Apparently, in the Hindu marriage ceremony, it is a very important moment when the bride places a garland around the groom’s neck. So if a groom chooses that moment to excuse himself to go to the bathroom, it’s a bit disturbing.
The perkily sweet “Shuddh Desi Romance,†in which that scene takes place, could have been called “Runaway Groom†or or “Four Weddings and Two Fiancées.†Raghu (the boyishly, scruffily handsome Sushant Singh Rajput) is the reluctant young man who strikes up a conversation â€" and a make-out session â€" with an attractive young woman, Gayatri (Parineeti Chopra), on the overnight bus to his wedding. That isn’t why he walks out on his arranged marriage with Tara (Vaani Kapoor), but both women return to his life afterward. Ms. Kapoor, in her early 20s, gives a performance that seems to reinvent female confidence.
The film also offers personable characters, surprisingly unformulaic plot developments and a few of the usual Bollywood production numbers â€" deglamorized at times with quotidian activities like hanging wet laundry on the line.
But its daring social values are from early-1970s America. Maybe it’s O.K. for a young woman to have had affairs, even an abortion, in the past. Maybe it’s O.K. for a young couple to live together. Maybe marriage ruins relationships, setting up a need to escape, and commitment is something every couple can define for themselves.
Shuddh Desi Romance
Opened on Friday.
Directed by Maneesh Sharma; written by Jaideep Sahni; director of photography, Manu Anand; edited by Namrata Rao; music by Sachin and Jigar; production design by T. P. Abid; produced by Aditya Chopra; released by Yash Raj Films. In Manhattan at the AMC Empire 25, 234 West 42nd Street. In Hindi, with English subtitles. Running time: 2 hours 6 minutes. This film is not rated.
WITH: Sushant Singh Rajput (Raghu), Parineeti Chopra (Gayatri) and Vaani Kapoor (Tara).
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