Director:
Harshvardhan Kulkarni
Cast:
Rajkummar Rao, Bhumi Pednekar, Chum Darang, Sheeba Chaddha, Seema Pahwa, Gulshan Devaiah
What’s It About:
Shardul Thakur (Rajkummar Rao), a cop, and Sumi Singh (Bhumi Pednekar), a PT instructor, decide to join a marriage of convenience in order to live freely as homosexuals on their own terms, with whoever they chose to physically and emotionally love, without continual scrutiny from family and society. However, things do not go as well as planned.
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What’s Hot:
The issue of homosexuality is handled with great care and sensitivity, with certain sequences actually tugging at your heartstrings or driving you to sit up straight and sympathise with the LGBT community's struggle. Rajkummar Rao's performance is carved with great hues, emphasising how one does not have to be straight to be a male chauvinist, and he's adept in it, while Bhumi Pednekar brings weight to her part despite it not being as deep as her costar's. Chum Darang, Sheeba Chaddha, and Seema Pahwa provide good support, with the latter demonstrating how you can dislike a character even in a little, underdeveloped role, while Gulshan Devaiah impresses in a cameo from the minute he appears. Swapnil Sonawane's cinematography, while not spectacular, passes muster, and the songs and background soundtrack are likewise enjoyable while not creating a big impression.
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What’s Not:
As sensitive and empathetic as Badhaai Do is, it never comes together as a film, primarily because Director Harshvardhan Kulkarni and his co-writers, Suman Adhikary and Akshat Ghildial, are unsure whether to deliver an art film or balance it with mainstream elements, and the plot suffers as a result, with tonal shifts that jar the narrative. To be honest, an outright artistic approach should've been used, as that is where the picture is continually leaning. Furthermore, without giving anything away, some of the scenes look exceedingly far-fetched, while logic fails in other situations, both of which are fairly shocking, especially when you realise how hardcore, mainstream movies, particularly masala films, are targeted for such things. The settlement, which appears to be largely inside Rajkummar's family, also appears far too convenient. Most crucially, editor Kirti Nakhwa appears to have gone on vacation since the film is far too long for the subject matter and never knows when it should conclude — there are three moments when you think it has ended, but it doesn't.
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Verdict:
Badhaai Do's intentions are spot on, the treatment is hearteningly sensitive and empathetic, the result is topical, and the performances by Rajkummar Rao, Bhumi Pednekar, and everyone else win you over, but for it to work primarily as a film and leave a telling impact on the gay community, the treatment needed to be much better. I am going with 2.5 stars.
