Just saw Badhaai Ho - it is a sweet, but not overly so, treat for Dussehra. The 3 seniors - Gajraj Rao, Neena Gupta and especially Surekha Sikri - steal the scenes they are in. Ayushmann delivers his reliable brand of humor, anger and vulnerability rolled into one, once again within 2 weeks after Andhadhun.
Interesting to note that in real life Neena Gupta at 64 is only 9 years younger than Surekha Sikri at 73 playing the daadi. And as a cultural phenomenon it was not more than a couple of generations ago that it was a completely normal thing that women were giving birth to 6-7 kids spread out over a couple of decades and for saas and bahu to be simultaneously pregnant. All in all, a nice, sensible and sensitive movie.
It has been an amazing last few years in Hindi cinema with topics from sperm donation, male ED, toilets, feminine hygiene, to now middle age sexuality being handled in an adult manner with smart humor rather than being exploited for juvenile laughs.
October 18, 2018