Shaandaar (2015)

A little too late but I felt like writing this.

     This is probably my first review of a film, which I am writing after reading many other reviews of this film. And I don't choose to differ only for the sake of it. It is not a rebel movement of some kind which people had put up after the audience ripped apart Bombay Velvet. But I genuinely feel that Shaandaar is not as bad as it is being portrayed by many people.

I ain't gonna waste time explaining the plot in detail. The movie is a destination wedding film which is a sort of business deal between two leading business families more than a marriage. Jagjinder Joginder (Shahid Kapoor) is the wedding planner, Esha Arora (Sanah Kapoor - Shahid's Sister) is the bride, Alia Arora (Alia Bhatt) as the bride's sister and Vipin arora (Pankaj Kapur) is the father of the bride. That's the whole of it.

     There is no specific story to the film. It is just the unfolding of the events in this period of destination wedding between Aroras and Fundwanis. And if we see it that way, as a - no-brainer - film, one can do tend to enjoy it.

Is there Anything Right in this Film?

Yes. There are many things that are right in this film.
Anil Mehta's cinematography is very rich. The film is a visual treat.
Amrita Mahal has done a fabulous production design. The whole feel and bliss in the film is worth a few minutes of your life for sure.
Shahid Kapoor looks stunning. Alia Bhatt looks so cute that I felt like packing her up and bringing her home.
Background Score by Amit Trivedi is very much well worked with the visuals.

Is there anything that is Not-Wrong?

The animation is not that bad. Atleast we do have a Disney - animation feel and pace. And not like the one where characters look dysfunctional and paralytic.
A lot of use of VFX in the film. And the VFX is not amature.
It does look like a fairy-tale film, and maybe that's what the makers wanted to make it like.

What are the limitations?

There is no firm story. Yes the film has no story at all.
Less gripping screenplay - The screenplay is not the best part of this film. Infact it is pretty loose in its end, but then again we have many Modern American Rom-Coms which do not have the best screenplays but are quite much celebrated by our audience.

What must have gone wrong?

- Imagine if this nonsensical film was made by Rohit Shetty. Now what went wrong is we went to see a film by the director of Queen - Vikas Bahl. Had we gone to see a film of a maker who made Bol Bachchan, we might have enjoyed it.
- The maker tried to make the film 'Character-oriented'. The characters in the film are more defined than the story. The other person who does this in his films and does it freaking awesome is Priyadarshan, but then too he has a gripping fastened screenplay at his disposal with the characters.
- The humour was pretty new to us. This kind of quirky humour which the maker tried to put in a family drama was not a cup of tea for the audience the film was made for. No mother of an about-to-get-married Daughter would enjoy watching the would be bride's sister to receive her undergarment on the breakfast table by their wedding planner. It was a wrong cuisine served in a right plate.
- The narrative was less defined. Though they have tried to make the narration as well as Dil Dhadakne Do, even Naseeruddin Shah was unable to make the matter-less narrative impactful.

     With a 50-50% of wrongs and rights in the film, all we had to do was change the context of viewing the film to make it enjoyable.

     Cinema is changing in India. Today is the era of film-makers experimenting with their style of making films. A little of acceptance to the changing narratives would help a number of makers to bring forward their way of talking through the cinema.

     The tried and tested formula always work. There is nothing ambitious and brave in it. But if the cats want to roar, let them be the Lions.