Too complicated to be blissful!

Hindi cinema still hasn’t given up on the formula of ‘wedding theatre’ where the bride and groom playact towards a Big fat cinematically glorious Indian wedding. The families may be poor or rich, yet they follow rigid traditions of dowry and object to women working after marriage. It’s all such a gaudy shout-out to an inglorious past yet there appears to be takers for this – at least this film’s makers believe so.

Sattu (Rajkummar) is a clerk while Aarti (Kriti) has secretly given her UPSC exams and hopes to make a career for herself as a Govt. officer. Then comes the arranged marriage. The boy meets girl, is immediately infatuated and even the girl seems quite besotted. But on the day of their wedding, the improbable happens. Her results are declared, and her sister urges her to run awayseeing that she is now a potential officer. She runs away and 5 years later lives to rue that day-but not for reasons you could think up. Going from believable to ridiculous, the narrative has the clerk transformed into an IAS officer investigating a corruption charge against Govt officer Aarti. And he is set for revenge…or so we are made to believe. And of course, the happily ever after is achieved in now current cinematic fashion- a la Badri Ki Dulhaniya and Bareilly Ki Barfi.

What could have been a blissfully appealing family social ends up becoming over ambitious and downright exasperating. The second half in fact resembles a south Indian film gone wrong. The wild flight of imagination doesn’t quite fit in either. The preponderance of antiquated ideology and unfathomable characterizations render the ensuing saga quite implausible. The one good song and dance comes after the credit starts rolling-too late to make an impact. This one is fairly likeable for Rajkummar Rao’s performance… but it also defies belief at every turn!