India has changed and changed rapidly in last two decades and along with it has changed the contour of
relationship and the concept of romance. Move on “52% conservative Indians” ,
for the “Young at Heart” a kiss is no longer a stamp of commitment , “Live In”
is the in thing, virginity is an over exaggerated virtue and multiple
relationship is a reality. While it relishes the confusion of romance,
attraction and infatuation, it is the responsibility of marriage/commitment
that acts as a repugnant for many.
Set in the beautiful pink city of
Jaipur , Maneesh Sharma’s Shuddh Desi Romance starts on a breezy note exploring
the predicament of a runaway groom. Raghu’s ( Sushant Singh Rajput)indecisiveness
and jittery for marriage and impulsive falling in love is so typical of our
“instant make out” generation. The first half of the movie is a delight to
watch and so refreshingly different. It steers clear from the conventional portrayal
of romance (so often stereotypically shown in Indian Cinema) and instead magnificently
captures the real romance where lust is as vital as love. Raghu and Gayatri’s (
Parineeti Chopra) romance (!) that started with an awkward first kiss in a
moving bus and blossomed into full bloom at her rented terrace room, where
Raghu also moved in , sets the screen on fire. Their impishness, chemistry and
uninhibited performance, quirkiness in the relationship keeps you entertained.
They talk and behave as any twenty something will do and their lies the charm
of desi romance. As long as they decide to live the moment, they sizzle together.
The moment Raghu tries to peep into the Gayatri’s past and contemplates about
future, a sense of insecurity grips their bond. And voila! We get our runaway
bride too, as we get up for the “Bathroom Break” with much anticipation for the
second half.
It is the second half, where the
screen play starts faltering with innumerable repetition, abysmally slow pace and
unnecessary melodramatic scenes which will force you to yawn. Sharma uses the
“Bathroom” scene so much that, you will have an urge to relieve yourself than
unnecessarily following a screen play that is moving nowhere. All of a sudden you
wonder if it is the same movie. The characters which were behaving quite naturally
suddenly start being overdramatic. The film’s fall comes, where in a high intensity
scene Raghu is expressing his confusion and as an audience you tend to laugh.
As far as the characters are
concerned, Parineeti and Sushant with their uninhibited performance that
reflects their vulnerability in the first half, keep you engrossed. Wish
Suashant had not gone over the top post interval. Rishi Kapoor, with each
release is coming across as vintage wine and probably is establishing himself
as one of the finest character actors. Newcomer Vaani exudes enough confidence
in her first venture as Taara , who faces life head on and doesn’t hesitate to
go after what she wants. A special mention of the Set, Gayatri’s rented room
and lanes of Jaipur , which looks so real.
Shuddha Desi Romance dares a real
take on the modern day romance, with all its impurities, without sermonizing.
You may like the “Instant Love” and “Instinctive Live-in” or hate it (sour
grapes), but ladies and gentleman, society has moved on and you can’t ignore
it. If the director and editor had not lost their deft touch in the second half,
this could have been a magnificent rom-com.
I will go out with 2.5 on 5 for a movie that
brings out the reality of romance and confusion of commitment.
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