Kirti Kulhari’s latest release Shaadisthan on Disney + Hotstar is a dull and tiresome film that feels as if out of a long lecture on how women should not be. It is the story of a conservative family which includes a husband, wife and their 17-year old daughter, and a music group called Shaadisthan. The two starkly different worlds collide out of compulsion when the Sharma family misses their flights to their nephew’s wedding in Ajmer. The uncomfortable and consternated journey for the Sharma family from Mumbai to Ajmer in a minibus marks most of the 94-minute run of Shaadisthan.

The members of Shaadisthan are all sorts of hip, modern and unconventional. They are cool and edgy. They drink excessively, smoke to stay awake, swear freely, and aren’t afraid to speak out of turn amongst elders. The Sharma family is obviously not pleased to be travelling with these youngsters. They are orthodox, stubborn and extremely low-spirited group as opposed to the high spirited members of Shaadisthan. The family is led by Mr. Sanjay, father of Arshi and husband of Kamala as in a traditional patriarchal setup. He comes across as an extremely outdated man who doesn’t even allow a boy to offer food to his daughter. Everything in the family is done only when the head, Sanjay complies with it.

Sasha (Kirti Kulhari of Pink fame) misses no opportunity to point out Kamala’s actions taken under the pressure to conform to societal norms. In one scene, both Sasha and Kamala are in the kitchen cooking. Sasha points out that she is in the kitchen by her choice but Kamala came to help her due to her conditioning. Of course, that might be the right argument to make, but the whole narrative and the dialogues in that scene are extremely sermonising. Sasha’s character is that woman who wishes to see the world progress with the speed of lightning. On one hand, she comes out as the advocate of feminism but ironically enough, on the other, she doesn’t portray any empathy in understanding Kamala’s perspective. She just wants Kamala to do the right thing.

The to be 18-year-old daughter Arshi is a young girl of substance. She is outspoken but is bound by the shackles her parents have put on her in order to maintain their name in society. She tries to make her way out but falls for the helplessness of her mother. There is certainly not much to her character, and to any other character as well. All the parts come across as underwritten. They have no layers or different sides to them. On top of that, the performance of Medha Shankar who plays Arshi is bland. She seems to have an almost negligible screen presence. Other characters have a decent look and feel. Kirti Kulhari does make an impact with her delivery. 

The climax of the film is too convenient. A complex topic like feminism is dealt with little to no sensitivity. Even though the film is only one and a half hours long, it feels stretched. The one good thing is the songs performed by the band. Watch for the songs, but skip for the plot.

Shaadishtan is streaming on Disney Plus Hotstar.

Rating: 2/5