Badhaai Do review: Rajkummar Rao-Bhumi Pednekar's queer dramedy will have you emotionally invested

3.5/5

Shardul Thakur (Rajkummar Rao) and Suman Singh (Bhumi Pednekar) are two homosexual individuals that enter into a marriage of convenience. Pandemonium and confusion erupt when Suman’s girlfriend, Rimjhim (Chum Darang), comes to live with them.

When a film based on the LGBTQIA community is made, one can expect that it will have to uncover several topics and that too, with the utmost sensitivity. For the first time, Bollywood is witnessing a film based on a lavender marriage – a male-female mixed-orientation union entered into to conceal one or both parties' socially stigmatized sexual orientation. In Badhaai Do, it's established quickly that both the leads, Shardul Thakur (Rajkummar Rao) and Suman Singh, aka Sumi (Bhumi Pednekar), are homosexual individuals.

Living in tier 2 cities, an individual, especially a woman, over the age of 30 who stays single is looked down upon. The same goes for Sumi, who is confined to societal pressure but snubs the topic of marriage because she is a lesbian. On the other hand, Shardul hatches a smart plan to tell his family that he is in love with a Muslim woman by anticipating that inter-religious marriage will be a big no-no and that he can avoid this topic altogether.

Within just half an hour, Badhaai Do uncovers several topics, such as the pressure of marriage on individuals post-30 years of age, inter-religious marriage, and also homophobic attitudes so deeply entrenched that people leave no stone unturned in harassing the LGBTQ+ community.

That's what Badhaai Do is mostly about. It keeps on picking up all the possible chapters regarding the LGBTQ+ community and their struggles to be integrated into society. You name the issue they face, and it's mentioned in the Harshvardhan Kulkarni directorial.

The director, along with writers Suman Adhikary and Akshat Ghildial, has penned the screenplay. And the collective work shows how they decided to touch upon every possible topic and fit them into this long-ish film of two hours and 33 minutes. Going by the latest trend of several films throwing light on the LGBTQIA community, Badhaai Do sounds like a passé.

But, the makers let out emotions that could make one cry buckets. The film's first half is kind of a letdown, but the story picks up well post-interval. However, you wait for the prolonged sequences to end, and they just get lost in translation.

This is where Kirti Nakhwa's editing should have come into play. The film could have avoided many scenes if they had been removed. It will still make the narrative smoother, as it should have been.

Moreover, the songs in the film come one after the other, and they add to the let-down part of the experience. Some songs are beautifully captured as most of them are not lip-synced by the actors, except for the title track.

The most amazing part of Badhaai Do is the actors and the characters they play. The makers wrote the leads in such a way that they broke out of the popular stereotypical depictions.

Especially in a scene where Sumi tells Shardul that she believes gays are soft-hearted and calls him an MCP (male chauvinist pig), to which he responds that his sexual orientation has nothing to do with him being a man. Rajkummar goes from being a tough cop to a soft lover, and the physical humour with a dash of kickass dialogue delivery is something one can expect from him.

While Bhumi is fabulous as a woman who tries to be strong and brave to break out of societal confines, she beautifully gets into the character of a queer person who wants to be a mother and be with the woman she loves.

The light-hearted moments of the film are mostly centred around the characters’ domestic life. Both of them behave like a typical married couple, although they are not particularly fond of each other. In basic terms, they just compromise to lead their lives but also pick fights over kitchen duties, sharing the finances and more.

Chum Darang is a surprise package and a delightful watch. It's a treat to see her and Bhumi together, while her banter with Rajkummar is too funny for words. She behaves with him just like in a love triangle, which doesn't exist.

Another actor to watch out for is Sheeba Chaddha, who plays Shardul's mother. Her naivety and innocence will win you over, and it's the exact antonym of what she played in Badhaai Ho. Even Gulshan Devaiah is a fabulous surprise in his brief role, and he will leave you asking for more. Going by his association with Kulkarni in Hunterrr, the role is pitch-perfect for him.

Badhaai Do is an interesting conversation starter about lavender marriages and LGBTQ+ people's longing for acceptance from their near and dear ones. But the prolonged sequences are the biggest drawback of the film.

Heavy on emotions and author-backed roles, Badhaai Do has its moments that will stay in one's mind for a long time. I would recommend watching it in a theatre, as it might test your patience too.