Badrinath Ki Dulhania Movie Review: Third Time’s A Charm For Alia-Varun

Badrinath Ki Dulhaniya: Movie Review

Badrinath Ki Dulhaniya: Movie Review

Badrinath Ki Dulhania Movie Review

Starring – Alia Bhatt, Varun Dhawan, Sahil Vaid, Rituraj Singh, Mohit Marwah, Swanand Kirkire, Aakanksha Singh, Gauhar Khan

  • Directed by – Shashank Khaitan
  • Produced by – Hiroo Yash Johar, Karan Johar, Apoorva Mehta (Production House – Dharma Productions)
  • Written by – Shashank Khaitan
  • Cinematography by – Neha Parti Matiyani
  • Edited by – Manan Sagar
  • Background Score by – John Stewart Eduri
  • Duration – 2 hours 19 minutes
  • Genre – Romantic Comedy
  • Censor Rating – U/A

Badrinath Ki Dulhania is a complete family entertainer. The movie is a riot – a riot of colours and humour. Peppy music, near perfect casting, and great cinematography – director Shashank has got just about everything right. But the chemistry between Alia Bhatt and Varun Dhawan steals the show.

Plot

Badrinath Bansal (Varun Dhawan), a 10th grade pass son of a rich moneylender from Jhansi thinks any woman will be lucky to be his bride. His father’s chauvinism and his brother’s meek acquiescence, however, do not stop him from falling in love with a vibrant and ambitious young woman from Kota. Vaidehi Trivedi (Alia Bhatt) is struggling against the weight of her own ambitions and her father’s expectations to marry his two daughters before he retires.

Badri’s repeated efforts to woo her lead him to facilitate her sister’s wedding but Vaidehi’s cold feet makes for a bitter rejection. The second half of the movie takes Vaidehi to Singapore where she intends to pursue her career and Badri follows her nursing his wounds. Will the unlikely couple unite? Will the families now bless the union? Watch BKD to find out.

The Perfect Combination

Shashank Khaitan deserves a round of applause. The task Khaitan took on was not an easy one – to take a serious issue of women’s empowerment and to churn out a romantic comedy that will keep the audience entertained every moment. And he managed it with élan. The story is rather a simplistic one, but the ease with which the director has managed to keep us glued to our seats is commendable.

Neha Parti Matiyani has captured the beauty and the colours of small towns (like Kota) and global cities (like Singapore) equally well through her lens. The editing is seamless.

Alia Bhatt and Varun Dhawan come together a third time (after ‘Student of the Year’ and and ‘Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania’), and their chemistry is the hottest thing you will watch on-screen this year. Alia as an ambitious young girl torn between love and self-respect and Varun as the enamoured young man struggling to overcome his chauvinistic upbringing, make the perfect team. But the success of BKD lies in the near perfect delivery of the supporting cast. From Rituraj Singh to Sahil Vaid, from Shweta Basu Prasad to Yash Sinha, the production’s cast delivered stellar performances.

Music Review

Badrinath Ki Dulhania offers a mixed bouquet of songs composed by Amaal Mallik, Tanishk Bagchi, and Akhil Sachdeva. Following the familiar five-song pattern of recent Dharma Production numbers, the film features a sentimental ballad, a remix, a romantic song, a peppy title track and a dance song. The songs are free flowing and at no point stand out, or overshadow the movie.

Soundtracks

Song – Aashiq Surrender Hua

Singers: Shreya Ghoshal, Amaal Malik

Duration: 4:10

A catchy, quirky number that will get your feet tapping. This is one of the best numbers of the movie.

 

Song – Humsafar

Singers: Akhil Sachdeva, Mansheel Gujral

Duration: 4:29

This is a beautiful sentimental number. Akhil Sachdeva’s quivering voice is faintly reminiscent of Talal Mahmood of yesteryears. The Punjabi lyrics interspersing the song add to its melody.

 

Song – Badri Ki Dulhania (Title Track)

Singers: Dev Negi, Neha Kakkar, Monali Thakur, Ikka Singh, Rajnigandha Shekhawat

Duration: 3:27

The title track is the Holi song of the season. It is a high energy spin-off on the Muniya song – fun but devoid of any magic.

 

Song – Tamma Tamma Again

Singers: Bappi Lahiri, Anuradha Paudwal, Badshah

Duration: 3:19

The remixed version of this very popular ’90s super hit song is quite enjoyable. Not only has Tanishk remastered the beats, Varun and Alia have completely reinvented the song.

 

Song – Roke Na Ruke Naina

Singer: Arijit Singh

Duration: 4:38

A sweet, sentimental number.

 

What’s Good?

Everything. Alia Bhatt and Varun Dhawan breeze through their performances. The humour is light and effortless, and the brand promotions subtle.

What’s Bad?

Badrinath Ki Dulhania is a standard Bollywood flick, albeit a fun movie to watch. If you think that a small town girl’s transition from bride-to-be to an ambitious woman who seeks respect and pride should be dealt with in a serious, somber movie, you should skip this one.

Our Verdict

Cancel any other plans you may have this weekend. Book your tickets and head out to the nearest theatre to watch BKD. You may not bring home the music or an intense drive to empower your daughters, but you certainly will have had a wonderful time.

If you thought that small towns like Jhansi and Kota with their ‘Mata ki Chowki’ culture are devoid of beautiful sights and fun, do not miss this movie for a change of heart. BKD is a full-on ‘Paisa Wasool’ movie!

Rating – ****

 

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