Shuddh Desi Romance

There's SOMETHING about this movie which is appealing. Some sequences are so alluring, it revs up your enthusiasm but some sequences shut them down permanently erasing the previously hatched-up zeal. Shuddh Desi Romance is thus an experimental coming-of-age flick which is laudable for its virility, but easily forgettable due to its monotony (and/or mindlessness).

Sushanth Sigh Rajput's character is that of a recital bachelor who has some authenticity instilled into it. While on the other hand, the women's characters play see-saw here. Parineeti Chopra is, in her usual air, dashing, but I am not that impressed with the newcomer's acting. Rishi Kapoor completes the humor part.

The plot is funny at times, serious in many nodes & significantly pragmatic throughout the narration. The individual shots of the three main leads in-between the average screenplay is one annoying thing collectively. Entertainment is delivered, but sporadically. Unless & until the viewer is prepared to dig deep inside the plot & carve him/herself to be comfy with the on screen steamy scenes, he/she wouldn't have enough food for thought. Otherwise, SDR talks something serious & relevant for the current generation.

To sum it all up, a statement in the movie "Has the idea of marriage befallen?" truly is one lovable thing about the rather emotional movie.

BOTTOM LINE: Recommended for love-birds to watch together. Lively songs & made-up dialogs altogether is a fine piece. Older generations (which doesn't include YOLO) could stay away. 4.4 out of 10 from a guy who is in his 20s and is solely rated so due to the high-octane romance. It is lite, and high on romance. Ignore the slow-downs & consider the potential. Not recommended for a theater-watch, although.

Can be watched with a typical Indian family? NO

Profanity: Mild | Mouth-Kiss: Strong | Sex/Foreplay: No | Violence/Gore: No | Porn/Drugs: No | Smoking/Alcohol: Mediocre

For years Hindi movies have drilled the same conservative, and often regressive notions of love and marriage into our heads. Shuddh Desi Romance takes that conventional wisdom propagated to us in the movies and turns it on its head. What's worth noting is that this movie comes from the stable of Yash Raj Films, the very studio largely responsible for breeding those notions through hits like Chandni, Dil To Pagal Hai and Bachna Ae Haseeno among others.Directed by Band Baaja Baraat's Maneesh Sharma and written by Chak De India's Jaideep Sahni, Shuddh Desi Romance is set amidst the bustle of middle-class Jaipur, where unemployed youngsters will happily pose as friends and cousins in a traveling baraat for a few thousand rupees and a gold chain. When he isn't conning white tourists into buying handicrafts from local merchants for a commission, Raghu (Sushant Singh Rajput) is busy falling in love. But he goes from sincere to conflicted to selfish in as long as it takes most people to change out of a wedding suit. So he'll woo a girl, win her heart, then develop cold feet at the mandap. This happens thrice in Shuddh Desi Romance, which would be tiring and largely predictable if it weren't for Sahni's crackling dialogue and the charming characters he puts on screen. Gayatri (Parineeti Chopra) is a gregarious rebel Raghu meets on the way to his own wedding. She smokes, she's had boyfriends, and she lets Raghu move in with her when he ditches his shaadi. Tara (newcomer Vaani Kapoor) is the damsel who springs a surprise on both Raghu and the audience.Like most normal couples – hence, unlike the relationships we see in Hindi movies – sexual attraction is key to our protagonists' equation, and the film doesn't make a big deal about it. In fact, to give credit where it's due, Sahni's script never screams from the rooftops about the brave ideas it pushes so matter-of-factly. Skillfully avoiding melodrama or sloganeering, the film portrays a generation where single women can live in with their boyfriends without being banished by the housing society. This is a refreshingly real middle-class India where marriage needn't be life's sole ambition for young girls, and where women can hold their heads high and carry on with life despite having been ditched at the altar.There's so much to like about Shuddh Desi Romance, including Sharma's nicely textured portrait of the Pink City. The film captures the sights and sounds of a busy metro in ways that most films don't even try. Oblivious that he's ruined someone's appetite, a cook at a jalebi stall scratches his backside with a chhanni. It's little details like these that sparkle with originality.Pity then that the movie runs out of steam in its unconvincing final act, particularly during a confrontation between the two leading ladies that comes off as contrived. In other complaints, the talking-into-camera device is now overused, and seldom works unless what's being said is profound, which isn't always the case here. This in fact, adds to the film's already verbose and occasionally repetitive feel.What cannot be faulted, however, are the terrific performances from the central players. Vaani Kapoor makes an auspicious debut, carrying off Sahni's firecracker lines with the comfort of a pro. Sushant Singh Rajput as Raghu, has an easy charm about him and unmistakable depth behind that scruffy exterior. But it's Parineeti Chopra, reminiscent of a younger Rani Mukherjee, who this film belongs to. She has expressive eyes and an endearing manner about her, and turns Gayatri into the most real woman you've encountered on screen recently. The film also benefits enormously from the casting of an excellent Rishi Kapoor in the part of a feisty wedding caterer and Raghu's father figure.To a large extent, Shuddh Desi Romance reinvents the wheel as far as Bollywood rom-coms go. It's aggressively non-formulaic, and gives us characters who refuse to conform. The minor hiccups notwithstanding, this is a charming little film. I'm going with eight ratings. You'll enjoy it.

One word REALISTIC!!

This is such a charming,modern, progressive and refreshing rom com. It is quite unconventional from the other rom coms that we see and it is ironic it is from the yash raj banner. This movie portrays the mindset,dilemma or confusion of todays youth who are easy to enter into relationship but are scared as soon as they hear the word marriage. The sequences are very entertaining and the cinematography if jaipur is great. All the songs like gulabi,tere mere beech mein and title track are nice. The performances are amazing and all the actors aptly portray the confusion of the characters.

Director Mr. Maneesh Sharma work is good. He has taken the movie ahead from the script. Script is written by Jaideep Sahni, and it is average. Story line is new but very thin. Scenes are fresh but they get slow very often, especially in second half. Dialogues are good. Actually, what has been shown in promo and trailer, is undoubtedly best part of film. All characters in the film are somewhere underplayed and somewhere exaggerated. There are very few scenes which succeed to touch the heart, actually it just pat the heart and then move away. The main emotion in this love story is the confusion of characters, rather than love, so they reflect fake at the places. It is difficult to relate with any one of them completely. Look of the film and approach towards every scene is new. Director of photography, Manu Anand work is impressive. Performance wise Sushant Singh Rajput as Raghu, is natural and good. Parineeti Chopra as Gayetri, is fine. Vaani Kapoor as Tara, is impressive, especially her cute smile, which she used in max of the scenes. Rishi Kapoor is on the top. Fine actor Rajesh Sharma as Mausa ji , is wasted. Music by Sachin Jigar is good, title track is very good.

Yes, the storyline is rather fidgety. But since when did we become so staunch about the storyline from movies under Yash Raj Films banner? Acting is above average, Rishi Kapoor tops the list, of course. No surprises there. The script is entertaining and funny. Well, more often than not.

But the 7 / 10 is mostly because of the statement or the point that this movie tried to make about marriages in India. And even amidst the inconsistency of the movie, there is enough food for thought for this generation and for the country as a whole.

As India slowly turns into an epitome of hypocrisy as a country, I have a feeling that this movie won't be acceptable by the average Indian audience though there is no sex or foreplay as such. But hey, curvy girls in bikinis running on the beach in some Salman Khan movie is just fine! As long as there is objectification.

There are however both sexual and non-sexual peeves (for the Indian audience) thrown all over the movie and I found them brilliant as well as hilarious. Go ahead, take your family to this movie. Make them a little uncomfortable and be a little uncomfortable as well. Monkeys make out, we do too. It's okay! For once, don't judge.

Bottomline: Definitely entertaining. Definitely funny. Yes, it is a little mindless and the story wanders off at times. But it's worth the watch!