Vivah

Vivah is by no means a classic. However in the days of hardcore action, path-breaking special effects & complex plots (none of which Bollywood has mastered yet), its quite refreshing to see a simple film like Vivah. The story as we all know is a journey from a couple's first meeting to their eventual wedding after some coy moments and testing times. Nothing more, nothing less. The music isn't quite in the same league as MPK or HAHK but doesn't jar your senses either. Two songs stood out for me - Mujhe Haq Hai & Do Anjaane. While Milan abhi aadha & Hamaari shaadi were hummable. Shahid performs sincerely & shows a lot of potential. Its good to see him play something else but the "cool dude" he normally does. Amrita is very sweet and plays the role of a docile small-town girl to perfection. Alok Nath, Anupam Kher & Seema Biswas are terrific supports and the rest of the cast does a reasonable job. Suraj's direction is simple but effective. The movie's prime flaw is the slow pace which might test the patience of a lot of young viewers. But all in all a good, clean, decent family movie.

I watched the film because I have grown up with the Sooraj Barjatya films & was keen to see what they would offer after the disastrous Main Prem Ki Deewani Hoon..

The story of the film is incredibly simple & I feel that the simplest stories make the best love stories, as they revolve around the emotions of the characters. So, this is definitely not a movie for someone who likes to sit at the edge of their seat when watching a film.

The performances of the movie are good.. Shahid & Amrita do justice to their role.. The support cast is wonderful. The standout performance is Seema Biswas - excellent in her role. Mohnish Behl is great in his bit part. I love the writing in the Shahid-Amrita scenes especially in the second half.

I don't want to debate whether the film is realistic or not.. Its a film, so a certain amount of exaggeration & fiction to heighten the drama is understandable. But, I appreciate the message at the end of the film - importance of love & trust over physical appearance and accepting daughters & not daughter-in-laws into families.

I always love Rajshree Productions as they are always family bound and take family movies which have become huge blockbusters. Vivah is one of them. I have seen this movie multiple times on TV , YouTube and recently on Netflix during the current pandemic. I also do not mind watching it again and again as it gives me a family feeling inside me.

The main protagonists ie Shahid Kapoor and Amrita Rao played the perfect couple on screen starting from strangers till they get married. I have become a great fan of them since their Ishq Vishk days. Now, I shall give the review in detail below:

* The Cast: Amrita Rao has proved that she is the real girl that anyone would have wanted as their life partner. Her spotless beauty, traditional looks and superb acting lit the movie to great heights. She just rocks the screen. Shahid Kapoor played his role so perfectly that he has become the nation's favorite. His handsome looks, zest acting has made all the girls weak. Alok Nath did an awesome job as the uncle cum father figure of Amrita Rao. His expressions, smile, acting proved that he is the real sanskari babuji of India. Amrita Prakash who played Amrita's cousin sister did a good job but could not act naturally (That's a flaw). Seema Biswas who played the aunt did a great job. Anupam Kher was just superb as the kindhearted, successful down-to-earth businessman. Other cast like Sameer Soni, Lata Sabharwal, Dinesh Lamba, Manoj Joshi did a great job too.

* The plot: In no way there was any sub-plot in the movie. Kudos to the director for having concentrated on the main plot. This is how in real life ; arranged marriages work out.

* Music: Ravindra Jain's music was so uplifting that it brought tears in my eyes. Do Anjaane Ajnabee is the perfect song for a marriage prospect and its used even today in real life. Another song "Mujhe Haq Hai" was so good. The bhajan "Radhe Krishn Ki Jyoti" was so divinely sung by Shreya Ghoshal that I play it everyday. These 3 songs are my favorites. The other songs were also good in their own way too.

* Cinematography: The cinematographer did a brilliant job in capturing wonderful locales like Nainital, Delhi, Uttarakhand.

There are several heart touching scenes in the movie like the father convincing the son to marry at the right age, the boy-girl meeting, the would-be-in-laws taking the prime responsibility of curing their would-be-daughter-in-law for her burn accident with the help of extra burn specialists , Mohnish Behl (special appearance) telling about abandonment of people during burn cases, Sameer Soni-Lata Sabharwal scenes, the Som Sarovar stay with the future family etc. The scenes between Amrita Rao Rao-Alok Nath, Manoj Joshi-Alok Nath was just touching.

I just loved the movie and would recommend people to watch it. I even have the DVD of the movie too. I also thank Netflix for releasing the movie during these tough times.

Watch "Vivah" and find your perfect match.

Though it's been 4 years after the movie released, it's a delight write a review on this movie. In real life, various human relationships are weighed, analyzed and misinterpreted to dishonor its values and discolor its beauty for personal interests. This is an intelligent and collective effort to beautifully feel the ideal Indian mannerisms and relationship values as in a beautiful dream; not only the romantic relationship between a boy and a girl but with families, parents, children, siblings, in-laws etc.

Intelligent and effort-full scripting, excellent scene blended music/songs and profound insights in making those so called 'silly' moments of life beautifully. There were some scenes felt like could have been done better, but none of them stayed on top till the end of the movie. Though this movie has an old fashioned narration, repetitive camera movements, and evident studio backgrounds, altogether it wonderfully delivers a triangular chemistry between three environments; the girl, the boy and the audience. Sooraj, your commendable vision and patience to make 'vivah' points out that this won't be the last and your best of all the time! Eagerly waiting for another wonderful and better cinematic experience! :)

"Vivaah" feels more like a 70s/ 80s film from Rajshree Productions filled with family values and culture. Unlike Rajshree's "Hum Aapke Hai Kaun", the film is slow and the songs and music are comparatively weak. But the film has a simplicity and is away from the modern treatment. Perhaps the very simplicity of this film made it a big hit of its time. Personally, I liked the film; and Rajshree movies should be commended to keep alive the family values through its movies; and "Vivaah" too joins this league. The simplicity and the spontaneity the film carries through its characters and settings get equally complemented with good performances from Shahid Kapoor, Amrita Rao, Anupam Kher, and Aloknath. In the stream of boisterous and noisy movies, this film kind of gives an inspiration for commitments and family values.

Rating: 2 stars out of 4