‘Badhaai Ho’ Movie Review: This breezy family drama will make you laugh, cry and help break stereotypes

Directed by: Amit Ravindernath Sharma
Produced by:  Vineet Jain, Aleya Sen, Hemant Bhandari, Amit Ravindernath Sharma
Cast: Ayushmann Khurrana, Sanya Malhotra, Gajraj Rao, Neena Gupta and Surekha Sikri
Duration: 123 minutes

How many times do you come across a film that you don’t want it to get over? Well, ‘Badhaai Ho’ is just that film and so much more. As the trailer promises, the film is a laugh riot from the word go and possesses the right amount of quirk, drama, emotions and what not. Amit Ravindernath Sharma knows the in and out of making a cool breezy family entertainer and one just cannot stop praising his expertise in the genre.In fact the film is so good that it’s difficult to digest that this is the director’s debut film.

The film starts with Nakul (Ayushmann) and his simple middle class family including of his mother (Neena Gupta), father (Gajraj Rao), brother (Gullar) and dadi (Surekha Sikri) living in a small Delhi colony. Nakul is in love with his office colleague, Renee (Sanya Malhotra) and they plan to get married soon, after introducing each other to their respective families. Everything is going as per plan, until Nakul’s parents become pregnant and decide to keep the baby. They give their children a shock of their lives with the news of their pregnancy and just like the society, Nakul too cannot adjust with the fact and becomes reclusive.

It is after an epiphany soon after, that Nakul and his sibling decide to support their parents and fight against the societal norms. The rest of story is a roller-coster of fun and emotions.

Trust Ayushmann Khurrana to come up with something new with each of his on-screen outings and he will never disappoint you. While the first half of the film is an absolute laugh riot, the second half is an emotional and dramatic ride. Even though the film starts on a slow note, it gains pace as soon as the elephant in the room is addressed. The way in which Neena and Gajraj break the news of their pregnancy to each character is hysteric.

Coming to performances (boy this is gonna take a while), Ayushmann is a class apart actor. He makes his screen time every bit of a paisa-wasool for the viewers. Sanya on the other hand, though doesn’t have much scope in the film, but she sure impresses. Ayushmann’s kid brother only has a few dialogues, but still manages to grab everyone’s attention.

Now coming to the stars of the movie.Veteran actors Neena Gupta and Gajraj Rao are fabulous. Their comic timing, their romantic scenes and their chemistry will make you want to keep watching them more and more. In fact, every time the two appear on screen, the rest of the characters just feel out of place. Surekha Sikri is a legend of an actress. Her expressions are killer and so is the way in which she delivers each dialogue. Special mention goes to the writers Shantanu Srivastava and Akshat Ghildial for their pleasant story-telling and superb dialogue writing.

The second half of the film in which Neena’s character faces the wrath from the society and the way this family stands up for her is sure to bring a tear or two in your eyes. Even though the screenplay drops a little in the middle of the second half, it gains pace by the climax which is the best part of the film.

Each song is a delight and gels well with the screenplay, especially ‘Badhaaiyan Tenu’ and ‘Nain Na Jodeen’. The background score too is commendable.

Final verdict:

The story of the film keeps you hooked and leaves you longing for more. Somehow you leave the theaters missing each and every character. You will want to be a part of this crazy family. It will make you laugh, cry and break notions that even parents can have SEX. After all, why should only youngsters have all the fun, Right?

Watch the trailer here: