climax is extremely predictable. There is so much more that the screenplay could have offered. Kota and Jhansi are shown to be extremely orthodox places which they necessarily aren’t. The film somehow loses its heat and ends up being nothing but a mainstream Bollywood film. The love songs don’t match to ‘Samjhawan’ and that is something we missed terribly.
What to do:
You may want to watch this movie only for Alia and Varun’s chemistry!
Leave a Reply