• Shashwat Sisodia
    Shashwat Sisodia
    300 reviews
    Top Reviewer
    5

    Hardly does it even bend its clichés... Pathbreaking is just really far away. We thought that the strong female-bonding film has come. We have the first female 'Dil Chahta Hai' after 18 long years. What we do get is every Bollywood masala entertainment musings but even a message. And no, four female friends sitting in one's couch don't always talk 'Men are bloody dogs'.
    Veere Di Wedding looked so much fun. I thought we have finally got a female version Dil Chahta Hai with a Sex and the City rehash. But when I left the theatre, I was utterly exhausted. The girls do get the show well for most of the time I was into the film, but there is just too much of 'blabbering' rather than actually 'echoing' boldness. However, the film gets a thumbs up from my side because it celebrates warmth between these girls, and their sisterhood has been elevated in the film. It's a drag in the second half, but what stays with you is the light-and-breezy first half.
    The problem with 'Veere Di wedding' in major is that these cussing and drinking and never-giving-a-fuck women do have independent spirits, written with seasonings and tempestuous flavors. But all is let down by at below average story-telling by Shashanka Ghosh, who, after the stunning 'Khoobsurat', ultimately lets us down.
    This film is no fairytale of women. It might entertain to some extent, but that's just too slow. I am going with 2 stars for the film with an extra half for the film's girl band, making it 2.5 stars out of 5 for 'Veere Di Wedding'.

    September 27, 19
  • Tejas Nair
    Tejas Nair
    258 reviews
    Top Reviewer
    6

    In a modern world full of chaos, Shashanka Ghosh's four protagonists try to find harmony in their relationships, both familial and external. Highlighting their journey through deft realism and contrived drama is what she manages in her comedy drama Veere Di Wedding, after being on a four-year hiatus to mourn the failure of the 2014 debacle Khoobsurat. In a hackneyed story that has been sampled in countless art forms before, Kareena Kapoor plays Kalindi, a young, chic woman who is about to get married to her boyfriend (Sumeet Vyas) of 2-3 years JUST because he proposed to her with a diamond ring. Introspecting her decision through the days before her nuptials along with her equally chic three friends who are confused but more (sexually) frustrated than her, Kalindi fights her familial issues and inner doubts that are mostly triggered by the blanket controlling of her beau's family in everything that she does, including the wardrobe. Director Ghosh should be lauded for crafting an indomitable chick-flick in Bollywood despite the trite nature of the story and the unnecessary hyperbole. For instance, the controversial masturbation scene involving Bhaskar's character is the most unoriginal thing in the film, which makes me doubt both Ghosh's and the writers' (Nidhi Mehra and Mehul Suri) intentions behind making this. There are many more scenes that come across as exaggerated, which although are hilarious, could have been soaked with realism to make the film not look like an exercise in man-hating and namesake destruction of the patriarchy. (Wonder what's the deal here, after the recent Lipstick Under My Burkha (2017) by Alankrita Shrivastava that also depended on exaggeration and far-right feminism!?) Nonetheless, there are a lot of great things to appreciate here: from Kalindi's gay uncles to the incredible performances of Bhaskar, Sonam Kapoor, and Shikha Talsania to the portrayal of men (Vyas's and Vishwas Kini's (fantastic performance) characters) to the free dialogues that bring out the best in the film. It's a well-made film even if we disregard the conspicuous and therefore poor placement of ads in the film for HSBS, Uber, and Gulmohar Lane. Plus, if you notice, all the books (in the bookshelves) in the film look irritatingly unnatural. I'm a 100% sure that these books were borrowed in bulk from a nearby sale (those 300 rupees per KG book sale shops that have cropped up these days) and stashed in the shelves because never have I seen the books of Bill Bryson, Wilbur Smith, and Danielle Steel in a single room; it just cannot and should not happen. What an amateur work by whoever designed the production set. Enough with the digression; Veere Di Wedding is overall a good effort for a comedy chick-flick and surely paves the road for more such films. Regarding it as crass just because you don't get the point that Ghosh tries to make makes you a hypocrite. TN.

    June 10, 18
  • Bindu Cherungath
    Bindu Cherungath
    126 reviews
    Top Reviewer
    4


    Veere Di Wedding, an all-girl ensemble comedy, by Shashanka Ghosh, had all the potential for being another wonderful film on friendship like that of Dil Chahta Hai, Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, but it turns out to be a disappointing take on friendship, life, love, relationships etc. It could have been really a beautiful film, if the focus was on how females bond with one another as well as with the male fraternity, their relationship issues, challenges in lives, their sense of insecurities and of course the girlie-chill-out moments. But Shashanka focused on marriage of one of the protagonists, and touched upon others’ marital / single status. The world is changing, girls’ lives are no longer revolving around just marriage, there is more to their lives, I wish, these moments were also captured. Even the girls’ friendships are showcased at a very shallow level; the depth of female bonding is absolutely missing. Shashanka did try to showcase marital conflicts, gay relationships, parents / elders’ conflicts with children, breaking of relationships due to ego hassles, losing trust in relationships due to witnessing failed relationship of parents or in and around. But none of these were handled with depth. The characters certainly seem real with them being dysfunctional, not so perfect; but shallowness in the screenplay did not do justice to the characters. Occasionally it did appear that the film is picking up, but it did not sustain for long. Even the conflicts introduced in the film were not given much attention. Veere Di Wedding misses a great opportunity to be a masala entertainer and a blockbuster.

    The four protagonists’ lives, all four have distinct characters and their own struggles: Kalindi (Kareena Kapoor) is being proposed by Rishabh (Sumeet Vyas) and Kalindi accepting the same after much of reluctance. She is unable to believe in the institution of marriage in spite of saying yes to Rishabh. Shikha (Meera Sood), mother of a child, is still struggling to accept the changes in life, when a baby is born and also struggling to come to terms with the fact that her marriage was not accepted by her family. Avni (Sonal Kapoor), a divorce lawyer, who desperately wants to get married, but finds it overbearing to deal with her mother (Neena Gupta) who keeps on pestering her to look into Bharat Matrimony profiles and to get married. And Sakshi (Swara Bhaskar), who had a lavish wedding but now heading towards divorce. Sakshi finds it difficult to handle the gossipmonger aunties and also discuss with her parents, although non-interfering, regarding failure of her marriage.

    All four of them get together when Kalindi (fondly known as Kalu) declares her marriage with Rishabh. What happens thereafter, how they stand for one another, how they question one another’s belief system, how they hang out together etc. take the story ahead.

    It misses a great opportunity to be a masala entertainer and a blockbuster.

    June 04, 18
  • Ankit Anand
    Ankit Anand
    6 reviews
    Reviewer
    1

    This film clearly shows the flaws in concept of feminism in modern world.

    June 01, 18
  • Nivedita Ray
    Nivedita Ray
    1 review
    Member
    10

    Simply awesome. A must watch. I am sure we all, irrespective of gender, will dive into the days of our childhood friendship. I remained nostalgic since I watched the movie. Kudos to the actors, they portrayed the character utter convincingly.

    June 06, 18
  • Sunando Mukhopadhyay
    Sunando Mukhopadhyay
    1 review
    Member
    3

    Veere Di Wedding - following the tradition of Ayesha comes another Anil Kapoor production, which is again focused on hesitation about weddings. It's the story of four childhood friends fighting with their demons of matrimony individually, but supporting one another unconditionally.

    The flick showcases stereotypical Delhi families, rich, pompous, hollow on the surface but nurturing deep family bonds at some unexplored part of the heart. The problems of the foursome made me feel as if marriage is indeed rocket science and being in a marriage rather impossible. The film came across as shallow, pretentious and lacking any message. The problems are contrived, the situations exaggerated and the constant use of cuss words unwarranted. It's a humongous effort of being uber cool, modern and metrosexual that soon gets monotonous and predictable. Kareena Kapoor Khan clearly looks out of league, older than the rest of the girls; Sonam K Ahuja does what she does best, Shikha Talsania hams and Swara Bhaskar tries very hard but wastes her immense talent. The rest of the cast is a write off, including Neena Gupta. Director Shashanka Ghosh has given films of a different genre earlier, but I would rather write this one off his list of achievements. 2 STAR stuff - more for the lavish mounting and production values than any other aspect.

    June 01, 18