Analysis :

It would genuinely be a sudden astonishment to see the opening scene of the film. Ripped off straight from Four Christmases, the scene nearly got me judgmental. Until Saket Chaudhary convinced us of why his Pyaar ke Side Effects became so impossible to dismiss despite its apparent and much visible flaws. His great understanding of characters and relationships is fetched well in the story and Saket manages to keep Sid and Trisha layered yet very connecting to a great extent even in this one.

The story commences on a high voltage note. Even though thematically copied, the fantasy loving between couple and saying sorry even when it’s not your fault is used and tackled with intelligence. The script remained largely conversational, drawing the audiences towards it by being adorably engaging. Sid and Trisha’s relationship and marriage thrives greatly on Sid’s persistent attitude to evade confrontations and sticky conversations. Nevertheless, the lack of proper communication between them commences to surface once their relationship changes dynamics and from being spouses they turn into parents. The story’s basic essence remains unchanged in spirit since its last edition but the form is definitely quite different.

Sid is no longer the commitment-phobic maniac we were introduced to then. He is a boy who has managed to settle down, strategised his way into finding happiness and security in both love and marriage. But it all falls out of place after a night of misplaced passion gets Trisha knocked up. Retaining the pregnancy for wrong reasons, approaching fatherhood with the incorrect vision and failing to elevate himself to the changed needs and priorities of his relationship pushes him into a strange dissatisfaction of sorts. I love the smooth yet minute detailing the filmmaker has paid careful attention to in terms of transforming Trisha from the confident seductress to the woman who forces herself into clothes which doesn’t fit her anymore only to please her husband who thinks she dress too practically.

On the contrary in precedence of beginning weaving tall expectations, the forewarning appears that post interval the story dilutes itself into something very mentally confusing. Throwing itself off track, getting trapped in the intricacies of melodrama, post intermission the plot turns very jumbled, self centered and surprisingly predictable. Characters like Manav and Aunty and Shekhar all fit the expected stereotypes whom Saket keeps cliched, thereby allowing them to dismantle a perfectly painted concept. It is only for the feeble writing of the second half that the film delivers a half baked story irrespective a charged Farhan and sincere Vidya struggling to keep it breezy.

Performance :

Farhan Akhtar picks up a role perhaps quite different from what he seems to be and plays it to perfection in every frame. It is quite a challenge for an actor to master what isn’t his forte and Farhan is genuinely flawless in this role.

Vidya Balan’s lovable enigma is what results with temptation to me about her. She makes even the continually faultfinding Trisha manifesting and only an actress of her caliber can bring so many hues to a character which has the maximum risk of getting termed as caricature. She compliments Farhan by bringing on screen a potently refreshing chemistry at our disposal which holds through the screenplay even in its loose bits.

Ram Kapoor, Rati Agnihotri, Ila Arun and mostly Vir Das are all uncontrollably useless. It takes some caliber to waste someone who possesses Vir Das’ exceptional ability and the filmmaker does regrettably manage that.

Final Word:I am going with a lenient 3.5 for this film that worsen into settling for being average in the second half but for the stellar first hour cannot be missed. Lets keep an expectancy that Saket’s next is something more cleverly logically connected as well consistent than this film.

Shaadi Ke Side Effects Releases on 28th FEB 2014