MOVIE REVIEW
Badhaai Ho
A. FILM DETAILS
Name of Movie
:
Badhaai Ho
Director
:
Amit Ravindernath Sharma
Written By
:
Akshat Ghildial, Shantanu
Srivastava
Junglee Pictures, Chrome
Pictures
Production Company :
Distributed By
:
AA Films
Running Time
123 minutes
Comedy/ Drama
IMDb Ratings
:
:
:
Country
:
India
Release Date
:
18 October 2018
Genre
7.9/10
Name of Actor
Cast
Name of Character
Role
Ayushmann
Khurana
Nakul Kaushik
Lead Role
Neena Gupta
Priyamvada Kaushik (Babli)
Nakul’s mother
[Pregnant]
Gajraj Rao
Jeetender Kaushik (Jeetu)
Nakul’s father
Surekha Sikri
Durga Kaushik
Nakul’s
grandmother
Name of Actor
Name of Character
Role
Shardul Rana
Gullar Kaushik
Nakul’s younger brother
Sanya Malhotra
Renee Sharma
Nakul’s girlfriend/ fiance
Sheeba Chaddha
Sangeeta Sharma
Renee’s mother
“Badhaai Ho” is a Bollywood movie released in 2018. It is Indian Hindi-language comedy film
directed by Amit Ravindernath Sharma.
It stars Ayushmann Khurana (Nakul) and Neena Gupta [Nakul’s mother (Babli)] along
with many supporting actors.
•
•
•
It received Filmfare Award for best Dialogues.
It won National Film Award: “Best Popular Film providing Wholesome Entertainment”.
Neena Gupta won “Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actress”.
B. SUMMARY
The movie “Badhaai Ho” stars Ayushman Khurana as a 25 year old young man Nakul from a
middle-class family of 5 members, his father Jeetender(Jeetu) works in Railways, mother
Priyamvada(Babli) is a house-wife, younger brother Gullar and his grandmother Durga who always
taunts his mother. Nakul is in stable relationship with Renee (upper-class) and soon plan to marry.
One day Nakul’s grandmother Durga taunts Priyamvada (Nakul’s mother) too much that she gets
upset, Jeetu (Nakul’s father) goes to console his wife and they get intimate.
After 19 weeks, the family is shocked when they find out that Priyamvada (Nakul’s
mother) is pregnant. The news of pregnancy spread out. Nakul finds it quite difficult to accept
that at his age of marriage he has to welcome a baby brother/sister. Nakul starts to avoid his
parents, friends and society.
Renee’s mother was shocked to know about the pregnancy and speaks ill about Nakul’s
family. Nakul overhears their conversation and talked harshly with her. He takes stand for his
family and realizes that he has been too selfish and rude towards them. He breaks up with Renee.
Nakul’s brother Gullar was also being teased by his school-mates, Nakul also stood up for
him. Nakul’s friends taunt him, but he gives them reply and makes them shut.
Nakul’s father’s sister-in-law ridicules Priyamvada for pregnancy at such age, here for the
first time, Nakul’s grandmother Durga defended Priyamvada. The family is united and preparing to
welcome the baby. After knowing about Nakul’s breakup, Priyamvada asks Nakul to apologize to
Renee’s mother. Nakul hesitantly agrees.
On the day of Baby Shower, Priyamvada’s labour pain starts and they rush to the hospital.
Meanwhile, Renee’s mother tells Renee about Nakul’s apology and Renee hurries to the hospital.
The doctor announces the delivery of baby girl and whole family along with Renee happily
welcome the new member.
15 months later, Nakul and Renee gets engaged in presence of his younger sister.
C. Rationale for Choice of Film
The film talks about middle-age pregnancy of parents from a middle-class family. It was the first
Bollywood movie which shows the unwillingness of children to see their parents as sexual beings,
and also how the society reacts to it. Everyone from relatives, friends, society who seemed to be
so supportive earlier, suddenly started to embarrass the family. Also, however both the parents
were equally responsible for pregnancy, but still everyone blamed only the mother for pregnancy,
the father however was getting praised among his friends. Also, how the family members
themselves react upon the news and how they get to accept it, the movie has a lot of themes.
D. Review
Nakul, a 25-year-old young man who soon plans to get married, gets shocked to
know about his parents’ pregnancy.
Chosen Theme: Nakul’s Mental Health
Overview: Nakul, a middle-class young man was in relationship with Renee who
belonged from upper-class. Thus, he hoped to impress Renee’s single mother Sangeeta
by being a perfect family man. When he gets to know about his parents’ pregnancy, he
feels embarrassed. He starts avoiding his parents, friends and society. He was quite
upset. Renee offered him a room date to cheer him up, but soon as they were about to
get intimate, it reminded him of his mother’s pregnancy, and he said “Is this something
to be done by Mummy-Papa (parents)”. Renee however, tries to help Nakul to accept
their parents as human beings and thus they have desires. He also tells him about how
openly she discusses about such matters with her mom. Later, he overhears Renee’s
conversation with her mother, who was talking ill about Nakul’s family and pregnancy at
such age. He talked harshly with her, and took stand for his family. This was the first time,
Nakul realized that he was being selfish and rude towards his mother and decided to
support his family as a dutiful son. His friends teased him, he also gives reply to them and
makes them shut. Later, on his mother’s advice, Nakul apologizes to Renee’s mother and
Renee forgives him. After the birth of the baby girl, they get engaged and their family
lived happily ever after.
• Proving himself as an ideal son-in-law
Renee was from upper-class and her single mother Sangeeta was hesitant of
marrying her in middle-class family. Nakul tries to impress her by proving that
he can give a perfect life to Renee.
• Not being able to Accept Parents as Sexual Beings
Children think of their parents as one whose primary duty is to look after them, take
care of them, and nurture them. But fails to accept that they are human beings and
they can also have desires. Nakul also thinks the same. He gets quite embarrassed
on hearing news of pregnancy. He starts to avoid his mother. He also blames his
younger brother.
Impact on Mental Health
 Defence Mechanism: Displacement
Nakul blames his brother Gullar for the pregnancy. He said to him “Why couldn’t
he sleep between them for some more years.” However, Gullar was not
responsible for it.
 Nakul couldn’t let go the thought of his parents’ pregnancy and the
embarrassment. He could not focus elsewhere. Even avoided Renee.
 Renee still approached him, tried to cheer him up. He explained him that every
human being has needs and desires, thus he should accept his parents. But Nakul
instead said that she can’t understand his situation, and asked what would she
do if her mother was pregnant instead.
o Nakul did not want to accept that what his parents did was right. So, to
escape from conversation on that topic, he asked Renee how would she
react if her mother was pregnant instead.
o Nakul was not thinking straight. He was frustrated by the embarrassment
the pregnancy bought to him.
• Being made fun by the Society and Friends – Left alone, having no one to share
his feelings
The society didn’t accept Nakul’s parents’ pregnancy at such age and everyone
embarrassed them. Their neighbours taunted on them, some even put on posters
on their car. He was being teased by his colleagues and friends. Due to the
pregnancy news, he himself was embarrassed from his family. Thus, he started to
avoid his family, friends and society.
Renee did organize a room date to cheer Nakul up, which lifted his mood.
Bronfennbrener Ecological Model: An individual is most affected by the elements of
Microsystem, i.e., immediate family, peers, friends and neighbourhood.
Impact on Mental Health
Nakul has no one with whom he could share his feelings. He was left alone. He was
not able to think rationally. He even fought with his friends. He started to remain
quite upset.
Renee however tried to cheer him up a lot. It was Renee’s support that Nakul could
somehow forget about his stress. Otherwise, he always remained lost in those
thoughts.
• Taking stand for his family
When Nakul overhears Renee’s mother talked ill about Nakul’s family to
Renee about pregnancy at such age, Nakul talks harshly with her. He
decided to support his family.
Impact on Mental Health
Standing against the society requires courage. From arguments of Renee’s
mother, Nakul realized that it was him who himself was not able to accept the
pregnancy, so how could others accept it. He understood that it was not him
whom the society is targeting/ teasing, but his parents are suffering even
more, but still his parents are facing the situation. Without thinking about his
future with Renee, he defended his parents in front of Renee’s mother. He
talked harshly with her. Due to this, he had break up with Renee.
He remembered how much his parents loved him, and cared for him during
whole his life. He thus accepted that all human, irrespective of age, have
desires and needs. Also, for the first time, instead of feeling embarrassed
about the pregnancy, he considered it a “Good News”, and was happy to
welcome the child.
• Power of Unity -- Standing against Society
Nakul decided to support his parents. His friends teased him, but this time, he
replied to them and made them shut. He also supported his younger brother
Gullar when his schoolmates were teasing him. He stopped avoiding her
family and instead stopped people to taunt them.
Society considers intimacy at middle age as sin. But all humans have desires.
Also, Nakul’s parents were married couple, and they can have kids and society
is no one to blame them for it.
Impact on Mental Health
Nakul realized that it is their family which will be impacted and not the
society, and thus they have no right to taunt them. He courageously stood up
with his family and soon everyone else accepted them and stopped teasing/
embarrassing the family.
When the family members were themselves embarrassed and not ready to
accept the pregnancy, the society also made fun of them, teased them and
embarrassed them whenever they found chance. But once the family was
united, none could tease them.
REFERENCES
• Hotstar – Movie “Badhaai Ho”
• Urie Bronfenbrenner Ecological Model
• WikiPedia