Film: Shubh Mangal Savdhan; Director: RS Prasanna; Cast: Ayushmann Khurrana, Bhumi Pednekar
Whatever his limitations may be as a director, it is undeniable that Anand L. Rai has brought a sense of authenticity to Hindi cinema. It’s in how his characters come across - well-defined, finished products who are not just residents in his head.
They are both original and relatable. Shubh Mangal Savdhan is of course RS Prasanna’s film (with screenplay and dialogues credited to Hitesh Kewalia)—his remake of his Tamil film, Kalyana Samayal Saadham—but we have seen enough films from Rai’s stable that reinforce his ability to mould any story into his brand. Turning what was essentially the multiplex cinema of the Tamil industry into Rai’s counterpoint to the Bollywood multiplex film, fashioning it as a satire on the fragility of masculinity, is probably Prasanna’s and Rai’s greatest achievement.
For a change, it is good to see lead characters who are unsure of themselves. Unsure of approaching each other, unsure about a relationship, unsure about marriage, and even unsure about sex before marriage. Here are Rai and Prasanna telling us about Mudit (Ayushmann) and Sugandha (Bhumi), who have dreams of a marriage by way of romance, but are fine if turns into an arranged marriage by way of romance. Their movie references are as old fashioned as their names—Ek Duje Ke Liye, Chameli Ki Shaadi, and so on. Their unsure nature, their lack of confidence manifests as a physical problem for Mudit and therefore, becomes the conceit to build a film around Sugandha.
Prasanna plays with this conceit in several suggestive ways. He begins in the very first scene, where Mudit cannot even build up the courage to go speak to her. And just when he does, he is stopped by a bear. It’s as funny as it is bizarre. They finally meet—through the process of arranged marriage and parents’ sanction —when as they walk and talk, there is a board outside a shop that says, ‘All Mobiles Tempered’.
Another instance, after dropping Sugandha home, he walks into her house and says his bike refused to start. After a while, this is overdone when it is played up just for easy laughs. The film once again begins to take control when Mudit’s problem becomes a collective problem. More specifically, it becomes Sugandha’s problem as she tries to expose his one-dimensional approach towards solving it.
By now, it is a running joke that all of Bhumi’s films revolve around her marriage. What we tend to miss is the fact that all her films also revolve around her character, and not many actresses can claim that this early in their career. This film is also about Sugandha’s agency. When Mudit says he’d rather call off the wedding due to his problem, she admonishes him for not considering her opinion. And now that they are on this journey together, she won’t tolerate his grouchy disposition.
You slowly realise that those movies referenced before were not as old-fashioned as we thought them to be. And Prasanna contrasts this fragile male ego with the edifying openness of the female at every step. Sugandha’s mother is loud and blunt in talking about sex. Her friend, Ginni, brings up neighbourhood gossip. Compare this to the father, who operates at the wee hours and makes sneaky phone calls to Mudit to talk about his problem. Or Mudit’s own friends who use euphemisms.
The film’s trajectory in exploring this problem from the other side of the male gaze is a joy to behold. A meaningless ritual to make final arguments is a masterstroke from Prasanna. Shubh Mangal Savdhan will also be remembered for another reason. In the era of Hindi films being pro-government, RS Prasanna’s film becomes the first to poke fun. There is a wink at demonetisation and a well-placed joke about “digital India”. What’s not to like?
Rating: 4/5