Keyur Seta
Mumbai, 10 Nov 2017 11:31 IST
The Ratnaa Sinha film impresses you initially, only to lose its grip as the story reaches its conclusion.
As first-time director Ratnaa Sinha’s Shaadi Mein Zaroor Aana goes through its ups and downs, you wonder about the relevance of the title. It is only in the last few moments that the title is established. However, by then, the romantic drama had lost the charm it had built up so well early on. In the end, yet another powerhouse performance by Rajkummar Rao remains the biggest draw.
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Shaadi Mein Zaroor Aana is based in Kanpur. Satyendra aka Sattu (Rajkummar) has just found a job as a government clerk. As it happens in every traditional Indian family, his parents urge him to get married and fix up a meeting with Aarti (Kriti Kharbanda). Though both Sattu and Aarti aren’t keen to marry a 'stranger', they hit it off in the first meeting itself and decide to get married.
Though Aarti’s parents (Govind Namdeo and Navni Parihar) and uncle (Manoj Pahwa) are happy with the marriage, they are asked to pay a hefty dowry, as per tradition. But they are pleased to see their daughter marrying a 'good' guy like Sattu. However, just moments before the wedding, Aarti runs away, leaving Sattu and the others shocked and stranded. The consequences of Aarti’s act forms the rest of the story.
If you have watched the trailer even once, you will be able to predict the course of this film. Despite that, the first half is impressive for a few reasons. The way love blossoms between Sattu and Aarti is sweet. It is difficult to make two strangers feel for each other in just one meeting and make it look believable. The makers should also be lauded for boldly portraying the menace of dowry that is prevalent even in 2017.
Thankfully, the reason for the girl running away just before her wedding was left out of the trailer. Although fleeing from your marriage with a person you love sounds insane, the episode does look convincing here.
But at the start of the second half, a flaw crops up in the narration. You forgive it since it helps in developing the story. But then the entire revenge saga appears forced and the manner in which the issue is concluded is too filmi. It is then that you realize the trailer has given out everything except the climax, which is also cliched.
The basic storyline here is similar to Shashank Khaitan’s Badrinath Ki Dulhania (2017). The Varun Dhawan and Alia Bhatt-starrer made a powerful statement about patriarchy and women's rights. But in Shaadi Mein Zaroor Aana, the issue is established only for the writers to then just forget all about it.
The film doesn’t entirely succeed in meeting the necessity of impressive romantic songs for this genre. ‘Main Hoon Saath Tere’ matches the situation. The best track, obviously, is ‘Mera Intekam Dekhegi’. Technical aspects like the camerawork and background score fall in the passable category.
Rajkummar carries the film on his shoulders. He keeps you interested even when the film goes downhill later on. His transformation from a simple and sober lover to a vengeful IAS officer is effortless. This isn’t surprising considering his supreme form this year.
Kriti Kharbanda not only looks gorgeous, but also possesses decent acting skills. She deserved a better script. Nayani Dixit scores highly as Aarti's sister. She succeeds in displaying the right bindaas attitude. At the same time she is mature in emotional sequences. Manoj Pahwa again reminds us of his talent. He is seriously underused by Hindi cinema.
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As Satyendra's greedy uncle, Vipin Sharma is convincing. Govind Namdeo, KK Raina, Navni Parihar and the actress playing Sattu's mother also chip in with decent supporting acts. Which is a pity, because Shaadi Mein Zaroor Aana gets you interested in the first half only to lose steam as it reaches a climax.