Veere Di Wedding may not be perfect, but here’s why you should give it a chance

Veere Di Wedding’s insistence on being #NotAChickFlick bothered me, as did the promotions which were confused -- at best -- about what the film was all about. The film’s entitled tone -- it is about four privileged women and their ‘first world problems’ -- was another deal breaker. The mixed reviews didn’t help either.

Despite it all, I watched the film on the first day and I am glad I did. No, Veere Di Wedding is no brilliant cinema but it spoke to me as an urban, independent woman who has a bit of all its characters. If not me, I know women who are scared of commitment like Kalindi (Kareena Kapoor Khan), have Sakshi’s (Swara Bhaskar) don’t-give-a-damn attitude, are dealing with pressure to get married like Avni (Sonam Kapoor Ahuja) or are dealing with the after-effects of a marriage gone wrong (like Shikha Talsania’s Meera). And it is this facet of the film that makes it relatable, especially for a certain category of audience. The connect was all too obvious as I watched the film with like-minded women at a theatre in Chennai. We cheered and we felt sorry, and then there was a moment when the four women had enough and decided to just say dammit and took off to Thailand for a vacation. Now, we have all done it -- travel to get away from a messy situation and hope that we return with a clean slate. The connect between me and the veeres was established.

The bond between the veeres is a lot like what I share with my friends. The veeres stand by each other even when they don’t agree with what their friend is doing. As a 20-something woman who has trouble settling in one place, I’ve been there and done that – my friends have berated me for this but stood by me nonetheless. When I saw Sonam, Kareena and the gang on a holiday, or watching the sunset or sharing a meal, it reminded me of my trip with my friends. When they curse, I remember this colleague who curses so creatively that she now has a swear jar. To me, the film was as real as my life.

For many, the fashion was exaggerated. For others, the larger-than-life engagement party felt unreal. However, on different scales, in different contexts, all of us millennials have been in similar situations. We have splurged and splurged on designer togs till we ran out of money for food. We have attended weddings that could make July 4 celebrations in the US look like a kiddie party put up by amateurs.

Yes, the four leads spend an inordinate time talking about men. And yes, I would have loved a film where women were more well drawn, their discussions more robust. But till that happens, I will take this quartet and their troubles, men and all. The characters in Veere Di Wedding are as different as chalk from cheese, yet you feel familiar around them. Also, this is mainstream masala cinema where box office needs have to be met too.

We speak about the film industry and how not enough good parts are being written for women and the pay gap. The obvious defence for this is that the audiences are not drawn to the theatres to watch an all-female cast. Veere Di Wedding, produced by two women and with four women in the lead, has already done fabulous box office business on Day 1 and is expected to do better over the weekend. Isn’t that a great beginning?

Like I said initially, I was hesitant about spending my time and money on this film solely because I didn’t know if I was going to be seeing something on the lines of Lipstick Under My Burkha or a Sex and the City rehash. Now that I know, I would say this is not a spectacular movie with stunning techniques, but it is surely heartwarming.

Author tweets @Priyanka_S_MCC
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