Durlabh Prasad Ki Dusri Shadi

Durlabh Prasad Ki Dusri Shadi Movie Review Rating:

Star Cast: Mahima Chaudhri, Sanjay Mishra, Vyom Yadav, Pallak Lalwani, Pravin Singh Sisodia, Shrikant Verma

Director: Siddhant Raj Singh

What’s Good: Right casting and brisk pacing

What’s Bad: Some points that will be spoilers to reveal

Loo Break: Maybe in the first half

Watch or Not?: It is simple, pleasant and realistic, so why not?

Language: Hindi

Available On: Theatrical release

Runtime: 130 Minutes

User Rating:

In Benares lives Durlabh Prasad (Sanjay Mishra), a widower for the last 25 years. He is a simple-hearted, docile individual who runs a hair-cutting saloon, aided by his brother-in-law, Manchu (Shrikant Verma). His son, Murli (Vyom Yadav), has never seen his mother and is a happy-go-lucky kind of young man who is in love with Mehak (Pallak Lalwani). Mehak is the daughter of Brajnarayan Bharti (Pravin Singh Sisodia), a prosperous businessman whose home has multiple women, from the old dadi (a fantastic actor) to his wife (Navni Parihar) and more. When he comes to know of his daughter’s love and lover, he objects to the banns because there are no women in Murli’s household. Grandma has a broader view but is overruled, and the only thing left for Murli to do is to marry off his father! But while his father is finally persuaded, all attempts to get him a bride, including ads, prove futile.

At the interval point, Durlabh bumps into Babita (Mahima Chaudhri), who was his first love. When Murli finds his father taking an interest in her, he is happy. Soon, a Valentine’s Day video goes viral, and now Brajnaryan has a new objection! He tells Murli that he will not tolerate just any woman in Mehak’s in-laws’ household: Babita coaches children—she has travelled the world and is an independent, free-thinking woman who has been on her own feet. And thus her modern approach irks Brajnarayan, who now has a new ultimatum: he will permit Mehak to marry Murli if Durlabh remains single!

Durlabh Prasad Ki Dusri Shadi Movie Review: Script Analysis

Adesh K. Arjun’s dialogues, seeped in local lingo, are simple, just like the film and its characters, and pep up the script at every crucial point as well. The initial conversation between Murli and Mehak’s family, the night sequences between Durlabh and Manchu, the clash between Durlabh and Murli later, and the various sequences where Babita reveals the stuff she’s made of are all well-conceived sequences lifted by his lines.

Writer Prashant Singh spins a straightforward story where the opposition to love does not come from economic differences but quirky reasons, and within this narrative, delivers messages of import: that women must stand on their own feet and be allowed to make their own decisions, that remarriage can happen at any age, that progress is a must and that patriarchy should be junked.

Nevertheless, the ‘filmi’ tropes do dilute impact: why can’t Durlabh be frank enough with Brajnarayan and his son about his relationship with Babita? There are similar, smaller flaws that are avoidable.

Durlabh Prasad Ki Dusri Shadi Movie Review: Star Performance

While Sanjay Mishra is his usual competent self, Vyom Yadav, as his son, comes across as a sincere and adept performer: his sequence with Babita is remarkable. Pallak Lalwani is alright and looks like a tepid version of Mrunal Thakur. As Brajnarayan, Pravin Singh Sisodia is excellent, though his persona and performance both seem to be similar to vintage Shatrughan Sinha! Shrikant Verma is easygoing and charming.

Mahima Chaudhry is a pleasant Babita, essaying a seemingly no-frills character with grace and understanding. The dadi, as mentioned above, is portrayed by an outstanding actress whose name I could not trace. Dheerendra Gautam as Tarre and Kirte Gupta as Nibha make bright appearances. The rest of the cast is okay.