Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan; Is India ready for boy-boy romance?

‘Breath of life’ or ‘Kiss of death’ are two phrases that instantly visit the brain as Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan hits the screen and eyeballs of a zillion movie-goers. Despite the Poster Boy of quirky themes, Ayushmaan Khurrana’s spirited articulation of how this film is an organic extension of the earlier film and how it’s a theme and subject whose time has come, it will be interesting to see audience responses.

Fact is, except Vicky Donor – which shocked the living hell out of Production Houses and Producers, many strongly advising director Shoojit Sarkar for a brain transplant! – none of Ayushmann’s other forays hit the discomfort button so hard. Sure Anxiety Syndrome (read: Erectile dysfunction) did create a buzz for Shubh Mangal Saavdhan, but since it belonged to the nudge-wink-soundless giggle space and was eminently relatable, it went through.

SBZS is, however, a different ball game and the challenge will be the collective response of the audience. Despite sending rockets to the moon, getting women into the Defence forces and forever screaming about women empowerment, are our audiences ready & willing to view same-sex, romance in an objective & non-judgemental way? Remember this movie is positioned, promoted, marketed and sold aggressively across media avenues as a mainstream film dealing with a non-mainstream subject. So will the – not Bromance – but gay connect go down well with people used to seeing this space either caricatured (Dostana, Student of the Year, Kal Ho Na Ho) or get into the deadly serious zone (Aligarh, Fire)? In short, in 2020, are our audiences are open and inclusive enough to be cool about the LGBTQ zone?

What better way to start the debate than by engaging the talented dancer and actress Mamata Shanker for her take. “First things first. Being a Humanist and Peacenik, my view is: Live and let live! How does it affect others and why should people who disagree, act in a fashion that is insensitive and regressive? You cannot expect human beings to be products of an assembly-line; they are bound to be different with diverse views, likes and dislikes. If the Court has de-criminalised it, shouldn’t the people accept it in the right spirit and move on?”

As to the fact whether the film would resonate with the audiences, she is circumspect. “I am not qualified to pass any judgement since I haven’t seen the film. Won’t be fair ...”

Up next is renowned Theatre, Screen Actor & Ad-man, Bharat Dabolkar. “See, it’s a tricky area because Bollywood is not famous for sensitivity to sensitive, unconventional relationships. It’s basically a Mass Entertainment platform that mostly shies away from anything serious, focussing totally on simplistic feel-good stuff. In recent times, however, there has been a sea-change and new directors with new narratives reflecting quirky issues in an engaging way (Dream Girl, Bala, Badhai Ho) has captured the popular imagination. Shubh Mangal Saavdhaan appears to be a teaser-trailer to this new film. Will it work with the audiences? SMV worked. So did Vicky Donor ...”

However, Dabolkar hesitates to be totally positive because he feels that despite the lip service paid to the Gay community in terms of “no problem” and “cool”, cultural & traditional conditioning towards same-sex relationships – and certainly smooching – cannot be wished away. “Believe me, even in the most progressive & modern circles, scratch the surface and there will be squeamishness & discomfort. However, I am told the treatment is done in a breezy, light-hearted and humorous manner, so maybe it can pull through. Let’s hope for the best. It’s certainly a bold & courageous move and more wind beneath their wings.”

For me, Ayushmann Khurrana is a game-changer, forever pounding on doors angels fear to tread and zooming into danger-zones where trespassers can be prosecuted! Even more than his other gifted Comrade-in-arms, Vicky Kaushal and Rajkumar Rao, he is a proven trail-blazer with a penchant for taking on risk-prone films. His journey from Vicky Donor to SMZS is indeed a case study of David taking on the glamorous & starry Goliaths of B-town and coming up trumps, all the way.

Here’s hoping this movie pushes the envelope even further and the male-kiss breathes new life into our mainstream cinema.