What helps is an able supporting cast that makes you want to 'wait' and watch the proceedings. There is humor, action, emotion, shame, romance, and triumph in equal measure that help the film measure up to the 'weighty' expectations of any discerning viewer gasping for a breath of fresh air. Adding 'weight' to the plot is a series of sub plots involving a separated elderly aunt, parents and in-laws struggling with their values, ethics, and modernity, a young brother preparing for his board exams, a 'sankha' with its moralistic lessons, jealous friends, and a contest 'Dum Laga Ke Heisha' aimed to test the ultimate bonding between a married couple. What also makes the majority of the scenes worth the 'wait' is Bhoomi Pednekar who 'weighs' her emotions while adding ample 'weight' to her character through a gamut of emotions that are sure to resonate with your heart. Be it a dash of Limca to get over retching, the unspiralling of cassettes using pens, watching of movies in VCPs and VCRs, using landline phones, giving missed calls, the fascination with Kumar Sanu, or a fight using songs being played by a warring couple, the makers get the 90s spot on. Here the 90s is captured in stunningly nuanced detail by writer-director Sharat Katariya several times, as is the language of Uttar Pradesh (mostly), and the life of a small town (perfectly). What follows is a refreshingly original and daring film that overcomes stereotypes while bringing a smile on our faces, even as it tugs at our heartstrings. While she dreams of a government job as a school teacher and a husband who respects her, he has nightmares about everything she stands for - be it her intellect or weight. A narrow by-lane in Haridwar leads to a narrow minded class ten failed simpleton Prem (Ayushman Khurana in a refreshingly natural role) of the 1990s who dreams of Juhi Chawla but is instead married off to a portly and much more educated Sandhya (Bhumi Pednekar in a supremely brilliant and dauntless debut). Dumb Laga Ke Haisha is a movie that celebrates the unfounding of size and space, and juxtaposes it against the flight of ambitions in a detailed, layered, yet breezy romance that acts as both a social commentary, as well as a mainstream romantic comedy.
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