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Som (Sanjay Suri) is a man of values, traditions, customs, and love; but…he’s a man who is terribly irritated by the constant nagging of his wife, children, and dogs!
Ravi (Ashish Chaudary) is a well-accomplished and successful MD of a gigantic music company. He’s a man of wealth, liberty, and style; but…he is soon to discover that he’s missing out on, what he believes, is the most important aspect of human life, marriage. One fine day, Som comes to London for a “business trip” (little did he know that business can turn into pleasure in a matter of minutes) After finishing the “business” he met up with his old college buddy, Ravi, who had settled down in London ever since graduation. The two meet and here on out begins a crazy and quite enticing conflict of human lifestyles, each wishing they could switch positions. Little did they know that in attempting to “switch” lives, they would be learning the most valuable lessons of their life. Som is mesmerized by Ravi’s bachelor life and is jealous of what he has. On the other hand, Ravi is amazed by Som’s life, since he believes that all marriages are “happily married.” But like Som said…”A man can either be happy or married, both things can’t happen at once…” Unfortunately Ravi insists on getting married to a well cultured girl, and after many attempts to persuade Ravi out of the married mentality, his attempts are in vain and agrees on helping find Ravi the perfect biwi. In helping Ravi, Som meets Ravi’s close friend, Tara (Mandira Bedi). Before he knows it, Som is all ready to engage in extra-marital affairs, nearly forgetting his wife, Gitu (Divya Dutta). In the midst of all this, Ravi finally finds the girl that makes his heart skip a beat…Menaka (Samita Bangargi). After this, the film is entangled with events and happenings that build up to a decent climax… This is Raj Kaushal’s second directorial venture after Pyar Mein Kabhi Kabhi. Although the theme of Marital Displeasure is one that has been attempted by many directors, Raj Kaushal does an excellent job at showing both sides of the argument. Unlike in Masti, which was a poor attempt at justifying the same issue, Kaushal is able to develop Som’s character as well as Ravi’s character and succeeds in conveying to the audiences that although a married life can be difficult at times, a bachelor’s life has its share of complexities as well. The direction by Raj Kaushal is of class and is evident in the scenes between Ashish and Sanjay. The practicality of the film is a major plus as well. For his second offering, Kaushal realizes that the audience is beginning to move away from escapist cinema, to more films focused on reality. Although Shaadi Ka Laddoo isn’t a film on the underworld, sexual affairs, or war efforts; it’s a reality film in that it portrays the thoughts that both bachelors and non-bachelors have. Due to this approach, Kaushal is more open to connecting with his audience. Unfortunately, Shaadi Ka Laddu falls on a few fronts…The biggest setback to this film, which is still a minor one; is how the film begins to slow down in the middle. After the interval, the film begins to move at a lethargic pace that loses your attention for a while, but luckily regains it as the film reaches its pre-climax scenes. Editor, Sanjib Dutta, could have cut out a few scenes to create a nicely trimmed film. Another minor drawback is the screenplay. For the most part, the screenplay is fine and doesn’t really confuse, in terms of scene structure. Yet, some scenes just didn’t make any sense. Especially the sequence where Ravi begins calling any girl up and asks her to marry him. It’s quite unrealistic for a guy, who is desperate to find a Hindustani Biwi, to begin calling random girls, all of which are non-indian, and ask them to marry him. Where’s the logic in that? But as I said, such flaws can be overlooked. One part of the film that I just can’t get over is the casting of Negar Khan. She looks horrendous! It was one thing that she was the first character introduced in the film, but the fact that they showed her face throughout the movie was quite unnecessary. Not only because she looked repulsive, but because it was unnecessary for her character, Sheena, to keep creeping back into the script as she did. For me, she was far from representing the sex symbol that she was supposed to portray. This defect is difficult to get over… Never wanting to end a review on a sour note, Shaadi Ka Laddoo offers some more positive elements. The editing of the film is top notch. The film never confuses and keeps rolling, except for a small interim in the middle. The songs are beautifully placed and are a huge asset to the film. Speaking of songs, Vishal – Shekhar’s music is superb! Definitely one of the best albums of the year. Woh Kaun Hai was mesmerizingly picturized and Tum Kaho Tho had some beautiful locales. Kuch Tho Ho Raha Hai is a fun track and Bach Ke Rehna suits the bill. Chal Hatt, on which the film opens, is a very unusual song and is nicely handled with the animations. Unfortunately, the song was tremendously hindered since it was picturized on Negar Khan. Biwi Ka Belan is a great tune, and one for the creative ages. The remix of V-S’s previous gem Musumu Suhasi is soft on the ears and a pleasant piece even though it was sung in an entirely different language. The cinematography of the film, handled by Amit Roy, was of substance. He did a nice job in showing London’s lush locales. I think they focused a little too much on Big Ben, but that’s alright. The film didn’t come off as slick, but this kind of film probably wouldn’t look too good with a pretty finish to it. Amit Roy puts up a good effort and it shows. The script of the film was nicely written. In companionship with carrying a good moral, the film is a comical one as well. I would like to coin this one as a light-hearted comedy. The punch lines are executed brilliantly by Sanjay Suri. Never did the film get too “talk heavy” and there was always a proportional balance between the seriousness, the romance, and the comedy of the film. Now on to the major highlight of the film…the performances. 1) Sanjay Suri – a.k.a Som Dutta Sanjay Suri wins the award here for best performance. He comes off magnificently as a man who is torn between the responsibilities of a husband and the desires of a man. His disgust with marriage is put forth nicely and his smart remarks are what get you grinning, and it’s only a matter of time before he turns those grins into giggles…He really makes you feel for married men and succeeds in portraying his mentality. 2) Ashish Chaudary – a.k.a. Ravi Kapoor Ashish, not being a mainstream actor, gave a fairly good performance. Although, at times he did over-act his part. At times, he gave a very professional performance and at times it was quite amateur. On the whole, his performance isn’t worth much appraise, but he still deserves a pat on the back. Aashish – Sanjay chemistry: The chemistry between Sanjay Suri and Ashish Chaudary is another highlight of the film. Their comic sequences together are very realistic and they’re serious sequences together arise emotional support for both characters. They play off each other nicely and their friendship seems as if it begun off-screen. 3) Mandira Bedi – a.k.a. Tara Mandira Bedi’s performance is a plus all the way. Her performance is as natural as ever. Her understanding character is played with ease by Mandira. Similar to Sanjay and Ashish, it seems as if her friendship with Ashish begun off-screen rather than on-screen. The supporting cast was a nice addition, except for Negar Khan. Menaka, played by Samita Bangargi, suited the role nicely because her innocent look. Her innocent look suited her character, since Menaka is the shy/innocent type of girl. She looked very nice throughout the film as well. Divya Dutta, who played Som’s wife, Gitu, was also natural. Although, at times she did over-act. Her possessive nature was suffice to create pity for Som. On the whole, Shaadi Ka Laddoo is a good attempt at creating another film focused on the hardship of married life and the hardships of a non-married life, and is definitely worth a watch.
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The enchanting tale of Shaadi Ka Laddoo is Raj Kaushal’s attempt at portraying two men, strictly bounded by the terms of friendship, yet miles apart when it comes to social and personal lifestyles…