If you thought ‘Veere Di Wedding’ is about modern women who swear, drink, party, have sex on the rocks, you are right. If you thought it’s just that, you are so wrong. 

Most men are clueless about what goes on in a woman’s mind, in the powder rooms where they rush together in groups, and on an all-women’s WhatsApp chat group. While men celebrate bromance and pride themselves in putting their bros before everything – a rather unhealthy example of which was ‘Sonu Ki Titu Ki Sweety’ in which the bromance translates to a deep distrust of women – women, on the other hand, often act as each other’s support systems without spelling it out in too many words. 

© Balaji Motion Pictures

Director Shashanka Ghosh’s attempt to take us into the world of the urban Indian woman, who is unapologetically herself (or at least tries to be most of the time), is commendable despite its obvious flaws. It’s a film about women, but men feature prominently in the narrative through the female protagonists and that is one reason why this film is not just for female audiences. All you men wanting to understand your women better, give this film a try. There’s more beyond the Hindi ‘gaalis’ and sexy lingerie. 

Of course, you have to ignore the blatant chinks in the armour of this #NotAChickFlick. Look beyond the perfect outfits, the extravagant homes and the lavish Thailand holiday (wish we had friends who’d gift us holidays too). 

The storyline is simple – 4 friends, 4 romantic plots. All the 4 girls (played by Kareena Kapoor, Swara Bhaskar, Sonak K Ahuja and Shikha Talsania) are different individuals (trying their best to maintain their individuality in a society trying hard to fit them into the standard roles of mother, daughter, wife and ‘bahu’) with a different set of problems. What’s fresh is their take on the problems. 

© Balaji Motion Pictures

It comes a lot close to how the modern Indian woman living in a metropolitan city deals with things, if you ignore the fancy clothes and cars, that is (hey, it’s Bollywood). They swear, they drink, they have random one-night stands, they make their own mistakes – the premise of the movie being what Kalindi’s (played by Kareena) mother says about letting her daughter make her own decisions even if they be bad decisions. 

That is the film for you in a nutshell – women just want to be, just like men, and make their own decisions whether good or bad. Add to it a desi backdrop of Indian aunties and uncles of West Delhi and South Delhi coming together, and you get a rather entertaining 2 hours 15 minutes. 

Talking about performances, Swara Bhasker stands out with her confident portrayal of the girl who gives the society a middle finger, even at the cost of losing her face among the middle-aged aunties hungry for gossip and moral policing. Shikha Talsania too keeps it real, but the character hasn’t been drawn to detail. Kareena shines as the beautiful Kalindi but the performance is lacklustre – Geet in ‘Jab We Met’ was way more realistically portrayed than Kalindi whose diva-esque personality overshadows her lines way too much. Sonam too falls short of matching up to Swara and Shikha as a convincing ‘veera’. 

© Balaji Motion Pictures

The movie is not without flaws, of course. Swara Bhasker’s guilt over masturbation seems a tad misplaced and doesn’t fit the otherwise independent character of a woman who parties, drinks and does whatever the fu*k she wants. So does the girls’ reaction to it.  The women’s issues revolve around men, yes, but it is a film about women wanting to sort out their lives through men? No. Despite her guilt, her decision to choose her pleasure over her husband’s is a revolutionary take for Bollywood where the female lead is more often an object of desire rather than a source of it. We have here a champion (albeit a meek one) of the female orgasm, or as she says in the movie, ‘charamsukh’. 

Funny, non-preachy, refreshingly modern (we’re so glad they didn’t beep out the abuses and the skin) and very Delhi – the movie is a breath of fresh air for women, and probably a culture shock for the aunties who roll their eyes every time they see their neighbour’s daughter returning from a party at dawn. Which is exactly why you should take your mummies and daddies and brothers to watch this film. If your girlfriend insists you accompany her to watch it, please tag along.