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Friday, February 28, 2014

Shaadi ke side effects: a review

Vidya Balan and Farhan Akthar's names are enough to draw the audience to the theaters. The promos, anyways, are attractive. But this movie, like all sequels, fails to be as engaging as the original. Brilliant acting doesn't hold up due to lack of a strong script.
If you put these negatives aside, the movie is thoroughly entertaining, especially in the first half. It has an excellent build-up, pacy narration, a vibrant, energetic and heart-throbbing beginning. As a sequel to Pyar Ke Side Effects, Trisha (Vidya Balan) and Siddharth (Farhan Akhtar), a married couple, demonstrate in the beginning of the movie how the spark of romance in one's married life can be kept alive.
Everything goes well till an unplanned child happens. How priorities change, how one feels stifled with added responsibilities and grapples with these form the crux of the movie. The story, narrated more from the male perspective, speaks of how Siddharth who in trying to adjust to parenthood, finds an escape in his own way, eventually (and predictably) ends up  returning to his family.The great acting of Farhan and Vidya and the wonderfully conversational dialogs written for them make the two characters so identifiable!
What started as a super exciting ride, a build up, the beautiful chemistry between the lead pair, kind of fizzles out in the second half, where it adapts a slightly preachy tone...not enough to bore you but somehow the energy of the first half is greatly toned down. Also the way the movie ends, we are left confused as to what was the message in the movie? Who is right and who is wrong? Is it okay to break trust in a relationship?

The pluses: Great chemistry between the lead pair, great energy, a good & vibrant story, optimal use of the cast, great acting,  no unnecessary songs to distract you.
Ignore the tepid ending and it is worth a watch. You will not be let down nor bored. But that's about it.
My rating: 3.5/5
Go watch!

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