Fractured story prevents movie from reaching its potential

Starring: Ayushmann Khurrana, Shefali Shah Director: Anubhuti Kashyap

ACTOR Ayushmann Khurrana has carved out a niche for himself with unique subjects that are far away from Hindi commercial cinema.

While it reaped rewards for a short spell with super hit films, he has recently perhaps gone too far beyond conventional Bollywood boundaries with movies that have divided audiences and underperformed. The formula for most films has been a story of an ordinary man being placed into an alien situation. He has followed that blueprint with his latest offering.

This time around he plays a medical student, who is unable to study his preferred subject of orthopaedics and finds himself as the only male in the gynaecology department of a medical college. It is firmly established that the sexiest student doesn’t understand women, and he, not surprisingly, goes on a collision course with fellow female students. Then an unexpected series of events steer the film in a different direction, which is more sensitive and meaningful.

Doctor G is very much a film of two halves. The opening hour is filled with cringe-worthy moments and cheap humour that just doesn’t land. The second half becomes like a brandnew movie, as it sees the protagonist evolve and shine a spotlight on a sensitive subject, before rolling around towards a strong ending. This fractured nature of the story prevents this film from reaching its undeniable potential and results in a frustrating watch that demands a lot of patience. Those who can get past the awful first half will take most away from the movie.

Although the performances are strong, 38-year-old Khurrana is getting too old for these coming-of-age stories more suited for a younger actor. There are some flashes of brilliance, but ultimately, Doctor G is a sign that these fish-outof-water type of stories Khurrana has connected himself to are losing their shine.