Devesh Tewary

Badhaai Ho, a critical review It is hard to justify by the film industry in the recent times about the importance of creative liberties and its position as one of the doyens of public consciousness when it finds itself in an awkward position of stifling the creativity to do a job for others. Badhaai Ho is one such film. Even with a limited though, one can get an understanding that the story essentially is spun around the promotion of three industries: tobacco, alcohol, and contraceptives (expanding business to older cohorts). And because the natural responses to a pregnancy at that age can be just so much, they stretched it by filling it up with frivolous scenes. ‘Middle class’ was lavishly stereotyped with an intention to draw some laughter. And the makers did not feel it incumbent upon them to put on the helmet on the actors riding bikes. Unbelievably, there was a scene in the movie which shows Nakul (Ayushman) asking his younger brother to hit a boy (who abused him and his family) so hard that his cap falls off! Wow, bullying lessons 101. Talk about the film industry being an example to follow. Well, if you intend to watch a 125-minute-long behavioral change lesson, you might very well sign-up for this movie. They consciously want to change your conscious decisions by tapping you sub-consciously.

Rajkumar Rao's persona and a peek into the life of a twisted and dreaded terror monger pulls you to watch this movie. You want to like this film, but you can't. From the word go, the screenplay starts making you feel uncomfortable. Non-linear format is supposedly slick, but in here it comes out vague. The 'movie', or rather written facts shot on AV format, seems to be soulless like omar. One may try to justify the oddities in between to remain on the seat -- oddities like the depiction of omar (Rajkumar Rao gets into his skin) which was just short of justifying his actions; like the graphic depiction of Mr. Daniel Pearl's end (which was stretched beyond belief); dealing with Kashmir issue; omar's father's role, etc. The Director has wasted the opportunity to make a gripping film, until and unless this is what he really wanted! A movie on such a topic generally has two treatments, one which introduces the character and makes you realise the dangerous environment which makes people slip into a world of terror as well as the ensuing hopelessness, all set in a typical drama format. Second, a biography which encapsulates the above wisdom discreetly. The disclaimer in this movie says that the movie does not intend to glorify terrorism, but there is not enough evidence in this movie to hold that claim strongly. Apart from the script and screenplay, Rajkumar Rao's acting makes you hate him, where he wins. He does not have to prove that he is versatile, he simply reassures you that in this movie. All in all a depressing, confused, soulless movie, just like omar.