Movie Review of Veere Di Wedding

Friendship, fashion, frolic: Welcome to the Indian version of Sex and the City. The movie revolves around four friends who’re at different points of the marriage spectrum. Kalindi (Kareena Kapoor Khan) has always been wary of marriage, but begrudgingly says yes to the proposal of her long-term boyfriend, Rishab (Sumeet Vyas); Avni (Sonam Kapoor) is a divorce lawyer whose mom is hell-bent on finding her the perfect groom; Sakshi (Swara Bhaskar) is on the verge of an ugly divorce; and Meera (Shikha Talsania), whose life with her American husband and a two-year-old son might seem picture-perfect, but is not quite so. The four childhood buddies reunite from their different walks of life for Kalindi’s wedding, and what ensues is a mad journey.

Veere Di Wedding truly is the first of its kind: A Bollywood movie about female bonding, which is probably something we’ve been craving for ever since the days of Dil Chahta Hai. The movie tries to stay as relevant to the modern times as possible. The four leading ladies talk about sex, swear like sailors, drink like a fish, and they do it all with complete abandon. And why shouldn’t they? Because this is indeed how girls belonging to the current century would behave (well, almost). Director Shashanka Ghosh does deserve an applause for finally breaking away from age-old norms. The film, however, shows you all of this from a rich society’s point of view, and so you might have to suspend your disbelief when you witness the swanky mansions, the foreign trips, and the designer labels. While the movie in totality is a fun ride, the script, written by Nidhi Mehra and Mehul Suri, falters towards the end when it all seems too smooth and a tad bit overstretched.

Kareena being back on the big screen after her pregnancy is an absolute joy to watch. She plays the cynical girl to perfection. Sonam, too, is convincing as the daughter who’s so plagued by her nagging mother that she gives in to traditions she herself doesn’t believe in. But at the end of the day, the two actresses who steal the show are Swara and Shikha. They’re so effortless in their portrayal of emotions that you can’t help but root for them. In fact, you’ll find yourself cheering for all the four veeres. The side characters, be it the overbearing parents or the gay couple, are played supremely well, and I sincerely wish Sumeet Vyas had more frames to himself. It’s true that this movie comes with its own bag of flaws, but it makes up for it just because of sheer girl power. This isn’t a depiction of feminism, which is something the makers and actors, too, have been saying since day one, but let’s just hope that it’s a gateway to more kickass, all-girl movies.

Rating: 3/5.