Release date:
|
September 6, 2013
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Director:
|
Maneesh Sharma
|
Cast:
Language:
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Parineeti Chopra,
Sushant Singh Rajput, Vaani Kapoor, Rishi Kapoor
Hindi
|
Chanchal
characters, ati random consistency...
That’s what Shuddh Desi Romance is –
a little sparkler of a film that fizzles out in the second half, with the
heavyweight team of director Maneesh Sharma (Band Baaja Baaraat, Ladies vs Ricky Bahl) and writer Jaideep Sahni (Chak
De! India) seeming not to know quite what to do beyond a point. When the
going’s good it’s damn bloody good, but then it sadly peters out.
SDR stars Kai Po Che’s Sushant Singh Rajput as
Raghuram, a Jaipur tourist guide and baaraati-on-hire
who is torn between his love/attraction for fellow rental baaraati Gayatri (Parineeti Chopra) and the woman he almost
marries (Tara, played by newcomer Vaani Kapoor). This is a story of
relationships, commitment phobia, the social compulsions that drive people to
get married in India, hypocrisy, a woman who lives and loves on her own terms
and a man who wants to be like her. The tone is set when Gayatri says towards
the start: Shaadiyon mein poore Hindustan
ki jhoot aur double standards nikal aate hai. And throughout the film we
are reminded that sexual permissiveness is far more prevalent in India,
especially seemingly-conservative small-town India, than we like to admit.
We’re a nation in which it’s not unheard of for a woman to have sex with a man
but cover up that aspect of their relationship by tying a rakhi on his wrist. We’re
a nation that does everything but wants to pretend that we don’t.
It’s
impossible not to like Sushant and his Raghuram, despite his dithering and his
typical male concerns about Gayatri’s previous relationships notwithstanding his
seeming open-mindedness. It’s impossible not to fall in love with Parineeti and
her Gayatri even when the girl’s own confusion leads her to blame Raghu for her
actions. Both actors dissolve themselves in their characters in a most
captivating fashion. Sushant had shown himself to be a live wire in his very
first film. Parineeti is a nuanced performer with eyes that glitter and glimmer
and do a little dance every time she opens them. Vaani doesn’t possess their
charisma, but she too is a good actress. Together, they give us a refreshingly
different commentary on young, small-town India’s attitude towards
relationships.
There’s
so much to like in this film: the city of Jaipur feels like a real city and not
a series of set pieces, even the tiniest roles are played by well-chosen
actors, the music is a breeze, the lyrics are joyous and Rishi Kapoor as the
avuncular caterer-cum-wedding-planner is irresistibly likeable
especially when he’s worrying that he’ll go out business if marriages go out of
fashion. It requires a suspension of disbelief to accept that an Indian boy,
however guileless he may be, whether he’s from a big city or a small town,
would simply assume that a woman who has allowed him into her bed would
automatically be open to a live-in relationship, but Raghu and Gayatri are so
charming in those scenes that it becomes easier to set incredulity aside. It’s
a tad irritating that even someone of Sahni’s caliber uses cigarette smoking as
the earliest indicator of a girl’s liberalism the way so many Hindi film makers
do (Bollywood may not believe this, but there are ACTUALLY a ton of liberal Indian
women out there who don’t smoke or drink!) but in the larger scheme of things
this is a passing irritant. I mean, it’s hard to remain angry for too long with
a man who can write songs like Tere mere
beech mein, Chanchal mann ati random
and Shuddh desi romance. Besides,
it’s quite amazing that without a single sermon, the film manages to make the
point that a romp between the sheets doesn’t come without responsibilities.
Sadly though, once what had to be said has been said in the first half of the film,
no one seems to know what else to say. This is a film that needed to be compact
but instead unnecessarily stretches itself to 2 hours and 21 minutes.
Yash
Raj Films should be vocally commended for having made the director and writer’s
names such a prominent part of their promotional material. How many Bollywood
production houses bother to give that kind of respect to writers?
Interestingly, it’s the written word that both makes and breaks this particular
project. Shuddh Desi Romance is brave all the way and bouncy up to a point, beyond which it just
gives up.
Rating (out of five): **3/4
CBFC Rating (India):
|
U/A
|
Running time:
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2 hours 21 minutes
|
Poster and videos courtesy: Yash Raj Films
Tere Mere Beech Mein: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W_ALp-Bqg9M&feature=youtu.be
Shuddh Desi Romance title track:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=varo0G9I-gk&feature=c4-overview-vl&list=PLCB05E03DA939D484
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=varo0G9I-gk&feature=c4-overview-vl&list=PLCB05E03DA939D484
Chanchal mann ati random: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CdWe8J-m_Ug&feature=c4-overview-vl&list=PLCB05E03DA939D484
