Veere Di Wedding
“Veere Di Wedding Has A Bold Theme That Defies Stereotypes”
Banners: Balaji Motion Pictures Films, Anil Kapoor Films & Communication Network & Saffron Broadcast & Media
Producers: Anil Kapoor, Rhea Kapoor, Shobha Kapoor, Ekta Kapoor & Nikhil Dwivedi
Director: Shashanka Ghosh
Star Cast: Kareena Kappoor – Khan, Sonam Kapoor – Ahuja, Swara Bhasker, Shikha Talsania, Sumeet Vyas, Sukesh Arora, Vishwas Kini, Edward Sonnenblick, Neena Gupta, Ayesha Raza, Vivek Mushran, Manoj Pahwa, Anjum Rajabali, Alka Kaushal, Ekavali Khanna, Suraj Singh, Kamlesh Gill, Bubbles Sabharwal, Babla Kochar, Kalpana Jha et al.
Music: Shashwat sachdev, White Noise, Vishal Mishra & Karan
Right at the outset one feels sorry but Shashanka Ghosh’s direction is the biggest culprit in Veere Di Wedding. The film just gives an overview and never allows viewers to delve into the lives of the Veere’s.
So the scripted scenario of Veere Di Wedding is the story of 4 female friends at an uncertain age. Kalindi Puri (Kareena Kapoor – Khan), Avni Sharma (Sonam Kapoor – Ahuja), Sakshi Soni (Swara Bhasker) & Meera Sood (Shikha Talsania) are the best of pals. Avni is doing well professionally as divorce lawyer but her mother (Neena Gupta) feels that it’s not all the worth it unless she gets married. Sakshi is married and is facing tough times. Meera is married and also has a child and she is unhappy as her father has not accepted the union. Kalindi is dating Rishabh Malhotra (Sumeet Vyas) and all is going well in their relationship. But one day Rishabh proposes marriage. Kalindi says yes but she develops cold feet. Her marriage gets planned with much fanfare and it stresses her out. Of course her gang of friends assemble to be with her during the most significant period of her life, while battling their life problems. What happens next forms the crux of the rest of the film.
Yet some shocking developments take place in the film like Rishabh’s father (Manoj Pahwa) getting arrested. But it’s not executed in the desired manner. Bollywood has given innumerable bromance flicks. But there have been hardly any such film involving our pretty ladies. This is quite a shocker as the urban, multiplex audiences would love to see female bonding flicks talking about their problems, quirks, way of life et al. Finally Sonam Kapoor & her sister producer Rhea Kapoor took up the challenge and designed Veere Di Wedding. Despite their lead actress Kareena Kapoor – Khan getting pregnant, they stayed put and refused to shelve the project. The film is now finally out for release.
The songs are well woven in the narrative. Shockingly, the film’s biggest chartbuster “Tareefan” is missing. “Pappi Le Loon”, “Bhangra Ta Sajda”, “Laaj Sharam” & “Aa Jao Na” are all relegated to the background. “Dagmag Dagmag” is played during the opening credits while “Veere” makes the most impact. Arijit Dutta’s background score is quite good.
Sudhakar Reddy Yakkanti’s cinematography is bad. There are too many close ups which take away the charm from many scenes. Shweta Venkat Mathew’s editing is razor sharp. Priya Ahluwalia’s production design is rich. Rhea Kapoor, Abu Jani – Sandeep Khosla’s costumes are quite bold & appealing.
Mehul Suri & Nidhi Mehra’s story is very relatable and raises some important points about marriage, relationship, friendship, broken families et al. But Mehul Suri & Nidhi Mehra’s screenplay fails to do justice to the plot. The script is haywire and hence one doesn’t feel totally involved with the goings on. Also there are far too many subplots in the film and too much is packed in almost 125 minutes.
That apart Mehul Suri & Nidhi Mehra’s dialogues are peppered with adult talk & abusive language. At places it is very witty & funny but at several places, it looks forced and that it’s added just for the effect. Thankfully most of the dialogues are left intact by the Censor Board.
All in all Veere Di Wedding rests on a great idea & interesting characters. But it doesn’t translate into a fully entertaining fare. It’s the direction that plays the spoilsport. The execution is very shaky above all it hampers the impact. The introduction of all the characters is nice and the marriage prep sequence is the most relatable. Post interval, the Thailand sequence stands out. The climax should have been a highpoint but sadly enough that doesn’t happen here.
What really stands out is the chemistry of all the 4 lead actresses which is brilliant indeed and looks very convincing. It’s difficult to say if it’s their performance that’s great or their chemistry in real is the same as shown in the film.
Performance wise it is Kareena Kapoor – Khan who delivers a marvelous & power packed performance. She indeed looks like a commitment phobic person who’s getting the chills with the elaborate marriage preparations. Sonam Kapoor – Ahuja leaves a mark but the other actors dominate her. Swara Bhasker is absolutely outstanding and her performance will surely be a talking point for days to come. Watch out for her excellent dialogue delivery! Shikha Talsania is a complete natural. While Sumeet Vyas is quite endearing. Vishwas Kinni as Bhandari plays the irritating character very well. Neena Gupta is decent. Vivek Mushran as Cookie Chacha & Anjum Rajabali as Kishan are just about fair. Manoj Pahwa is his usual jovial self and Ayessha Raza as Rishabh’s mother certainly leaves a mark. Ishwak Singh as Nirmal is almost apt for the part. On the other hand Ekavali Khanna as Paromita raises the requisite laughs. And one can say Edward Sonnenblick as John is okay.
On the whole Veere Di Wedding has a bold theme that defies stereotypes and delivers a shock value.
At the box office, the multiplex audiences & the youth brigade especially the females will patronize the film in a big way. Watch it for all the fun & madness created by the 4 heroines.
