Veere Di Wedding: Full of pomp and show, signifying nothing

Let’s be clear on one thing—abuses, alcohol and smoking do not signify girls have come of age. The much awaited Shashanka Ghosh directorial Veere Di Wedding proves to be a dampener. If you think that the film talks about girls coming of age as sensitively as Dil Chahta Hai did about boys, you will be greatly disappointed.

Yes, the film is about rich girls who are childhood friends, yes, it does talk about their relationships (with each other and with their family members)—but somehow, everything looks superficial and doesn’t move you as Dil Chahta Hai did.

The characterisation is weak, the dialogues are (well, half of the film is in English, the other half-full of abuses) unimpressive. The storyline is too thin and can be summed up in one sentence—Four childhood friends Kalindi, (Kareena Kapoor) Meera (Shikha Talsania), Avni (Sonam Kapoor) and Sakshi (Swara Bhaskar) reunite after a gap of ten years on Kalindi’s marriage and gradually, their past and family relationships start unfolding. And mind you, nothing very interesting or dramatic in that too. Right till the end, one keeps expecting that some major revelation would come to light about their past or about their relationships, but well, barring sex with their spouses or boyfriends, nothing major is revealed.

Oh, well, one thing is worth mentioning here. The vibrator and a woman masturbating has been, I believe, mentioned and shown for the first time in Hindi films so obviously. Is it really significant? I doubt it. More remarkable and worth mentioning is the fact that this survived the censor’s scissors, which has of late become infamous for cutting simple words and scenes in the name of nationalism, morality and decency.

Yes, there are some positives too, the girls in their late twenties lament that even if they are self-dependent, they are considered ‘complete’ in the society only when they get married and become mothers. The camaraderie between girls is endearing, though it is here the director could have really made the film more appealing and moving. This bond among the gang of girls also comes across as perfunctory. This is exactly where the film is a major disappointment.

The male-bashing was expected, it’s funny, but at times a little stretch too. Shashanka Ghosh had directed Waisa Bhi Hota Hai-Part Two, which was quite an interesting film with unpredictable twists in the story. Unfortunately, this film doesn’t reflect the director coming of age.

Kareena Kapoor is pretty, Sonam Kapoor is sweet, Shikha Talsania is funny and Swara Bhaskar is wasted. She could have done much more in the film besides just smoking, abusing and boozing.

In all, the girls will be disappointed that this film based on female bonding doesn’t even talk about the tenderness with which girls usually keep their friendships alive while dealing with other complex and demanding ties than men ever have to.

If you like watching girls drinking and abusing their own sex profusely, go and watch it.