Dil ka Raasta Pyaar se Bhara!

A movie that delivers a strong message with a traditional indian background but runs high on emotions.

I normally do not enjoy Bollywood movies that deal with sensitive issues that involve same-sex lovers. But I decided to give Harshvardhan Kulkarni's Badhai Do a try with very less expectations, but to my surprise, I was in awe and extremely elated (and emotional) when I watched the film. It gave me a little hope that maybe now mainstream cinema will be more considerate of the LGBTQIA+ community.

Quick Synopsis: The story follows a gay cop and lesbian P.E teacher who enter a marriage of convenience to stop their parents from burdening them with the burning question of "Shaadi kab karoge?"

The movie opens with the Thakur family getting into a heated debate about their Kuldeepak son's marriage, who has chosen a Muslim girl for himself. The whole family is doubtful and hesitant at first but they finally give in as they don't want their 'Ghar ka chiraag' to stay a bachelor for the rest of his life.

In the next shot, we see our main lead, Shardul (Rajkumar Rao) who is an officer. Unlike other cops, he is your stereotypical 'mard ko dard nahi hota' police officer who plays by the law and is essentially a good cop. But deep down he hides a secret that is barring him from marrying anyone. Yes, you guessed it right, he is gay. He keeps on stalling his marriage and waits and doesn't have the courage to tell his family about his dark secret.

In another part of the city, we have a beautiful girl, Suman Singh aka Sumi (Bhumi Pednekar) who is a physical education teacher at a school. She is always under the radar as her mother wants her to wear more 'feminine clothes' and questions her choice of career as a P.E. teacher. And of course, a female's struggle isn't complete without a little 'umar ho gayi hai, shaadi kar le' as a cherry on top. Sumi just like Shardul dodges the idea of marriage and scares her potential suitors away by bringing up her ex-fiancé who died weeks before her marriage. But the marriage pressure is not the only thing that both of them have in common. Like Shardul even Sumi is queer or what the cops call them a 'laasbean' (a lesbian).

Both of them cross paths when Sumi is confronted by a boy (who she thought was a girl) who threatens her to reveal her secret, in favor he wants her to sleep with him and get a 'taste' of what's it like being with a man. If you draw parallels of that particular scene with real life, it's absolutely nuts how it's so similar. People, especially queer people come on the internet to find a safe space where they can express and be themselves. Unfortunately, being a female and being queer it becomes especially life-threatening to be open and vulnerable with people on social media as you can't trust anyone.

Therefore, after meeting with Sumi, Shardul and her decision to marry each other with certain terms and conditions. So that they can live their own lives without their parents being after them 24/7.

Their marriage of convenience is going perfect until another ball is thrown in their court, perhaps a ball they can't (or can) dodge, the "Bacche kab karoge" ball. Your life really doesn't get easier by just getting married after all, am I right? But in the equation enters Rhimjhim (Chum Darang) and Guru (Gulshan Devaiah), Sumi's and Shardul's love interests.

It's very rare to see Northeastern representation in mainstream cinema, a representation that goes beyond the racist slurs. When I saw Sumi's love interest, I was super delighted to finally see Chum Darang on the screen! Finally, A North Eastern lead who plays the role of a queer woman. Darang might not have enough scenes throughout the movie, but she makes sure that the attention is always on her when she is in the frame. Her character is a strong queer woman who lives life on her accord, like many others even she decided to tell her family, about her sexual identity but was immediately ostracized by them. But that doesn't stop her from living her life the way she wants to. She is a phoenix who rises from the ashes and moves on from her past. she becomes the wings for Sumi and helps her be herself and come out of her shell. In one scene, Sumi shares with Rhimjhim how she always wanted to adopt a child, Rhimjhim being the woman she is makes it a mission for herself that Sumi gets what she always desired. Rhimjhim is that one hope for young kids out there, that maybe one day they can be as fearless and won't be afraid of anyone.

On the other hand, we have, Guru our out and proud man, he meets Shardul at a gay wedding where Shardul is guarding the wedding guests against the protestors who are throwing profanities at them for being out and about in public. Guru is what Shardul dreams to be but can't be because of his image and his family. He carries the weight of his family's respect and internalized homophobia while Guru lives freely and no one should hide their true selves. Let me tell you, I've never crushed on a couple more than I have on Shardul and Guru. The way their casual flirtations turn into a budding romance, trust me I was blushing more than Shardul was!

If you think about it, the backdrop of this whole film is very obvious. Traditional small-town families and societal pressure compiled with a huge secret. But I think what makes this movie special is the way they have addressed and dealt with such a strong social issue. For the first time, I didn't hear words like 'Meetha' or 'Chakka' or any other derogatory slurs. Also, the way Kulkarni didn't oversexualize the two female characters being in love is applauded worthy. You see growth in both their characters in the whole film. When during the pride march, Shardul simply takes the mask and wears it in front of his fellow police officers. That showed that he isn't afraid of people questioning his hypermasculinity because of his sexual identity, he wants to live freely and he shall do so without it.

The film all in all is a delight to watch, it made me laugh, it made me cry but most of all it reassured my faith in Hindi cinema. Outstanding performances by Rajkumar Rao, Bhumi Pednekar, Chum Darang & Gulshan Devaiah. Go watch tomodachis! and always remember love is love, live boldly and fiercely. If for a second, you're clouded with doubts and are scared of people's perception of you just remember, "Kuch toh log kahenge, logo ka kaam hai kehna."

Favorite songs from the movie -

Hum Rang hain - Amit Trivedi, Nakash Aziz, and Shashaa Tirupati

Atak Gaya - Amit Trivedi

What are your thoughts on the movie? Let me know! Thank you for sparing your precious time! You're loved and I support you in everything you do!