The Big Fat Indian Wedding

Source: bollywoodhungama.com

Koffee with Karan is amongst my favourite celebrity talk shows, and being the “fan girl” I am, one can see me smiling from the beginning to the end of the show. Episode 16 of Season 3 saw Anushka Sharma and Ranveer Singh (of the Band Baaja  Baaraat fame) grace the famous “couch,” and gave me the idea for my next movie review. Its been almost 3 months since the release of Band Baaja Baaraat, but its still fresh in our minds because of its numerous wins at all the popular Bollywood awards.

The Yash Raj banner has become famous for giving debutant directors and actors a chance to make movies with decent budgets. Although many of these attempts have turned out to be duds at the box office (read Tashan, Dil Bole Hadippa, Jhoom Barabar Jhoom, Lafangey Parindey), the worldwide success of Band Baaja  Baaraat (BBB) has erased all those bitter memories.

Debutant director Maneesh Sharma ( who gained experience by working as an Assistant Director in many Yash Raj films) gives us a refreshingly young look at the big fat Indian wedding scene and wedding planners in his movie Band Baaja  Baaraat. The movie does justice to the Punjabi-ness of Delhi and the authentic Dilli lingo made me nostalgic and reminded me of my life in “saadi Dilli (our Delhi).” Music by Salim-Sulaiman makes you want to dance in your seats itself, with you humming the theme song and ‘Ainvayi Ainvayi’ long after “The End.”

Band Baaja Baaraat is a movie about two 20-something year olds, Shruti Kakkar (Anushka Sharma) and Bittoo sharma ( debutant Ranveer Singh), who are poles apart but are brought together by fate (mixed with planning by the scheming Bittoo) to start their very own “Wedding planning ka bijness” (a wedding planning venture) called ‘Shaadi Mubarak.’ Shruti is the focussed, no-nonsense girl, who does not want to be tied down with marriage and kids until she has achieved something career-wise, while Bittoo is the laid-back, aimless, carefree boy who’s only goal is to stay away from his father’s sugarcane business. The rules of their partnership are very clear, “Jisse vyapaar karo, usse kabhi na pyaar karo (don’t mix business with pleasure).”

Both their friendship and business go through the highs and lows of a world of glitz and  glamour of the lavish Delhi weddings.While Shruti and Bittoo think that they are discovering themselves, in the course of their journey, they actually end up discovering each other and breaking all the rules of the game! The second half of the movie shows them dealing with the consequences of their actions, solving the problems created by their split and  confronting their confusing emotions. They finally realise after many losses that their partnership was the secret of their success and that’s what created the magic!

Anushka Sharma has once again proved herself as a talented actress who in the coming days can give her contemporaries a run for their money. She has potrayed the role of a West Delhi girl with aplomb. Debutant Ranveer Singh may claim to be a Bandra (Mumbai) boy, but his accurate portrayal of Bittoo will make any Haryanavi boy look fake. The film also has memorable performances by the supporting cast, mainly Maqsood, the florist (Neeraj Sood), Rajinder Singh, the caterer (Manmeet Singh) and Bittoo's friend Santy, the musician (Revant Shergill), who play the small yet competent suppliers with strong business ethics.

The film is a full-on Bollywood entertainer with vibrant sets, colourful costumes, energetic dances and foot-tapping songs. I recommend it to all who love weddings, Indian culture and light-hearted love stories. I loved it, “bread pakore ki kasam (fried-dumpling promise)!”

The Clinomaniac’s Verdict: Watch It!

More info:
Rated: PG
Running time:2hr. 35 min.

In Theaters: Dec.10, 2010 Limited

Directed By: Maneesh Sharma

Written By: Habib Faisal, Maneesh Sharma

Cast:
Anushka Sharma - Shruti Kakkar
Ranveer Singh - Bittoo Sharma
Neeraj Sood - Maqsood
Manmeet Singh - Rajinder Singh
Revant Shergill - Santy

P.S. A sneak peak into the song-and-dance routine at Indian Weddings.