Ghudchadi Review: Like ‘Badhaai Ho,’ But Without the Laughs

Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)

Remember the 2018 Bollywood comedy Badhaai Ho starring Ayushmann Khurrana, which is about a young man getting deeply embarrassed when his parents announce they are expecting another child around the same time he was hoping to get married? The 2024 movie Ghudchadi might remind some viewers of Badhaai Ho because its plot is also about a son getting embarrassed when his 60-year-old father announces he wants to marry an ex-flame on the same day the son was planning on discussing his own wedding. But here’s the kicker — his future step-mom is his girlfriend’s mother!

Directed by Binoy Gandhi, who’s co-written the script with Deepak Kapur Bhardwaj, ‘Ghudchadi’ stars Raveena Tandon and Sanjay Dutt as widowers Menka and Veer Sharma, who used to be in love, but weren’t allowed to marry each other. The couple go their separate ways, live in different cities, but cross paths again after Menka moves to Delhi with her daughter Devika (Khushali Kumar). They re-ignite their romance, unaware that Devika meets Veer’s son Chirag (Parth Samthaan) through work and is dating him. Veer is shamed by his mother (Aruna Irani) for wanting to marry at such a late age, while Menka faces a lot of awful criticism from her daughter too. How will both couples navigate this conundrum?

Directed by Binoy Gandhi, who co-wrote the script with Deepak Kapur Bhardwaj, Ghudchadi stars Raveena Tandon and Sanjay Dutt as widowers Menka and Veer Sharma, who used to be in love but weren’t allowed to marry each other. The couple go their separate ways, live in different cities, but cross paths again after Menka moves to Delhi with her daughter Devika (Khushali Kumar). They re-ignite their romance, unaware that Devika meets Veer’s son Chirag (Parth Samthaan) through work and is dating him. Veer is shamed by his mother (Aruna Irani) for wanting to marry at such a late age, while Menka faces a lot of harsh criticism from her daughter as well. How will both couples navigate this conundrum?

I was watching Ghudchadi with my parents, and halfway through the film, just when the older couple learns their kids are dating each other, my mom asked me what I thought would happen. “Well, from the way they are building up the story, it feels like both couples will end up getting married. I don’t know how they will lead to it, though.” Mum didn’t agree and thought the young couple should simply step aside for their parents — Veer and Menka — to have a happy ending. Dad also joined in and placed his bet on the parents sacrificing their love for their children’s happiness. And well, those are the three most likely endings to the story anyway, right? Unless the writers decide to go dark and not let anybody end up together.

Given its complex conflict, a comedy-drama was a good genre to pick for Ghudchadi; however, it’s barely funny and often too melodramatic. Parth Samthaan is charmingly entertaining as Veer’s son, Khushali Kumar is stiff as Menka, and there’s no chemistry between the leads. The two look glaringly mismatched and give off a sibling energy; this automatically makes one cheer for the older couple to end up together. Raveena Tandon and Sanjay Dutt are endearing as ex-flames dating again, but their cutesy bond isn’t enough to make the movie entertaining. It was delightful to see Aruna Irani in the kind of role she plays best – the acerbic, strict, mean mom who still strikes terror in her adult son’s heart. But a lot of the dialogues in Ghudchadi are gratingly screechy and outdated.

We only managed to stick around until the ending of Ghudchadi because it’s obviously a fresh story (with stale execution), and it makes the viewer curious about the ending. There’s an extremely convenient twist in the tale that easily solves all the dilemmas faced by the characters, followed by more convenient coincidences that facilitate a big, fat wedding and a happy ending for the film. The Deus ex Machina trope comes to the plot’s rescue. Watch the film if you’re a fan of the cast or enjoy 90s-styled Bollywood movies.

Rating: 2 stars on 5. You can watch ‘Ghudchadi’ on JioCinema.

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