Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan (transl. Be extra careful of marriage) is a 2020 Indian Hindi-language romantic comedy film written and directed by Hitesh Kewalya and produced by Aanand L. Rai, Himanshu Sharma, Bhushan Kumar and Krishan Kumar under the banners Colour Yellow Productions and T-Series. A spin-off to the 2017 film Shubh Mangal Saavdhan, whose script was also written by Kewalya, it stars Ayushmann Khurrana, along with The Viral Fever stars Jitendra Kumar, Neena Gupta and Gajraj Rao. The film tells the story of a gay man and his partner, who have trouble convincing the former’s parents of their relation.
Filming wrapped on 16 December 2019 in Varanasi and it was theatrically released in India on 21 February 2020.
Plot
Aman Tripathi is an advertiser in Delhi, hailing from an orthodox middle-class family in Allahabad. His father, Shankar Tripathi, is a conservative agricultural scientist. His mother, Sunaina Tripathi is a housewife, who is always concerned about her son. In the joint family, there are his uncle Chaman, his aunt Champa, their daughter Rajni “Goggle” Tripathi, among others. Aman is in love with Kartik Singh, and lives in with him in Delhi. One day, Sunaina asks him to attend Goggle’s wedding. Sunaina and Shankar intend to marry Aman off to a family friend’s daughter, Kusum Nigam. Aman and Kartik board the train “Vivah Express”, on which Aman’s family are already present. Aman and Kartik share a kiss, but are seen by Shankar. Kartik suggests to Aman about talking to his father. Shankar asks Aman to stay away from Kartik.
At Goggle’s wedding, Kartik and Aman share a kiss publicly, leaving everyone shocked and helpless. Aman confronts his parents, who remain unconvinced of his sexuality. Kartik is whisked away by Chaman to the railway station; while Shankar blackmails Aman into agreeing to marry Kusum. Meanwhile, Ashok refuses to marry Goggle due to Aman’s sexuality. Goggle tries to commit suicide at the railway station, but Kartik stops her. Kartik convinces Goggle that she has a family who supports her. Goggle, in turn, convinces Kartik to win back Aman.
Kusum tells Aman that she is already in love with Rakesh. She gives a proposition: that they will marry, but continue to live with their respective lovers in Delhi. Back home, Shankar persuades Sunaina to rechristen Aman in order to cleanse him of his “sins”. Goggle and Kartik appear at the scene. Shankar beats Kartik up with a stick, who gets unconscious. Aman agrees to marry Kusum in order to save Kartik. His family start the wedding preparations. Kartik tries to convince Aman to not marry Kusum, but Aman is unable to fight against his family.
On the day of the wedding, Shankar and Sunaina learn that the Supreme Court is going to deliver it’s judgment on the decriminalization of homosexuality on the next day. They fight over their past lovers and understand that they have been living with each other half-heartedly. They feel that they do not want the same for their son, but decide to proceed with the wedding anyway, thinking that everything will be fine after the wedding. Meanwhile, Kusum steals all of Sunaina’s jewelry and escapes, leaving behind a letter in Aman’s room. Kartik reads the letter and disguises as the ‘bride’. Shankar suspects something is wrong, and inadvertently chases the “bride”, when Kartik suddenly reveals himself to everyone’s surprise. Goggle then hands over Kusum’s note to Sunaina, shocking everyone. Aman confesses his love for Kartik in front of his family, who are finally convinced about their homosexuality. At that moment, the police arrives with Kusum; to arrest Aman and Kartik. The family tries to stop the police, who refuse to leave that night. The next day, the Supreme Court decriminalizes homosexuality. Aman and Kartik reconcile with the family, and leave for Delhi.
Cast
- Ayushmann Khurrana as Kartik Singh
- Jitendra Kumar as Aman Tripathi
- Neena Gupta as Sunaina Tripathi
- Gajraj Rao as Shankar Tripathi
- Manu Rishi as Chaman Tripathi
- Sunita Rajwar as Champa Tripathi
- Maanvi Gagroo as Rajni “Goggle” Tripathi
- Pankhuri Awasthy as Kusum Nigam
- Neeraj Singh as Keshav Tripathi
- Bhumi Pednekar in a special appearance as Devika
- Hardik Gabbi as Pintu
- Mahesh Seth as Devika’s father
- Brij Kumar Pandey as Pandit
- Ajit Singh Palawat as Police Officer
- Sobbie Bawa as Krishna (voice Over)
- Bappi Lahiri in a special appearance in the song Areey Pyar Kar Le as himself
Release
The film was released on 21 February 2020. After Indian theatres shut down mid-March due to COVID-19, The film released on Amazon Prime Video. The film later premiered on Zee Cinema.
Soundtrack
| Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Soundtrack album by
Tanishk Bagchi, Vayuand Tony Kakkar
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| Released | 21 February 2020 | ||||
| Genre | Feature film soundtrack | ||||
| Length | 19:34 | ||||
| Language | Hindi | ||||
| Label | T-Series | ||||
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The film’s songs are composed and written by Tanishk Bagchi, Vayu and Tony Kakkar.
The song “Gabru” was originally composed by Yo Yo Honey Singh. The song was released in 2011 in the album International Villager. The song is sung by Romy & music was recreated by Tanishk Bagchi.
The song “Arey Pyaar Kar Le” was a remake of the song “Yaar Bina Chain Kahan Re” from the 1985 film Saaheb, was originally composed by Bappi Lahiri, lyrics by Anjaan and sung by Bappi Lahiri and S. Janaki then was recreated by Tanishk Bagchi.
The song “Kya Karte Thay Sajna” was originally sung by Anuradha Paudwal and Mohammad Aziz, composed by Anand-Milind and written by Majrooh Sultanpuri from the made-for-television film Lal Dupatta Malmal Ka. It is recreated by Tanishk Bagchi, voiced by Zara Khan and written by Vayu.
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Singer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | “Gabru” | Vayu | Tanishk Bagchi | Romy | 2:45 |
| 2. | “Mere Liye Tum Kaafi Ho” | Vayu | Tanishk Bagchi, Vayu | Ayushmann Khurrana | 2:12 |
| 3. | “Arey Pyaar Kar Le” | Vayu | Tanishk Bagchi | Bappi Lahiri, Ayushmann Khurrana Rap: Ikka |
2:44 |
| 4. | “Ooh La La” | Tony Kakkar | Tanishk Bagchi, Tony Kakkar | Sonu Kakkar, Neha Kakkar, Tony Kakkar | 3:19 |
| 5. | “Aisi Taisi” | Vayu | Tanishk Bagchi, Vayu | Mika Singh | 2:42 |
| 6. | “Raakh” | Vayu | Tanishk Bagchi, Vayu | Arijit Singh | 3:04 |
| 7. | “Kya Karte Thay” | Vayu | Tanishk Bagchi | Zara Khan | 2:48 |
| Total length: | 19:34 | ||||
Box office
Shubh Mangal Zyada Savdhaan earned ₹95.5 million net at the domestic box office on its opening day. On the second day, the film collected ₹110.8 million. On the third day, the film collected ₹120.3 million taking total opening weekend collection to ₹326.6 million.
As of 20 March 2020, with a gross of ₹72.36 crore in India and ₹14.03 crore overseas, the film has a worldwide gross collection of ₹863.9 million.
Reception
The film holds an approval rating of 92% based on 13 reviews on the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, with an average rating of 7.65/10.
Pallabi Dey Purkayastha of The Times of India praised the cast, writing that “if Ayushmann highjacks the film with his infectious energy, a mellow Jitendra balances it out with his poker-faced humour and the relatability factor that he maintains throughout the film” and “it is noteworthy as to how well the supporting cast renders its complete (and able) support to the lead pair,” while critiquing that “since the film is primarily invested in the small-town drama pertaining to the taboo around same-sex relationships, the writer-director fails to tap on the elements exclusive to small cities like Allahabad” and that “while the first half is engaging, the second half loses its sheen pretty early on and could have been trimmed down by a good 20 minutes.”
Anupama Chopra of Film Companion noted that, “Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan wants to be both – an impassioned defense of same-sex love as well as a family entertainer. But the writing can’t seamlessly blend the disparate elements.”
Saibal Chatterjee of NDTV proclaimed that “The comic flights of fancy do not always take off in the right direction or land smoothly, but with the actors going all out to make the film work, some parts of Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan are genuinely funny and quirky. The film may be erratic in parts, but its entertainment quotient is delightfully high for a film tackling a clash between conservatism and freedom, between tradition and modernity.”
Monika Rawal Kukreja of Hindustan Times commented that “Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan is an important film that talks about an important subject conveyed in the simplest manner without sounding preachy at any given point. It touches your heart, makes you laugh and stays with you for a long time.”
Devesh Sharma of Filmfare gave the film a rating of 4/5 and urged the audience to “Watch the film for its hilarious comedy, slick all around performances and ultimately for its powerful message of love and acceptance.”
Accolades
| Award | Date of ceremony | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Filmfare Awards | 27 March 2021 | Best Actor | Ayushmann Khurrana | Nominated | |
| Best Supporting Actor | Gajraj Rao | Nominated | |||
| Best Supporting Actress | Neena Gupta | Nominated | |||
| Maanvi Gagroo | Nominated | ||||
| Best Lyricist | Vayu Shrivastav – (“Mere Liye Tum Kaafi Ho”) | Nominated | |||
| Best Male Playback Singer | Ayushmann Khurrana – (“Mere Liye Tum Kaafi Ho”) | Nominated |