Shaadisthan

Story

Shaadisthan is a drama movie that revolves around a music band that includes a girl named Sasha (Kriti) and her three bandmates (Shenpenn, Ajay, and Apurv) who are on their way to Ajmer to perform a song at a wedding. Due to circumstances, a conservative family which is supposed to be going to the same wedding, to get their 17-year-old daughter married, are forced to share a van with them for traveling. The band singer Sasha is a free-spirited feminist, who isn't afraid to speak her mind and follow her desires. She is put in a constant argument with Arshi's mother Kamla(Niveditha Bhattacharya), a woman who is plagued with the patriarchal pressures of society and is against the idea of a woman having the free will to do anything with her life. Sasha develops a savior relationship with Arshi and constantly gives her lessons about the values of feminism. Simultaneously, Kamla tries her best to provide her reasoning as to why she thinks Sasha's way of life is uncultured, crass, and wrong. Essentially, it is a debate between the conservationists and the liberals regarding the subject- "What is a woman's true value in a male-dominated society?". The journey through which both the parties find peace with each other forms the crux of this film. 

Review

The movie does employ a modern and thought-provoking topic to stir the movie forward, but it is never portrayed in a sophisticated and clear manner. Instead, the word feminism is almost abused and thrown around like a bag of bricks. Sasha is portrayed as a feminist who smokes, speaks brashly, and is sexually active. The movie never specifies the fact that anyone can support a woman's progressive development, no matter where their interests lie, no matter how their personalities are. The conversations between Sasha and practically every character seem very forced, ad there is no sensibility to the dialogue placement. The role of the conservative and misogynistic father was well portrayed by Rajan Modi and was given apt justice. The bandmates were given well-balanced characters, and the actors gave a splendid performance. But, the script is disappointing, and would've been a wonderful film if it weren't for the dragged-out first part, and the rushed second part. There was no clarity as to what the director's vision is. The cinematography was decent, and the soundtrack was mediocre. The characters are given very harsh labels and are very artificial. The shades of grey which exist in every personality aren't well depicted. 

To conclude this review, the saving grace of this film was the performances of the actors and the road-trip adventure theme of this movie. The main question of "women's role in a patriarchal society" remains mostly unanswered as the characters seem to forget it and make peace among themselves. 

Verdict 

This film is brash and pretentious in a way. It wouldn't make a difference if one wants to skip this film.