Shiddat REVIEW: Sunny Kaushal steals the show with his flamboyance in this mushy love story

Director: Kunal Deshmukh

Cast: Sunny Kaushal, Radhika Madan, Mohit Raina, Diana Penty

Bollywood Bubble Rating: 3.5

Agar kisi cheez ko shiddat se chaho toh puri kaayinat… well, Sunny Kaushal and Radhika Madan starrer takes this way too seriously with their film of the same name. Two college students meet in a rather awkward situation only to end up together. But what’s a love story without conflict? What happens when a girl who is cynical of all relationships in life meets an overtly romantic guy who makes her ‘his number one’! Shiddat takes you through this emotional journey of two individuals who share a passion unheard of.

Jaggi (Sunny) is a typical Punjabi munda, flamboyant, overconfident and wears his heart on his sleeves, and yes, he is a hockey player which is absolutely irrelevant to the story but yes. Kartika (Radhika) is a swimmer who is struggling to pass the test and is a recluse in many ways. She has her future decided and is afraid and cynical of change. The two end up having a confrontation followed by some really awkward encounters which eventually results in one falling for the other. In their first meet itself, Jaggi takes a picture of Kartika in her swimwear without her consent, when the latter retaliates by ambushing the Men’s shower room, he confidently poses nude for her camera. In normal circumstances, this would be considered highly inappropriate but what we see is the two turning friends from there on. If one can get past this, the film picks up pace to centre around their love story which remains unrequited for the most part of the story. Jaggi decides to prove it to Kartika that he loves her and she is his ‘number1’. The rest of the story is about the conflict and obstacles he faces to reach her in London.

The screenplay and music of the story are its strongest point. Shiddat title track along the climax will hit you right where it should and if you are invested in the love story, it is an emotional rollercoaster for sure. The pace of the story is slow in the beginning. While the first half is a mixture of fun and intense Jaggi, the second half is mostly emotional. Which part did I like the most? Second half because it had some real potential to witness the acting prowess of Sunny Kaushal. We also have Mohit Raina and Daina Penty in pivotal roles, however, the attention never really is shifted to them. Their love story is more realistic and relatable in the story.

 

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Sunny Kaushal has outdone himself in Shiddat. The ease with which he shifts gears from being a flamboyant lover to the desperation to meet his lover, it is heart wrenching. Sunny is truly the star of the movie. Radhika seems to be like a cameo appearance, only appearing in the first and last part of the movie. Her act honestly comes across as monotonous at the moment. Mohit, on the other hand, deserves all the praises for leaving a mark with minimum screen time and Diana surely needs to do more movies.

 

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Shiddat celebrates love but it seems unrealistic and overstretched for most parts. That, however, doesn’t stop the film from making you teary-eyed.

Also Read: EXCLUSIVE: Radhika Madan & Sunny Kaushal enacting Vicky Kaushal & Katrina Kaif will leave you in splits; watch video

Bhavna Agarwal

Assistant Editor at Bollywood Bubble. An ambivert who is currently high on K-dramas and K-Pop. A forever Bollywood fan, who continues to gush over solid stories and characters. Hit me up for a fine conversation over chai.

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