Director: R S Prasanna
Rating: 3 stars
First of all, don't get confused this film to be a sex comedy, as it is NOT that! Kudos to Ayushmann Khurrana for his 'bold' choice once again after 'Vicky Donor'. The film deals with a taboo subject that everyone knows but very few have the guts to talk about.
Story: Delhi based Mudit Sharma (Ayushmann Khurrana) and Sugandha (Bhumi Pednekar) accidentally meets one fine day at their work in Nehru Place where cupid struck the two and they fall in love. The duo soon get a thumbs up from their parents and are now all set to convert their short-lived romance into life-long commitment of marriage. But, alas! Their 'shubh mangal' start meets a road block when one fine day(romantic night at Sugandha's place) Mudit discovers that he suffers from erectile dysfunction. How he deals with the 'gents problem'(that what it is called in the movie) without affecting his loved relationship with Sugandha is what the movie is all about.
'Shubh Mangal Saavdhan' is a remake of the Tamil film 'Kalyana Samayal Saadham' made in 2013, the movie is a light hearted flick that can be seen by the whole family despite of its taboo subject and for that hats off to the director for taking forward this movie in a hilarious manner without being vulgar or awkward at any point.
In-fact in one of the scenes, a soggy biscuit dropping into a cup of tea is used to describe Mudit's dysfunction erectile state. Also Sugandha's mother, reciting a poem to her daughter that she penned 30 years ago after her honeymoon is used to describe sexual fantasy in marriage.
The film has some hilarious one liners like ‘Naach rahe hain ya maata chadh gayi hai?' or ‘Ali Baba ka janam hi gufaa main jaane ke liye hua hai.’
Acting: Ayushmann Khurrana once again hits the jackpot after 'Vicky Donor' in dealing with the matters 'below the belt' without actually going quite literally.
As Mudit, Ayushmann totally nails it as a young boy suffering from performance anxiety and on top of it his lover and would-be wife knows his problem.
Bhumi Pednekar has once again proved that she has mastered the art of playing a middle-class girl with a panache, after ' Toilet: Ek Prem Katha'. As Sugandha, in Shubh Mangal Savdhaan, Bhumi looks beautiful, confidant and just perfect as a girl-next-door. This is her second collaboration with Ayushmann. The duo previously worked together in Dum Laga Ke Haisha, which also marked her acting debut in Bollywood.
Their chemistry in their first film was amazing and the same can be said about their second outing as well. The actress might just prove to be a threat to the current leading ladies of Bollywood through her incredible acting skills and facial expressions!
The supremely talented star cast besides the lead actors has delivered fabulous performances and once again it is proved that a good film is a result of a good team work.
Seema Pahwa and Neeraj Sood need speacial mention for playing Bhumi's on screen-parents as they are so good and so is tauji Brijendra Kala.
What's Hot & What's Not: The film highlights the importance of sex education in a quirky manner and not being preachy. The first half is brilliant with every character acing his/her role and that's what make this film a must watch.
The movie lets you down in the second half when it suddenly takes a filmy turn in an otherwise real movie. After interval the film suddenly loses it's grip and works in patches. The second half actually plays a spoilsport and despite of the actors' sparkling performances it fails to connect to the audiences. The climax once again fails to impress and falls flat very abruptly.
However, Ayushmann Khurrana & Bhumi Pednekar’s crackling chemistry and sweet banter makes it a must watch. The movie deals with a serious topic in a quirky manner and the brilliant performance of the ensemble cast make it a worth watch.
Over all, Shubh Mangal Saavdhan is a romantic-comedy flick with a strong hidden message on sex-education, so go watch this popcorn entertainer at a theatre near you this week if you are looking for something refreshing.
Watch the trailer below: