Hey! It’s my first review for an Indian film. Though, I want to make it clear that I’m not making this a regular thing by any means, however, I’m gonna try my best to highlight ones that I feel like are worthwhile, especially if these aren’t the kind of movies you would normally see. So, in short, if I write about an Indian film on here, it’s worth checking out.
A little bit of context before we dive right in. Veere Di Wedding is a film that has stirred a bit of an uproar, with reactions ranging from boycotts in India to a full blown ban in Pakistan. It’s resulted in some really nasty comments made toward the cast and filmmakers, and what seems like a campaign to tank its IMDb rating, which – as of me writing this – is a 2.8 out of 10.
So, what is Veere Di Wedding all about and why is it getting such a toxic response? Well, it’s a comedy about four female friends getting together for a wedding. Yeah, that’s basically it. Although, what makes it notable – and controversial, I suppose – is the use of strong language, sexual references, and a modern, forward thinking outlook. The four friends in question are Avni (Sonam Kapoor), Sakshi (Swara Bhaskar), Meera (Shikha Talsania), and Kalindi (Kareena Kapoor). Kalindi is the one getting married to her longtime boyfriend from Australia, despite devoting so much of her life trying to avoid it, which makes it that much of a bigger deal when they get together after time spent apart.
The strength of the film is the cast, the four women have already proven their ability to command the screen, with Kareena Kapoor in particular doing so for almost two decades, so it comes to no surprise that they work really well off each other, the chemistry is solid, and you really buy that they are all longtime friends. The film also gives them the opportunity to really make the most of the material, since each of them are given some kind arc. Kalindi is overwhelmed by the various traditions of Indian weddings and is also dealing with personal struggles regarding a fallout with her father. Avni, a divorce lawyer, coincidentally enough is desperate to find a husband so she can satisfy her mother’s desire for her to settle down. Meera is not in speaking terms with her father because she married a white guy in America. And Sakshi is going through a divorce after a very short marriage, which is causing a lot of tension between her and her parents. I should not that despite divorce being more accepted in India, at least in the big cities, there’s still a stigma attached to it. The more you know.
There have been plenty of female ensemble films in recent years, such as Lipstick Under My Burkha, which was one of the best films of last year (seriously, track it down if you can). However, a lot of those movies were very overtly “about something,” and dealt with heavy issues that many women face in India. Plus, most of those films were made out of the mainstream. This film, on the other hand, was made with a big studio, with a big distributor, and with a big name attached (Kareena Kapoor), which makes it even more miraculous that this didn’t leave the Indian Censor Board torn to pieces. It’s worth noting that another mainstream Bollywood film inspired by western raunchy comedies, 2011’s Delhi Belly, didn’t receive nearly as much blowback as this, but – shocker – that film focused on male characters.
The refreshing thing about Veere Di Wedding is just how light and fun it is. It isn’t concerned about bigger issues, but it still manages to sneak in progressive ideas without calling a lot of attention to it. For example, because of Kalindi’s strained relationship with her father, she stays with her uncle, who is gay, and has a boyfriend. It’s not ambiguous about it either, and thankfully avoids the kind of stereotypes you’d normally see with this kind of character in Indian cinema. He actually has dimension, he even has a small character arc, he simply gets to be a person that isn’t solely defined by his sexuality. The film also has a scene where one of the characters masturbates with a vibrator, which might sound fairly mundane to most of you reading this, but is really radical for female sexual agency to be shown on screen here in this specific context.
It also helps that the film is really funny. Each character gets a chance to shine, and they can all deliver the hell out of a line. Bhaskar is the scene stealer for me, as she brings a crazy infectious energy to the film being the more rebellious one of the group (she was also the one masturbating). She gets a lot of the film’s best lines, but not to the point where it overshadows anyone else. The supporting cast is also rock solid, and it moves at a good enough pace for most of the film thanks to Shashanka Ghosh’s propulsive direction.
The only real problem with the film – aside from a few jokes that really don’t land – comes at the end of the second act. We get that moment we see in almost every movie about a group of friends where they all suddenly hate each other, and we get a montage of everyone being sad just before the third act kicks in, and something brings them together again. This movie does that, but in the span of like two minutes. We have our falling out moment, the sad montage begins, and everything is apparently OK by the end of it, and they all decide to go to on a quick holiday in Thailand, where we get another montage before finally getting them back to India where they all start to face their problems head on. It’s…weird, to say the least. It’s such a strange move, structurally speaking, that it feels like the movie is being interrupted. I can’t think of any significance for this detour from the plot, especially given the runtime already being just over two hours, so I’ll just say, if you’re watching this, and you get to that part, just use it as a bathroom break.
Veere Di Wedding is a really fun movie that works because it’s able to craft characters that you genuinely enjoy spending time with. I don’t think it’s quite great enough to be anything more than a mere footnote in the future when, hopefully, mainstream Indian cinema like this will no longer be a rarity. However, that doesn’t take away that’s it’s ultimately a pretty good comedy about female friendship that has a lot of heart, and feels honest and truthful in how it shows the dynamic and nuances of modern Indian women. I think the message about learning to embrace the mistakes that you make in life is an important one, and in a way, it reflects that in the film itself. Sure, the film is flawed, but it shows that there is a space to explore more stories like this, and that they can only get better and better, and I think that makes it pretty special.