Bollywood steadfastly continues on its mission to set “things straight” as far as depicting the LGBTQIA community is concerned. It has almost become a genre of sorts - a strong social message cushioned with desi humour, a terrifically put together ensemble that entertains and then educates. We know the drill all too well by now. Don’t get me wrong. I have nothing against films with a social message, but I wish the day arrives soon when the depiction of queer love doesn’t have to be “brave” or with some self-conscious additions, like even getting an actor from the North East to play a significant role. High time then that this kind of diversity be so mainstream that the story gets to flow like any other, without being subsumed by the overarching theme of having to deliver a message.
Badhaai Do, however, does its job by giving us a couple stuck in a Lavender marriage. There is a reason for fatigue to set in, and it’s primarily the trailer. So much information has already been revealed that it almost seems like a synopsis of the whole film in three minutes. We know the main conflict - the gay man marries a lesbian woman. It's an arrangement they agree to in order to escape their parents and the gazillion taunts and questions. The film is set in Dehradun, he is a police officer; she a Physical Education teacher, living like roommates and leading separate lives.
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It's interesting to note that they are quite comfortable with their own truths. It’s the nosey neighbours and poking relatives who create problems. Some of it has also to do with them mimicking a “regular marriage”, where Shardul (Rajkummar Rao) adopts a high-pitched tone to try and order Sumi (Bhumi Pednekar) around, and she would have none of it. The other big problem arises when the families want them to have a child of their own. It could have irritated anyone who doesn’t want to rush things, but in the case of Shardul and Sumi things are obviously complicated.
Since we already know so much and can almost predict what the resolution will be, why take so long to set up the story? A classic case of overstating the case kills the fun, particularly pre interval.
Badhaai Do is long and feels longer. Then comes the post interval slow walk towards a predictable resolution. Things become knotty when Sumi falls for Rimjhim (played by Chum Darang), who has a pleasing screen presence. Harshvardhan Kulkarni who has also written the screenplay along with Suman Adhikary and Akshat Ghildial add jokes, stereotypes are peddled as humour, and the small town-big extended family milieu is generously weaved into the proceedings. They work mostly because we are blessed to have actors like Sheeba Chadha, Seema Pahwa, Nitesh Pandey and Loveleen Mishra, who manage to keep things buoyant even when there isn’t much novelty in the way the roles are written. Gulshan Devaiah comes in as a cameo appearance and rules every frame he is a part of.
As for the lead, Bhumi Pednekar and Rajkummar Rao are solid performers and play their parts with the flair of consummate actors. Rao, in particular, with his vacant impassive expression makes you realise how stifled he feels in a police uniform, all the while yearning to own his truth openly. Bhumi’s aching grief as she looks for support from her father in a crucial scene is delicately and sensitively done. These are moments when Badhaai Do shines, when it tells the story for what it is and not “perform” it due to its eagerness to give a message and deliver a PSA.
Our Rating: 3 Quints out of 5
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