Veere Di Wedding Review - Swearing and Sentiment Go Hand-In-Hand

Let me start by saying that Veere Di Wedding is not path-breaking cinema. We have other films like Parched and Lipstick Under My Burkha for that. Yet, what director Shashanka Ghosh does get right is that unlike those films, Veere Di Wedding is a celebration - of love, of life and of some killer dialogues. This here is a film that openly talks about feelings of sex, love, body-shaming and drinking. However, writers Nidhi Mehra and Mehal Suri never let these discussions become the plot of the film. They’re skilfully woven into the narrative without engulfing the story whole.

The film portrays the lives of four women - Avni (played by Sonam Kapoor Ahuja), Kalindi (played by Kareena Kapoor Khan), Meera (played by Shikha Talsania) and Sakshi (played by Swara Bhasker). These are four women who cuss like their lives depend on it, drink excessively and can shake a leg pretty well. The four girls are interestingly bruised characters. Kalindi is snarky but scared of commitment. Avni is a romantic divorce lawyer, Meera is a vulnerable girl on the interior and Sakshi is a risqué yet battered character.

Veere Di Wedding shines because of their moments. The four actresses holistically drive the narrative. They command your attention by dropping a few F-bombs and don’t let go till that interval shot. The film’s first half is bubbly and charming. The sheer shock factor of how obscene the film can get is what works in its favour. Shashanka helps each of the girls - especially a spunky Shikha Talsania - to channel their inner queen. Throughout the film’s promotions, the team has re-iterated that film is not a chick flick, nor is to be anticipated as one.

I finally understood what that means. Because throughout Veere Di Wedding, you will see Shashank, Nidhi and Mehal deconstruct the basic ‘chick flick’ how it is perceived within and outside Bollywood. The film’s first half is devoid of cliches. It is, however, in the problematic second half when the film’s soaring story crashes all too quickly. A few plot twists threaten to unravel the script entirely. It’s unnecessary and convoluted and soon after, the film becomes a slog. But, leave it to the acting prowess of the four veeres to save the day. The girls take Shashanka’s problematic narrative and run with it. While the film dabbles in emotional conflicts, each of the women prove that they can act pretty damn well by displaying a flexible range of emotions.

Kareena Kapoor plays her Kalindi with charm. Kalindi is an interesting character. Here, she is the pivotal protagonist and the veere whose wedding everybody is attending. She has a slight hint of awkwardness in everything that she does, and Kareena is pitch perfect. Each of her beats seem unfamiliar and Kalindi is like a more evolved, less extroverted version of Geet from Jab We Met. Avni is heartbreakingly likeable. You instantly want to root for her and that is a testament to Sonam Kapoor’s acting. It’s tremendous to see how far Sonam has come and how she evolves with each of her performances. The romantic Avni is impossible to look away from and it’s one of Sonam’s more mature performances.

Shikha Talsania and Swara Bhaskar are equally commendable. They hold their ground against these two women and command an equal amount of screen presence. I found Shikha’s Meera the easiest character to relate to. She is breezy and fun but is also emotionally fragile. Shikha, unlike the three leading ladies, has not done a plethora of films but her acting is both evolved and sentimental. But, I believe that the glue holding Veere Di Wedding together is Swara Bhaskar as Sakshi. Sakshi cusses and abuses her husband frequently, but Swara reads between the lines and emotionally charges what could’ve been a cardboard character. Veere Di Wedding soars when she curses and when she cries. It’s heartbreaking and heartwarming at the same time to watch her perform.

Watch Veere Di Wedding for these four brazen and bold women who wear their inhibitions like medals of honour. They trample and create some cracks in Bollywood’s glass ceiling. It’s a refreshing experience to watch the four of them compliment each other and Shashanka’s script by just acting the hell out of it. This was a singularly individual film. I’m willing to look past the discrepancies because this re-affirms my faith that there are scripts and stories about women out there that are waiting to be told. I’m going with 3 stars for Veere Di Wedding - it marks the debut of the urban Indian woman in Hindi cinema - she’s bold, she’s brilliant and she’s fabulous. Don’t miss her.