323. Veere Di Wedding; movie review

VEERE DI WEDDING
Cert 15
123 mins

BBFC advice: Contains strong language, sex references, sex

Just when it seemed as though Bollywood had covered all the wedding bases possible, comes something rather more edgy.
Yes, foul language, lust, booze and fags abound during Shashanka Ghosh's hit, Veere Di Wedding. This is Sex In The City, Delhi-style and yet I have to confess that, despite my regular appeals for more originality in Indian films, the spikier elements jarred with me.
Not least, were the potty mouths of the four young women at its heart. Watching Kareena Kapoor and Sonam Kapoor spit out a volley of f-words didn't seem quite right.
They star alongside Shikha Talsania and Swara Bhaska as four childhood friends who are brought back together by an unlikely wedding.
Kareena Kapoor plays the reluctant bride-to-be who agrees to the proposal of her fella (Sumeet Vyas) on a beach near their Australian home only to be suddenly whisked to India where his parents take hold of the arrangements.
By arrangements, I mean grand parties well beyond their pocket, including a ring ceremony on a sliced moon.

The demands of the wedding exert pressure on family and friendships, including those of the four pals who spend much of the film trying to hold their friendship together.
Meanwhile, they all face their their own issues, whether it is a recent scandalous divorce, a mother who is demanding an arranged marriage or a husband of whom a traditional father disapproves.
How do they handle all of the above? Through heavy drinking, sexual extraversion and lots and lots of swearing.
I note the 3/10 rating which Veere Di Wedding has on internet movie database and compare that to its relative box office success.
It would appear its big name stars have lured people in but there has been dismay at their lack of screen decorum.
Sometimes I feel the innocence of female characters in Bollywood movies is naive, bordering on pious but it would appear that Ghosh is trying too hard in addressing the balance.

Reasons to watch: Unusually edgy Bollywood comedy
Reasons to avoid: The language and drinking is overdone

Laughs: A few chuckles
Jumps: None
Vomit: Yes
Nudity: None
Overall rating: 6/10

Director quote - Shashanka Ghosh: "The film could have had four boys too as far as I’m concerned. Veere Di Wedding, for me, is a story about friends. It is about how friends know how to be there and help and also know when to pull back.”

The big question - Is every Indian wedding a drama?

Share this post