Badhaai Ho: Thank you Ayushmann Khurrana for making taboo topics mainstream!

By Fenil Seta -

September 14, 2018 - 12:53 PM IST

I distinctly remember the craze generated by the trailer of Ayushmann Khurrana’s debut film Vicky Donor in 2012. There was no buzz as such for this film before and as soon as the trailer was unveiled, it became the talking point of the town. Surprisingly, it later emerged as an ideal family entertainer despite talking about a taboo issue like sperm donation. However, the treatment by Shoojit Sircar was such that it didn’t make the audiences uncomfortable with talks about sperms and reproduction. It was sensitively and subtly handled and no wonder that audiences lapped it up.

Badhaai Ho: Thank you Ayushmann Khurrana for making taboo topics mainstream!

What nobody expected then that Vicky Donor was all set to usher a new wave in Bollywood where filmmakers would talk about uncomfortable subjects but in a comfortable way. And nobody, not even Ayushmann Khurrana, would have anticipated that he’ll become the poster boy for such cinema. After all, he has done three such films in all! After Vicky Donor, he appeared in last year’s hit flick Shubh Mangal Saavdhan days before his marriage. Here, he played the role of a man who faces a bout of erectile dysfunction. Just like Vicky Donor, the film was helmed very well. The dialogues had the tinge of double entendre but again, the balance was achieved. Again, this was a risky topic and very few films had talked about it. Shubh Mangal Saavdhan however was highly appreciated and just like Vicky Donor, it emerged as the sleeper hit of the year!

And now Ayushmann Khurrana is all set to be seen in Badhaai Ho, which releases next month on Dussehra day, October 19. This time, he’s not donating sperms or facing any sexually related problems. In Badhaai Ho, it’s his mother (Neena Gupta) who gets pregnant at a time when he’s all set to get hitched to his love (Sanya Malhotra). The trailer was unveiled today and it looks like a completely crazy and entertaining fare. Interestingly, this is something that happens a lot in our country and netizens after seeing the trailer have been sharing stories of how they know of relatives who have gone through it. Surprisingly, no film ever made this aspect a principle plot, possibly because it’s also a taboo topic. And just like Shubh Mangal Saavdhan and Vicky Donor, the treatment seems light-hearted and ‘safe’! As a result, expect Badhaai Ho to follow the footsteps of Vicky Donor and Shubh Mangal Saavdhan at the ticket window!

After Vicky Donor, Shoojit Sircar’s next, Piku, also dealt with body fluids (constipation)! Akshay Kumar turned to social dramas since a few years and last year, he delivered Toilet – Ek Prem Katha, based on open defecation, and this year he presented audiences with Pad Man that dealt with a man making low-cost sanitary napkins. There’s no doubt that Vicky Donor somewhere gave the much needed boost which resulted in these films being made. Although Akshay Kumar made two such films on taboo topics, it’s somehow Ayushmann Khurrana who has become the undisputed king of such films. Here’s hoping he continues to make more such films and thereby give a chance to taboo subjects to get the much needed attention!

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