Shaadi Mein Zarur Aana movie review: An entertainer that takes on sexism, dowry and corruption
Shaadi Mein Zarur Aana movie review: This Rajkummar Rao film comes packaged with all the elements you expect in a Bollywood entertainer – romance, drama, revenge and songs.
Shaadi Mein Zarur Aana
Director: Ratnaa Sinha
Cast: Rajkummar Rao, Kirti Kharbanda
Rating: 3.5/5
Ratnaa Sinha’s Shaadi Mein Zarur Aana checks all the Bollywood boxes — there’s romance, drama, revenge, song-and-dance. This Rajkummar Rao-Kirti Kharbanda-starrer also manages to take on sexism, dowry and corruption.
The film opens as a love story. Two Kanpur families are busy finding a match for their children and force Satyendra Mishra (Rajkummar Rao) and Aarti Shukla (Kriti Kharbanda) to meet.
Satyendra is a clerk in a government office with little ambition – his sources of contentment is a family owned three-storey building. Aarti is a college topper who wants to be IAS officer. Neither wants to get married but decide to go with the flow as they find common values and interests.
After some twists Shaadi Mein Zarur Aana turns into a revenge saga but goes back to being a love story when the curtain comes down.
The narrative is not jerky, no sudden jumps and an undertone of the love story is carried throughout.
Ratnaa’s story gives us an insider’s view of the practice of dowry that continues to thrive though it is illegal. The groom’s family, riding high on its ancestral property, makes the most of the fact that the groom is a single child and the sole inheritor to step up the demand for dowry.
The bride’s father busts his “budget” and sells his land to give his daughter a perfect start in her new family.
It is not just dowry that the girl has to deal with. Her mom-in-law has her own definition of IAS. “Is ghar mein to humi sarkar hain, bahu aaye aur ghar sambhale. Isi ko sarkari naukari samajh le. Humare ghar me bahuein naukri nahi karti.”
Outdated and irrational as they may be but the words reflect the reality that confront girls across the country.
Rajkummar’s transformation from a young man charmed by his lady to the one who does not believe in love is impressive. He makes you love, pity and hate him all in a single stroke.
Kriti effortlessly essays her role. All character actors are a treat to watch. Govind Namdev’s strict and patriarchal father is in contrast to KK Raina’s educated father of the groom and Navni Parihar is impressive as an understanding but submissive mom – all of them successfully manage to bring to the screen the life and travails of small-town India.
The film, however, leans too much on clichés. Songs are abrupt and obstruct the narrative. The filmmakers have also relied heavily on melodrama but despite these minor hiccups, this is an invitation you must not miss.
Interact with the author @swetakaushal
Follow @htshowbiz for more