What’s a movie without an agenda these days? If we don’t make a point with a movie, what’s the point, right? Especially if that point is a whole point of view that we want to establish very clearly, in black and white. So that no one misses the point. Unfortunately, that’s the point where the movie starts missing the whole point!
To give credit where it’s due, full marks to the producer (Vidhu Vinod Chopra) and director (Shelly Chopra Dhar) to try and bring the topic of homosexuality as the mainstay of a love story, with the sole purpose of bringing understanding and tolerance in a society that is still depressingly discriminating, Section 377 or not. We applaud the intent behind the movie. And we applaud the attempt to use mainstream stars and classic Bollywood melodrama (or as the protagonist of the story Sweety, calls it ‘siyappa’) to bring the message to the larger public.
But, the message cannot be the movie. A good film with a point of view is one that makes the audience feel the message through its storytelling. Think #UdtaPunjab. By building characters that we identify with, a good film helps us understand how prejudiced we can be towards people we think choose an abnormal path. Think #BadhaaiHo. Through dramatic scenes and emotions, a good film shows us a mirror to our faces, making us realise the unequal society we live in. Think #Pink Through powerful moments and dialogues, a good film gives us a way of correcting our discriminatory ways towards a more open and inclusive society. Think #Dangal
Alas, #EkLadkiKoDekhaTohAisaLaga is a film with a message, but is not a good film. The story revolves around Sweety Chaudhary (Sonam Kapoor) an introverted young girl living in traditional minded but loving Punjabi business family, headed by father Balbir Chaudhary (Anil Kapoor). She wants to escape to find her true love but is dominated by her alpha-male brother, Babloo (Abhishek Duhan), till a chance encounter with wanna-be theatre playwright Sahil Mirza (Rajkumar Rao) gives her a friend for life, who then becomes her partner-in-crime to help her unite with her true love. The movie meanders around in the first half, with pointless jokes and seen-before family antics till the big turning point is revealed right before the interval. This raises hope for a potentially interesting plot to take over. But, after the interval, it continues with the same un-entertaining moments, and many near-lectures of how people’s sexuality is not a disease, but something they are born with. And how we should accept the people we love, just the way they are. Hey-ho-hum. Where have we heard that before!
Anil Kapoor, as the dad, with a secret love for cooking gives some delightful moments in the film, with great comic timing and real emotions. Sonam Kapoor, as usual, is un-impactful and that is a pity because she is the central character of the movie, but she makes a bad story-telling fizzle down even more. Rajkumar Rao is wasted both as the unconvincing romantic in the first half and as the crusading friend in the second half. Juhi Chawla, as a random pointless character with too much screen time, overacts as an exaggerated Punjabi aunty that we have seen toooooooo many times. And Abhishek Duhan, with quite a substantial part, gives a monochromatic (I’m always angry and macho) performance. All and all, pretty underwhelming.
The film tries too hard to make the point. And for all the dialogues it has about ‘listening to your heart and not your head’, it is a movie that is all ‘head’, spelling out for us what we should think and why it matters. At some level, perhaps main-stream Bollywood is not able to understand alternate genders in a real way, and that’s why is not able to tell stories on this topic that are real.
As we’ve seen in recent Hindi cinema over the last few years, we have come a long way in telling real stories about women, families, social issues, youth lives, etc. But it seems we have a way to go on homosexuality. But at least, we have started. For that, we give this film some credit.
I'm not going for any movie now without first reading your review! I can hear your voice behind the words! :)))
ReplyDelete