Subh Mangal Zyada Savdhan Movie reivew

Phobia generally means fear from certain things but this phobia is different from your generic ones. This phobia called “Homophobia” is the absolute abhor or prejudice towards homosexual people. So the question arises, what does it take to tackle and alleviate homophobia. Subh Mangal Zyada Savdhan is a bold answer in conveying a message on mitigating this issue  and normalizing it to the standards of society where the society will accept homosexual people with open arms.  

SMZS starts in a lighter tone where Ayushman (Kartik) and Jitendra (Aman) are in a homoxexual relationship and are shown helping their friend in eloping. On their way to Aman’s sister Goggle’s marriage, this tone shifts to madness and chaos when Aman’s father Gajraj Rao(Shankar Tripathi) sees them kissing on a train. What follows is the back and forth between the two guys vs the Tripathi family, both trying to justify their views and points regarding the relationship through punch lines and funny dialogues.

  Main highlight of the movie is the Tripathi family altogether, the comedy punchlines and funny dialogues each of the family delivers is bound to tickle your funny bones. Gajraj Rao, an agro scientist known for his invention of Black Cauliflower and Neena Gupta, a housewife  play the parents of Aman and try to deliver the same charm of Badhai ho but i slightly feel something missing here. The no-nonsense sister Goggle whose only dream is to get married  played by Manvi Gagroo delivers some crisp performance wanting us to see more of her on screen. Uncle and aunt of Aman played by Manurishi chadda and Sunita Rajwar with their offbeat issues and funny punchlines is sure to make you giggle. Ayushman plays the same character he has been playing since Dreamgirl, Bala etc. 

In all of this comedy and humour there are some preachy moments. Movie is great during the 1st half and passes in jiff but the second half is where it becomes more preachy and lacks that charm. The screenplay, writing and direction by Hitesh Kewalya is impressive considering this is his first directorial debut. His portrayal of homosexuality in a simple manner far from the stereotyped and charichaturish portrayals of homosexuality in big screens is praiseworthy and is a great stepping stone for movies ahead.  

*mild spoilers

There is a running metaphor of “Kala Gobi” or black cauliflower which was an invention of
Gajraj Rao for the farmers but even after backlash and outcry from the farmers, he is stoic and
proud of his invention. Later he is shown burning the whole stock of cauliflower when he
discovers worms inside the cauliflower, which once he pronounced to be  unaffected by worms.
The Kala Gobi here is a metaphor for his homophobic mindset which he finally lets go of
when he burns the cauliflower.