Clearly this is an actor secure in his talent and his masculinity. It’s admirable that Ayushmann is willing to go out on a limb and kiss another man on screen. Watch his conflicting emotions in a lovely scene in which Kartik explains to Aman that parents instinctively understand the truth about their children, that their parents have known that they were different all along. Ayushmann gives him flash and swagger but also vulnerability. Kartik is aggressive in his pursuit of happiness with Aman.

Ayushmann, with nose-ring in place, plays the more flamboyant partner. The leads, Ayushmann Khurrana and Jitendra Kumar, fully commit to their characters. Writer-director Hitesh Kewalya tries hard to inject laughs into every scene and some of the lines sparkle but as a result, the emotions and characters don’t get enough room to breathe And just like Raj in India’s favorite love story, Kartik must work on Aman’s family and convince them that it’s perfectly normal for a man to love another man. In fact, Hitesh positions Kartik and Aman as the new Raj and Simran from DDLJ. Kartik and the girl exchange glances, basking in this public act of intimacy with their partner.

Early in the film, we see Kartik and Aman on a motorcycle with Kartik leaning into Aman exactly like a girl is leaning into a boy on a bike that stops next to them at a traffic signal. So Kartik complains that Aman isn’t enthusiastic enough when they kiss. A mainstream movie with an A-list hero playing a gay man without apology or explanation is a cause for celebration.ĭebutant director Hitesh Kewalya, who has also written the story, tries valiantly to establish that there is little difference between homosexual love and heterosexual love – a same-sex relationship has the same passion, heartache and insecurity.

For too long, Bollywood has trapped homosexuality in cruel stereotypes. To begin with, let’s applaud the fact that Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan exists.

Shubh mangal zyada saavdhan movie