Aanand L. Rai, Ayushmann, Bhumi’s Shubh Mangal Savdhaan is Bollywood’s first family film with an adult subject

By Joginder Tuteja -

August 1, 2017 - 9:14 AM IST

In the comedy genre, Bollywood has been traditionally trying out two associated genres - adult comedies and family comedies. Either it turns out to be a Kya Kool...series or a Mubarakan. However one doesn't recollect if there has ever been a family film with an adult subject at the core of it. Well, this is what Shubh Mangal Savdhaan turns out to be and it is remarkable how the two genres have come together for the film.

Aanand L. Rai, Ayushmann, Bhumi’s Shubh Mangal Savdhaan is Bollywood’s first family film with an adult subject

I had a dekko at the promo of the film and one thing is certain - it is going to shock a lot of people out there, especially those who have related Aanand L. Rai with films like Tanu Weds Manu series or Raanjhanaa. First things first, the ethos of aforementioned films is maintained in Shubh Mangal Savdhaan as well. After all, from Benaras, this time around the 'action' shifts to Gurgaon. The premise is well set too, that of the common man (Ayushmann Khurranna) falling in love with a common girl (Bhumi Pednekar). They meet, they date and then they are set for that 'big moment' - well, before they get married.

This is when all hell breaks loose!

What really happens then? Well, let me not reveal a spoiler here but as it turns out, this is actually not just the big twist in the tale, something that challenges the 'stud image' that Bollywood heroes are meant to carry on their sleeves, it actually turns out to be the entire premise of Shubh Mangal Savdhaan as well.

There is a line that needs to be drawn when it comes to this genre. However, either the line turns out to be too thin and you get to see the kind of comedies that end up making you squirm in your seats. Or otherwise the line is so thick that the whole humor quotient is lost in translation.

This is where first time director RS Prasanna scores as he ensures that the humor element is there right through the proceedings and though the adult insinuations are there right through the promo, none of it gets into the zone which would make you uncomfortable.

Of course it is all adult and that is visible (and audible) in not just the conversations between Ayushmann and Bhumi but also between Bhumi and her on-screen mother played by Seema Pahwa (who played her mother-in-law in her last release Dum Laga K Haisha - again starring Ayushmann Khurranna).

Listen to her explaining the legend of Alibaba and Chalees Chor for her daughter's 'suhaagraat' and you would pretty much get to know that space that Shubh Mangl Savdhaan is dealing with.

It indeed must have taken a lot of courage on the part of Aanand, Prasanna, Ayushmann and Bhumi to get this one right and that too with a straight face. By the look of things, they have managed to crack the code!