Doctor G review: Ayushmann Khurrana's 'touch' in this genre has worn thin

2.5/5

In the department of gynaecology, Uday Gupta (Ayushmann Khurrana) is the only male student. His hesitation causes chaos, confusion, laughter, and a strong sense of brotherhood among his students in the end.

Imagine a storyboard template. One man, let's say played by Ayushmann Khurrana, is a problematic person who pursues gynecology. He is surrounded by women, who rag him yet support him. Then there are several Shefali Shah moments showing that she is the best and perfect to portray a no-nonsense person. Also, there's a mic drop moment by Sheeba Chaddha to change the course of the film at the last minute. Bam, there you have got yet another film with a new subject which we have seen multiple times in the past few months.

Doctor G is yet another film starring Ayushmann Khurrana, in which he eventually becomes "Hriday Parivartan" after causing a series of problems for the women in his life. Well, in this film, his profession surrounds him with women, and eventually, two complaints are filed against him in a few months. Two seemed like an abysmal number, as it felt like more.

The film starts with him lagging behind in rank because of his insecure boyfriend. In the film's first minute, Khurrana's character, Uday Gupta, is also heard saying that he is not Kabir Singh and believes in "Yeh Meri Bandi Hai". However, the rest of the dialogue shows that he's a non-violent version of the infamous character played by Shahid Kapoor.

His now ex-girlfriend keeps on telling him that he doesn't listen to what women say. Of course, he doesn't understand that at first because he definitely gives a deaf ear to what women say.

Amid all this chaos, even before it starts, we are introduced to Khurrana's cousin Ashok Gupta, played by Indraneil Sengupta, a middle-aged orthopaedic doctor. He has a secret of being a mentor to a 17-year-old girl and, of course, indulging in a physical relationship with her. When this plot is introduced in this film, it comes as no surprise where the film will be heading.

Doctor G supposedly centres on a doctor's battles as a male gynaecologist. Those parts are shown in a very interesting way, and that discomfort, which Ayushmann as a doctor brings, takes the cake entirely. There are a few sequences where his struggle is felt as real as when women dread getting a check-up done by a male gynac. Even the constant two-finger test made me squirm, which means the makers won the plot then and there.

Of course, we are not watching a documentary on male gynacologists, so the entertainment factor has to kick in. But the usual tropes of almost making Khurrana's character a "victim" make it too monotonous to watch.

The first half of the film is quite hilarious, and there are several laughable moments that will leave you in splits. However, it's those moments that are funny and not the dialogue. The ending of these scenes seemed very unfinished, and I ended up making up the dialogue that was missing in my head.

Time and again, we have seen this in movies and shows, maybe in real-life too, which makes them take the passive-aggressive route. Khurrana does it again, where knowingly or unknowingly, he gets into a monologue mode talking about how women are wrong and how it affects him entirely. We see Rakul Preet Singh's character giving him back, but it's too superficial with no impact. Maybe that's why a Sheeba Chaddha moment was created, because at the end of the day, moms know how to show the kids their place.

I think it's very easy to say now that Doctor G has nothing new to offer; it's just new wine in an old bottle. The film talks about how Dr. Uday Gupta should lose his male touch to bring the doctor's touch, which is his job irrespective of gender. In the process, it's Ayushmann who is losing touch overall in this overdose of the social-comedy genre.

There's no doubt about his calibre as a performer, as the actor brings about the nuances of a doctor in the perfect sense. The movie also shows how his behaviour changes when he starts to take his business seriously. In the first half of Doctor G, whenever he has to straighten his spectacles, he uses his middle finger, showing the world probably. However, as he becomes better at his job, Uday starts straightening his specs with his thumb because he's not angry anymore.

Rakul Preet Singh also performs decently in what has been written for her. However, there could have been better dialogues given to her to create more impact than they did. The actor plays the role of a gynac with fun and enthusiasm, and there are a few scenes where she has to bring some depth to her character, but it doesn't happen.

Shefali Shah makes more than an extended cameo appearance in the film, and she steals the show in the scenes featuring her. The actor as a no-nonsense doctor knows how to do her job and the importance of a patient's life more than what society thinks. Yes, this is a constant dialogue in the film about "society".

Sheeba Chaddha, who has been seen in several titles this year, be it on the big screen or OTT, brings a new flavour to the similar roles she has been offered. It's actually a treat to watch both Shefali Shah and her on the big screen, because they just know how to crack the simplest and most complicated scenes effortlessly.

Anubhuti Kashyap has penned the screenplay with Sumit Saxena, Saurabh Bharat, and Vishal Wagh. Even the four writers failed to create the magic that the scope of the film showed.

Amit Trivedi, Amjad Nadeem Aamir, and Sultan Sulemani scored the film's soundtrack. None of the songs is memorable, and they don't sync well with the storyline either. One of the songs, titled Newton, comes to show the initial struggles of Khurrana's character in the gynec department. But a "physics" song for a "biology" subject seems out of place, no?

Well, Doctor G shows that it's time Ayushmann Khurrana lost his usual "touch" and brought something more exciting to his filmography.

Doctor G is monotonous and too much about Ayushmann Khurrana's character at the expense of not only women's respect but also their lives. Maybe it's time to stop being that "man" altogether on the big screen.