Why would you lie to your partner though? To assuage guilt? Avoid confrontation? Allan and Barbara Pease, in their iconic book on behavior of the "other" side- Why Men Lie and Women Cry, talked of how men, compulsive liars that they are, actually suck at lying. Even though the narrative is straight off a guy's perspective, the best thing about Shaadi ke Side Effects is its real characters.
The sequel to 2006's entertaining romantic comedy, Pyaar ke Side Effects and (helmed by the original director Saket Chowdhury), which to date remains Mallika Sherawat's only memorable role, brings back the same characters who are now married and expecting their first child. And it starts off pretty well- inspired from one of Phil and Claire Dumphy's role playing dates from Modern Family. So many women out there like Trisha Roy (Vidya Balan), who let their lives take a U turn once they become mothers. Out goes career, husband and friends, and their life is controlled by diapers, baby monitors, maids and baby food. And so many guys out there like Siddharth Roy (Farhan Akhtar) who consider the child as a competitor, and a hindrance to their definition of happy married life.
"If you make a mistake, say sorry. If she makes a mistake, you say sorry"
The first half has its funny moments, and most of it derived due to Farhan's effortless charm and comic timing. Actor, director, singer- is there anyone more talented than this guy in Bollywood today? Being very much a guy's viewpoint of marriage, Vidya gets the short straw. Her Trisha is the nagging wife, the overprotective mother, one who carries her post motherhood weight with nonchalance, much to the chagrin of Sid. Come second half, and things nosedive spectacularly as Ram Kapoor tells Sid to find some white lies derived "me time". New characters pop up- Ila Arun's matronly maid, Vir Das's cool dude, and Purab Kohli's helpful neighbor. And the film plunges into stereotype Indian melodrama when Sid's alter ego time is equated to being akin to having an affair. The screenplay is a letdown, as after the mandatory crying, all ends well though for the couple, but not for the viewer.
Balaji Telefilms deserves a pat for the past- weepy serials notwithstanding, their film portfolio has demonstrated a lot of gumption- Love, Sex aur Dhoka, Ragini MMS, The Dirty Picture, Lootera have been daringly different. Shaadi ke Side Effects starts off as trying to be different, a modern take on relationships, but end ups clichéd. The humor is extremely American sitcom inspired, and the so called funny jokes mostly reside on an average guy's whatsapp list. The movie is technically sound, well shot and designed, with good performances, and pretty like a bouquet of flowers, but unlike Pyar ke Side Effects, this one lacks warmth.
A happy marriage is an oxymoron. We all know that, and probably didn't need a 2.5 hour movie to drive that point in