Shaadi Ke Side Effects

'Shaadi Ke Side Effects' has its share of glorious moments & spirited performances working for it, but an erratic screenplay plays a spoilsport.

'Shaadi Ke Side Effects' Synopsis: A complicated relationship develops between a man & woman after they get married & have a baby.

'Shaadi Ke Side Effects', at first, seems pro anti-marriage. But, later comes on to its favor. Its an erratic film, that chooses different sides in phases. A consistent mood & pace, is also missing!

However, a few light moments cannot be forgotten. The humor in the first-hour is first-rate, even some of its characters, are indeed interesting. How one wishes if Writer/Director Saket Chaudhary's Screenplay had been much stronger. His Direction, on the other-hand, is fair. Cinematography, Editing & Art Design, are standard. Music by Pritam is decent.

Performance-Wise: Farhan, now a seasoned actor, dominates the show with an earnest performance. Vidya Balan is good, though her character comes across more as negative than positive. Ram Kapoor is very funny. His scenes stand out. Vir Das hams. Rati Agnihotri & Ila Arun shine in brief roles.

On the whole, 'Shaadi Ke Side Effects' is a half-baked fare.

It took more than 7 years for 'pyar' to culminate into 'shaadi' for director Saket Chaudhary! His suave Sid and crazy Trisha (same character names as in the prequel 'Pyar ke side effects') finally get a reality check into the practical world of ' & they happily lived ever after'. Let's check all side-effects of this flick one-by-one:

• Plot: SKSE narrates the mundane yet pragmatic nuances of married life through the eyes of its male protagonist making the movie a fun riot for guys (with wife-jokes and mother-in-law jibes). However, this one won't disappoint ladies either as it does have its moments of sensitivity, emotions, tenderness and utter feminism. The movie well depicts the scuffle and issues that emerge into life of 2 people when they graduate from being 'couple' to 'parents'. Vidya's dialogue to Farhan – "We're pregnant" says it all! While the first half is smooth and refreshing (tickling your funny bone on regular basis), it loses a little grip in the middle but ends with a tinge of emotional (yet predictable) maturity enunciating 'strategy' for happy marriage.

• Cast: Farhan being the narrator, is the backbone of SKSE and literally wears Sid's soul on his sleeves! In all avatars, emotional/ fun, bachelor/ father, he excels and manages to convey with ease dilemmas of unprepared fatherhood along with his strife to strike a balance between the husband and father in him. Vidya, as per some people, is a misfit as she looks bloated throughout the movie. But then, who would have so easily portrayed the vulnerable yet suave yet wild Trisha who has just entered motherhood. I would rather say, her unshapely shape actually suited the demands of the character. The skin show could have been averted but then Vidya manages to carry it all with élan. Real-life couple Ram and Gautami Kapoor are endearing with Ram getting a good screen-space. He doesn't disappoint. Real-life VJs Purab Kohli and Vir Das manage to add funkiness through their respective characters. It was good to see Ila Arun after a long time while Rati Agnihotri fails to impress.

• Music: Opening number, Indo-western 'Desi romance' is my pick from the album while title track rocks with its Punjabi touch and funny lyrics by Amitabh Bhattacharya. Jazzy B's 'Harry is not a Brahamchari' is becoming a rage among boys. 'I am sorry tumse pyar ho gaya' reminds of 'Kya karun' from 'Wake up Sid'. Pritam won't stop drawing inspirations! In all music and background score well-suit the mood and pace of movie.

• Flaws: Despite superb acting by its actors, SKSE does have its share of flaws, major one being, extremity in certain situations reducing authenticity! Being narrated by male protagonist, it is quite skewed in favour of 'Adam' gender relegating the 'Eve' stereotyped. Also, the self-professed dual-life portion of Sid is a bit exaggerated.

Despite these flaws, SKSE is a refreshing urbane rom-com dealing with relevant issues of modern-day couples. Go watch it with your friends for some good laugh or your spouse to rewind some memories! This shaadi ka laddoo is worth tasting at least once! 

The start is promising. Later its all confusing and then its ends with a big WTF... A struggling musician marries a well settled working woman. An ingredients for a serious movie. Instead it looks like dish supposed to a Biryani...turns out to be a Khichdi. How the hell did this struggling musician afford to go to exotic foreign locations with his girlfriend and also propose her with a big solitaire while in a hot air balloon? The wife's profession is not known. They lead a luxurious lifestyle. They even hire a 15000 Rupees nanny while the wife is not working. Though, through out the film its about the male leads struggle. Defies logic. The support acts were like playing kabaddi...they come and go at the drop of a popcorn. The main issues portrayed are genuine but the story really lags in dealing with them. Not to waste money on this. If you really want to watch this, wait for it come on a movie channel.

A family person may need some space for self even after marriage, but how far can (s)he really go looking for it makes the subject.

The movie starts with a confident young married guy who seems to know how to keep his married life happy, But he panics soon as he becomes a father and tries to adjust himself to his new 'family'.

The movie does exaggerate some aspects for the sake of humor.For an example, the ordeals of fathers in a supposed kids play. And the side effects that the title mentions were mostly one sided. But the director did try to make amends in this aspect with a hint at the end of the movie.

All the characters were carefully drafted and meticulously used.

Wonderful performances and some crackling dialogs, made this worth a watch.

Marriage is a beautiful alliance if the couple understand each other. It will be a nightmare, if they fail to do so. But more or less, it's an alliance filled of compromises and lies at times. Lies can be said to keep the spouse happy too. But at what cost, is a terrible question. The consequences are mostly dreadful at times even practically. This movie is about an alliance of Love and Lies.

Farhan Akhtar is man with tons of talent and his acting talent and his coming come use in a great deal in this film. Vidya Balan has been one of the finest actress in recent years and she plays her role as a wife and mother wonderfully. Between the two, their chemistry is great, and they seem to slide well into their roles.

Aa script about a typical after marriage life, having baby, and trying to run away from responsibilities, learning from mistakes and forgiving each other would have been nonsensical if it did not have some great dialogs, which should make the stereotypes as fun but not as caricatures. that's what precisely happened in this well written script by Saket Chaudhary.

From being together and have fun in early years of marriage, to changing anatomy through pregnancy, while the man becomes more responsible towards the family, and even earns more for them. This is all a clichéd tale that every family goes through. The parent teacher meetings, the birthday parties of the kid's friends, they are all part and parcel of life. Now, those are made interesting by some good writing and fine acting.

Together, the team has done a wonderful job in taking the script to a respectable level. The execution through cinematography is wonderful too. Though, editing seems to have disappointed in second half by dragging on some very dramatic moments, which would have been better chopped off.

To Farhan and Vidya alone, this film is worth. Also there are wonderful performances by others including Vir Das and Ram Kapoor among many others.

A 3/5 would be apt in a film that's hilarious right through the first half, and a kind of drama in the second half. Yet, its fun all through.