A Pure Desi Romance

People fall in and out of love too easily. Change their mind about marriage too conveniently. I understand promiscuity but this is a different level of flippancy. You also don't get what's it about Sushant that he gets too fairly hot women to lust for him.

Sushant Singh runs away from one marriage, from the actual jai-mala stage. Because he is not sure. Neither are we about why he runs away. He seems like a typical, dil-phenkh, sadak- chhaap boy, nothing memorable about him, not much to look at either. But first Parineeti falls for him. Then Vaani Kapoor, the girl he had left at the Hindu equivalent of the altar, also does so. Cue a couple more escapes from weddings and you wonder what the hell is going on…

The only character who remains consistent, understandable is Rishi Kapoor. A man who employs both Sushant and Parineeti as fake baraati's and otherwise runs a wedding catering / baraat business. His advice, concern for the three leads remains genuine. And even though there are plenty of 'I love you's', kisses and sex, not once do you feel anything is real or heart- felt…which kind of allows the whole movie to pass you by as well, without any regard for its leads.

Some of the jokes are funny. The rustic touches are good, the atmosphere, small-town feel works and the performances sincere. Pity you just don't agree with either the overall plot or the characters created.

For years Hindi movies have drilled the same conservative, and often regressive notions of love and marriage into our heads. Shuddh Desi Romance takes that conventional wisdom propagated to us in the movies and turns it on its head. What's worth noting is that this movie comes from the stable of Yash Raj Films, the very studio largely responsible for breeding those notions through hits like Chandni, Dil To Pagal Hai and Bachna Ae Haseeno among others.Directed by Band Baaja Baraat's Maneesh Sharma and written by Chak De India's Jaideep Sahni, Shuddh Desi Romance is set amidst the bustle of middle-class Jaipur, where unemployed youngsters will happily pose as friends and cousins in a traveling baraat for a few thousand rupees and a gold chain. When he isn't conning white tourists into buying handicrafts from local merchants for a commission, Raghu (Sushant Singh Rajput) is busy falling in love. But he goes from sincere to conflicted to selfish in as long as it takes most people to change out of a wedding suit. So he'll woo a girl, win her heart, then develop cold feet at the mandap. This happens thrice in Shuddh Desi Romance, which would be tiring and largely predictable if it weren't for Sahni's crackling dialogue and the charming characters he puts on screen. Gayatri (Parineeti Chopra) is a gregarious rebel Raghu meets on the way to his own wedding. She smokes, she's had boyfriends, and she lets Raghu move in with her when he ditches his shaadi. Tara (newcomer Vaani Kapoor) is the damsel who springs a surprise on both Raghu and the audience.Like most normal couples – hence, unlike the relationships we see in Hindi movies – sexual attraction is key to our protagonists' equation, and the film doesn't make a big deal about it. In fact, to give credit where it's due, Sahni's script never screams from the rooftops about the brave ideas it pushes so matter-of-factly. Skillfully avoiding melodrama or sloganeering, the film portrays a generation where single women can live in with their boyfriends without being banished by the housing society. This is a refreshingly real middle-class India where marriage needn't be life's sole ambition for young girls, and where women can hold their heads high and carry on with life despite having been ditched at the altar.There's so much to like about Shuddh Desi Romance, including Sharma's nicely textured portrait of the Pink City. The film captures the sights and sounds of a busy metro in ways that most films don't even try. Oblivious that he's ruined someone's appetite, a cook at a jalebi stall scratches his backside with a chhanni. It's little details like these that sparkle with originality.Pity then that the movie runs out of steam in its unconvincing final act, particularly during a confrontation between the two leading ladies that comes off as contrived. In other complaints, the talking-into-camera device is now overused, and seldom works unless what's being said is profound, which isn't always the case here. This in fact, adds to the film's already verbose and occasionally repetitive feel.What cannot be faulted, however, are the terrific performances from the central players. Vaani Kapoor makes an auspicious debut, carrying off Sahni's firecracker lines with the comfort of a pro. Sushant Singh Rajput as Raghu, has an easy charm about him and unmistakable depth behind that scruffy exterior. But it's Parineeti Chopra, reminiscent of a younger Rani Mukherjee, who this film belongs to. She has expressive eyes and an endearing manner about her, and turns Gayatri into the most real woman you've encountered on screen recently. The film also benefits enormously from the casting of an excellent Rishi Kapoor in the part of a feisty wedding caterer and Raghu's father figure.To a large extent, Shuddh Desi Romance reinvents the wheel as far as Bollywood rom-coms go. It's aggressively non-formulaic, and gives us characters who refuse to conform. The minor hiccups notwithstanding, this is a charming little film. I'm going with eight ratings. You'll enjoy it.

One word REALISTIC!!

This is such a charming,modern, progressive and refreshing rom com. It is quite unconventional from the other rom coms that we see and it is ironic it is from the yash raj banner. This movie portrays the mindset,dilemma or confusion of todays youth who are easy to enter into relationship but are scared as soon as they hear the word marriage. The sequences are very entertaining and the cinematography if jaipur is great. All the songs like gulabi,tere mere beech mein and title track are nice. The performances are amazing and all the actors aptly portray the confusion of the characters.

Sometimes we don't want to go for a movie to think about social issues,follow very complicated plots or enjoy super action scenes;sometimes we want to simply relax,forget everything and laugh out our worries in those 2.5 hours;"Suddh Deshi Romance" is one such movie - it is full of fun and laughter backed by power-packed,sweet and naughty performances and few nice songs around small town beautiful city Jaipur. It also depicts the current youth's dilemma about life long commitment. Rishi Kapoor in a special character was awesome, Sushant was brilliant, both the heroines(Parineeti and Vani) had done their parts beautifully though Parineeti had major on screen presence. Giving away anything more about the story will be gross injustice to this charming rom-com,Go,laugh,Relax and Enjoy with your friends and family.

Talented Filmmaker Maneesh Sharma's 'Shudh Desi Romance' depicts romance in a complicated yet funny way, that both, entertains & engrosses, at most parts, along-with Proficient Performances from its reliable cast.

'Shudh Desi Romance' is a story about the hair-raising minefield between love, attraction & commitment.

'Shudh Desi Romance' is light-hearted & progressive. The protagonist, a confused wreck of a guy, is an interesting person to follow in this journey. The women, on the other-hand, are as confused as the protagonist. But thats what makes 'Shudh Desi Romance' work, its the unlikeliness & the unpredictability of its characters that engages.

Jaideep Sahni's Screenplay is well-done & fast-moving. However, I found the final 25-minutes completely bland. Though it culminates with a mushy moment, the climax, other-wise, is not worthy enough of a much superior film. Maneesh Sharma's Direction is neat. He handles this Rom-Com with the right amount of confidence. Cinematography & Editing are good. Music by Sachin-Jigar is excellent.

Performance-Wise: Sushant Singh Rajput is highly competent. He portrays the confused hero with rare ease & understanding. Parineeti Chopra is flawless. What a splendid performer! Debutant Vaani Kapoor is endearing. Rishi Kapoor is fantastic, as always. The veteran is a delight to watch. Rajesh Sharma does well in a cameo.

On the whole, 'Shudh Desi Romance' is an experience worth watching.