Veere Di Wedding Movie Review: Kareena Kapoor starrer is classy, sassy and all things jazzy

New Delhi: Touted as one of the most-awaited films of 2018, Veere Di Wedding made its way to the theatre today.  The audience waited for this 'Not-a-chick-flick' with baited breath because of multiple reasons. Kareena Kapoor' s comeback, an-all-girls-ensemble-cast, unapologetic storyline - were some of the major reasons why the film became popular even before its release.

Veere Di Wedding, directed by Shashanka Ghosh and written by Nidhi Mehra and Mehul Suri is everything it had claimed to be and is a lot more than a chick flick. The film doesn't claim to be made from a feminist angle nor does it reek of feminism in any which way. However, the film is every bit women-centric as the four female characters carry the film entirely on their shoulders without making the audience feel the claiming-absence of strong male characters in the film. It takes us through the dysfunctional families, the gory-mindsets and everything that is enforced upon a woman to make her marriage work. The huge societal-lag is brazenly portrayed without any filter and a woman's tryst with the custodians of the so-called culture-driven society is a treat to watch. 

Right in the beginning of the film, we are introduced to four high school girls, from a seemingly up-market background in Delhi, making the most of their last day in school. Amidst the celebration, shambles of a broken marriage peeks through the closed door. 

Grown up with the wounds of a dysfunctional family Kalindi (Kareena Kapoor Khan) gets a proposal from her boyfriend of three years  Rishabh (Sumeet Vyas). Completely unnerved about the whole concept of marriage, she reluctantly agrees. Then begins the courageous journey of four friends, whose lives are marred by marriage and men in some way or the other. Apart from Kalindi, the friend-list includes Avni (Sonam Kapoor Ahuja), Sakshi Soni (Swara Bhasker) and Meera ( Shikha Talsania).  

Quite an antithesis to her character in the film, Avni is a divorce lawyer, who desperately wants to get married and have kids but hates the idea of an arranged marriage. Her mother, Neena Gupta, is quite the mother, every girl of a marriageable age would dread having. Neena is a cool mother who is open to the idea of discussing sex with her but just like any dutiful mother, desperately wants her daughter to settle down.

The unapologetic Sakshi Soni(Swara Bhasker) is quite literally the tour de force in Veere Di Wedding.  She is on the brink of a divorce but is not struggling with it, the society looks at her disdainfully but she doesn't care. Although Sakshi does get a little carried away by the unhealthy remarks from her parents, she allows nothing to get to her head. A brat once-in-love, Sakshi is one of the most well-written characters in the film. Meera (Shikha Talsania), on the other hand, is the only mother among the four, manages her life well but is unsure about her married life with John, a foreigner. Her one-liners are like an icing on the cake. Remember the dialogue from the promo when she explained the Hindi word for Orgasm, well the film has many such 'sukhs'.

All the four characters are given equal treatment in the film by the writer-director, even though Kalindi is the central character in the film, you wouldn't for a single second miss seeing the other three. Coming to the male characters, Rishabh (Sumeet Vyas) is the perfect example of a guy torn between his love's disinterested behaviour and his family's tomfoolery.Although he seems to be understanding,  when it comes to a big fat Punjabi family no amount of sensitivity works. The other male characters are Kalindi's father, her uncle and his partner.  Although they might seem non-existent to the viewers, their presence is felt more than anyone else whenever and wherever it is supposed to. The film also has a gay angle but unlike other Bollywood flicks, you won't even get a whiff of homophobia. People might accuse the makers for not addressing it directly but they have to give brownie points to the writer for letting a gay relationship survive without getting any eyebrows raised.

Veere Di Wedding is not a moralistic film and won't lecture you about morals and ethics, something you don't want to hear. However, it does have some really profound father-daughter moments and serves a just treatment to a relationship like that of a father and daughter. 

It is no secret that Veere Di Wedding is all about friendship but the way the subject has been taken care of in the film, would actually make you want to call your BFFs and pour your heart out because boyfriends may come and go but your best friend is the only constant. So watch this fearless ode to friendship produced by the oh-so-fearless women of the film industry Ekta Kapoor and Rhea Kapoor. 

Veere Di Wedding is not a film, it is a break from the monotonous life that we all need.

Ratings: 3.5/5