New Delhi: We have had Bollywood make fun of marriage too many times now. And in most cases, the jokes have been clichéd and to a point of being regressive. From 'No Entry' to 'Masti' to the horrid 'Grand Masti' all have highlighted the side effects of being a married man, I reiterate, side effects of a married man and so does the latest Farhan Aktar -Vidya Balan starrer 'Shaadi Ke Side Effects'.
Note: There are spoilers ahead. In case you haven't watched the film yet, please come back to this story later.
But while Bollywood in the last few years has made mockery of the institution called marriage and made infidelity look humourous (which it isn't in the least), Saket Chaudhary's new film, while sticking to some norms, discusses how fidelity is far better option even when your marriage becomes mundane and boring.
Sure, there are plenty of clichés in 'Shaadi Ke Side Effects', but the lead pair are multi dimensional which makes the film balanced in more ways than one. All this while, we have seen the alpha male deriving happiness in other women's arm as his marriage and wife get older. While SKSE also initially propagates the same formula- of finding your own entertainment while your partner loses the spunk- it does in a smarter way, and perhaps more realistic way. So there are no illegitimate children here, or illicit romance with a younger woman outside marriage but a story of a couple who struggle with issues that are real and that change them individually.
With humour intact throughout the film, it gives a clear message that even though a man might feel suffocated by responsibilities and commitment thrown at him post marriage and baby, he need not stray and have an affair all the time and blame it on a nagging wife who wants everything perfect back home. He may find entertainment and respite in doing things which he used to do before he got married and it may not always involve the opposite gender. In the climax scene, Farhan tells Vidya that both have made equal blunders and it is upon them to fix it together, by forgiving each other and accepting the flaws that they both have. Sure, it is a film from a man's perspective where the wife is a nag and the husband is driven to live a dual life because he feels neglected, but in a poignant scene towards the end, the wife gives a fitting reply to the husband's illogical reasoning that even she feels suffocated in the marriage and the changes that have come in her life post motherhood.
No melodrama, no below the belt jokes and no crass jokes on 'ghar ka daal and bahar ka biryani'- 'Shaadi Ke Side Effects' gives quirky, clean message on urban marriages in Indian society of today where no one is really perfect and that there is, in fact, no actual recipe for a perfect marriage.
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