Tag Archives: Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan

Movie Review: Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan (2020)

3 Stars (out of 4)

Watch Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan on Amazon Prime

Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan (“Be Extra Careful of Marriage“, SMZS henceforth) — Bollywood’s first mainstream romantic comedy about a gay couple — is at its most effective when it leans into genre traditions.

Aman Tripathi (Jitendra Kumar) and Kartik Singh (Ayushmann Khurrana) are a dating couple living in Delhi. Aman’s parents Shankar (Gajraj Rao) and Sunaina (Neena Gupta) don’t know that their son is gay, but Kartik is sure they’ll be accepting. The dating couple meets up with the family on a train on the way to Aman’s cousin Goggle’s (Maanvi Gagroo) wedding outside of Allahabad.

On route to the wedding venue, Shankar spots Aman and Kartik kissing. Shankar’s dramatic negative reaction provokes the couple to kiss again, this time in the middle of the dance floor in front of all the wedding guests. Despite Shankar’s and Sunaina’s hilarious attempts to explain the kiss as some sort of family tradition, Goggle’s fiance cancels the wedding, and the Tripathi’s return to Allahabad.

Rather than embrace Aman as he is, his parents insist that he can be converted if removed from Kartik’s influence. They go so far as to get Aman engaged to a cute young woman named Kusum (Pankhuri Awasthy), who is all too eager to marry him.

The rest of SMZS is essentially the second half of Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, but if Raj was trying to save Kuljeet from marrying Simran instead of the other way around. In DDLJ, Raj’s strategy was to convince Simran’s family that he was the best person for her to marry. In SMZS, Kartik’s approach is less personal and more about asserting Aman’s right to choose who he wants to date and marry, regardless of gender.

Perhaps SMZS would have struck a stronger emotional chord had Kartik used more of Raj’s strategy. This is a film about a family, but Kartik’s aggressive tactics and the Tripathis’ intransigence make it hard to see how he would fit in if he and Aman did marry. Scenes in which Kartik is emotionally vulnerable play as though they are meant to convince Aman of his loyalty — something that is never really in question — rather than prove his worthiness to the Tripathis.

Writer-director Hitesh Kewalya uses SMZS as an educational opportunity, focusing more on the moral and legal grounds for Aman’s relationship with Kartik instead. This plays into some of the issues that hampered the film SMZS spun off from: 2017’s Shubh Mangal Saavdhan, which Kewalya wrote but did not direct. Both stories periodically lose momentum as the plot gets bogged down in dialogue-heavy scenes.

The slow narrative pace is mitigated by the terrific performances by the entire cast. Awasthy is especially hilarious as Kusum, whose ostentatious shyness feels straight out of an old movie.

One of Kewalya’s strong points is his ability to write humorously about adult topics (Shubh Mangal Saavdhan was about impotence) in a way that never feels vulgar. SMZS is family-friendly. If one of the goals of the film is to normalize the depiction of gay relationships in mainstream Hindi cinema, making it a movie that is accessible to all ages is a great way to accomplish that.

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Streaming Video News: April 17, 2020

I updated my list of Bollywood movies on Amazon Prime because the February romantic comedy Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan is now available for streaming (also in 4K UHD). Also new is Season 2 of the Amazon Original series Four More Shots Please! (also in 4K UHD). Amazon Prime Video India made a Season 1 recap video, if you need a refresher.

I also updated my list of Bollywood movies on Netflix with the debut of the Netflix Original dark comedy series Hasmukh, starring Vir Das and Ranvir Shorey. Netflix also released the trailer for its Original film Mrs. Serial Killer, which premieres May 1.

[Disclaimer: all of my Amazon links include an affiliate tag, and I may earn a commission on purchases made via those links. Thanks for helping to support this website!]

Opening March 6: Baaghi 3

Tiger Shroff’s Baaghi 3 — the not-a-true-sequel next entry in the Baaghi action film series — gets a wide release in the Chicago area on March 6, 2020.

Baaghi 3 opens Friday at the AMC River East 21 in Chicago, AMC Village Crossing 18 in Skokie, MovieMax Cinemas in Niles, AMC Niles 12 in Niles, Regal Round Lake Beach in Round Lake Beach, Century 16 Deer Park in Deer Park, AMC South Barrington 24 in South Barrington, Marcus Elgin Cinema in Elgin, AMC Dine-In Rosemont 12 in Rosemont, Marcus Addison Cinema in Addison, Regal Cantera in Warrenville, AMC Naperville 16 in Naperville, and AMC Woodridge 18 in Woodridge. (Streaming partner: Hotstar) It has a listed runtime of 2 hrs. 25 min.

Thappad (streaming partner: Amazon Prime) gets a second week at the River East 21, MovieMax, South Barrington 24, and Cantera.

Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan (streaming partner: Amazon Prime) carries over for a third week at the River East 21, MovieMax, Cantera, Woodridge 18, and South Barrington 24, which also holds over Bhoot: Part 1 – The Haunted Ship (streaming partner: Amazon Prime).

Other Indian movies showing in the Chicago area this weekend (all films have English subtitles):

Opening February 21: Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan and Bhoot – Part 1

Two new Hindi films open in the Chicago area on February 21, 2020. The romantic comedy Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan — a spin-off of 2017’s Shubh Mangal Saavdhan — features Ayushmann Khurrana and Jitendra Kumar as a gay couple struggling with their families’ objections.

Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan opens Friday at the AMC River East 21 in Chicago, MovieMax Cinemas in Niles, AMC South Barrington 24 in South Barrington, Marcus Addison in Addison, Regal Cantera in Warrenville, and AMC Woodridge 18 in Woodridge. (Streaming Partner: Amazon Prime) It has a listed runtime of 2 hrs.

Also new this weekend is the horror movie Bhoot: Part 1 – The Haunted Ship, starring Vicky Kaushal.

Bhoot: Part 1 opens Friday at MovieMax and the South Barrington 24. (Streaming Partner: Amazon Prime) It has a listed runtime of 2 hrs. 5 min.

Love Aaj Kal carries over for a second week at the River East 21, MovieMax, South Barrington 24, Cantera, and AMC Niles 12 in Niles.

Malang gets a third week at MovieMax and South Barrington 24, which also holds over Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior.

MovieMax also carries over Jawaani Jaaneman and Panga.

Other Indian movies showing in the Chicago area this weekend (all films have English subtitles):