An
entire generation shares the predicament of Raghu and Gayatri, the cold footed
lovers in Maneesh Sharma’s sparkling romcom ‘Shuddh Desi Romance’. They (sort
of) love each other but the thought of marriage scares the shit out of them.
This is the kind of film where a loo break acquires a symbolic meaning. You’ll
see many of those here. This film has enough shots around the toilet to bring
it on par with ‘Delhi Belly’.
Raghu
(Sushant Singh Rajput) and Gayatri (Parineeti Chopra) have a vocation that I am
informed exists in small towns. They rent themselves out as wedding guests.
It’s the sort of profession that requires you to look attractive and speak some
English so the family hiring them is perceived as, oh I don’t know, classier?
As
the film opens, Raghu is all set to marry Tara (Vaani Kapoor). Since this is an
arranged marriage set in Rajasthan, it comes as little surprise that Raghu has
met Tara only once. Gayatri is hired as Raghu’s sister to accompany him to the
wedding venue. Because Gayatri is played by the lovely Parineeti Chopra,
Raghu’s wedding plans are quickly threatened. Sparks fly and, predictably, he
runs off from the wedding.
It isn’t long before Raghu and Gayatri are
seeing each other. The scenes between Raghu and Gayatri are written with
exceptional warmth and insight. Right from their first kiss to the point where
both wonder if they can trust each other, Jaideep Sahni’s screenplay is
completely believable and elegant. We sense that Raghu is a tad rash in their
relationship, while Gayatri is more cautious. When confronted with the question
of marriage, it becomes clear that they both have some way to go before they
are sorted and have the correct perspective.
Through
an amusing turn of events their relationship comes to a halt, setting Raghu up
for a chance encounter with Tara. I liked the fact how in contrast to Gayatri,
Tara is written as a more self-assured, wiser girl. She takes Raghu by surprise
who may have thought that a woman prepared for an arranged marriage would be
dull and conservative. He is smitten, but not to the point that he is over his
first love you understand. We sense there may be some guilt over abandoning
Tara that drives Raghu in this relationship and brings him once again to the cusp
of proposing marriage.
That
is as far as I can get without spoiling anything for you. I will tell you
though that this is a very funny film, where the humour flows naturally from
the way the characters navigate their feelings and the situations it gets them
in. I will also tell you that Raghu gets a lot of counselling from Goelji, a
wedding planner, although some of it is suspect, motivated as it is by the
prospect of organizing another wedding.
Goelji
is played by Rishi Kapoor, whose flair for comedy shines through the constant
befuddlement his character faces in confronting young love. The lead characters
are also well cast, although the actor who looks the part the most is Vaani
Kapoor, who makes a very confident debut here (Notice how she slumps into a
chair and calls for a cold drink, after Raghu runs out on her). Sushant Singh
Rajput’s performance as Raghu captures the evolution his character goes through
in the film. And what a pleasure it is watching Parineeti Chopra. In only her
second film as the female lead, she shows timing and range that is miles ahead
of her contemporaries.
‘Shuddh
Desi Romance’ is Jaideep Sahni’s eighth screenplay, having penned scripts like
‘Company’, ‘Chak De India’, ‘Rocket Singh: Salesman of the Year’ and ‘Khosla ka
Ghosla’. While he may have slightly tested the patience of his audience with
characters who run around a lot before they figure stuff out, there is not a
dull moment in this film. Like always, the ink from his pen runs deep. Eventually,
Raghu is able to articulate his fear of marriage, likening it to locking the
door behind you, killing the possibility of an exit. This is a truth about
marriage, but not its point. ‘Marriage can be a lot of fun.’ said C.B. Samuel,
a preacher I know who’s been married for more than 30 years. From what I saw of
Raghu in this film, I’d say he’ll realize this someday.
