“Badhai ho” Movie reviews: Film is quirky; however it fails to live up to the expectations!

Badhaai Ho

Director: Amit Sharma

Actors: Ayushmann Khurrana, Neena Gupta, Sanya Malhotra, Gajraj Rao

Rating: 3.5/5

The movie is based on the middle class family living in New Delhi with his spouse, two grown up children and his mother. The film goes a step further as it tackles the tricky subject of middle-age pregnancy. How it affects the whole family, especially two grown up sons, forms the crux of the story. With a slice-of-life story, warm vibes, tight screenplay and pithy dialogues that entertain and a posse of dependable actors, Badhai Ho is a breeze.

News breaks out that his wife is pregnant which comes like a shock to the entire family. To top it they also have to deal with social embarrassment – friends, relatives, neighbors, everyone’s gaze is now turned towards the Kaushik household. Neena Gupta, always a dependable actress, is in full form and does complete justice to the meaty role. Gupta, often remembered for her bold roles, has made a good selection, and makes every effort to make the character likeable.

The surprise package is Gajraj Rao who conveys so much even in scenes where he does not utter a single word; he still manages to bring freshness to his character. (Unlike The Viral Fever playing an idiosyncratic dad in The Viral Fever‘s)

Moreover Ayushmann Khurrana has always amazes with his performance in Badhai Ho, as he simply mastered the art of slipping into his character effortlessly. With his recent standing ovation performance, in “Andhadhun” he played a blind pianist. He always stunned the audience with his varied roles in the recent years like Bareilly Ki Barfi and Dum Laga Ke Haisha.

Sanya Malhotra has nothing much to do except look pretty, and that she does in a refreshing way. Apart from a few funny moments, it ends up a banal family drama, overplayed saas-bahu dynamics. At a time when there’s a serious discourse about the LGBTQ community, a caricatured queer character is the least we expect in the popular culture.

Overall “Badhai Ho” is well written, entertaining film that tackles a serious subject comically, without losing out your focus.