When a movie fails after showing all the required characteristics of a blockbuster, it makes one wonder the importance of an editor. While Shubh Mangal Saavdhan’s script wasn’t on fleek, the editing left way too much to be desired, like a shorter run time. For all those who went into theatres wishing for a sex comedy, you’ll surely laugh, but this movie is no half baked porn. The performances do not disappoint you, but the sad part is that these performances are worn down by the story that does not follow any path. It seems like a work in progress script was rushed into making a movie, and the climax was cooked up on the spot.

Bollywood takes a step ahead with Ayushmann Khurrana, Bhumi Pednekar-starrer Shubh Mangal Saavdhan - the film that breaks taboos on erectile dysfunction. With an interesting and bold subject, the fun-filled milieu of a north Indian wedding and an ensemble of good supporting actors, Shubh Mangal Saavdhan could have been a gem of a film. Except, it isn’t. Bhumi is quite comfortable in her role as she has essayed similar ones in her previous films (Dum Laga Ke Haisha and Toilet Ek Prem Katha) - the woman next door who struggles with gender issues amidst a traditional setup and emerges the winner. It is a pity that Prasanna does not give enough meat to his supporting actors to chew on. What a waste when you have people like Beijendra Kala and Seema Pahwa. It is Ayushmann who emerges as the star among all the actors. He is funny, lovely and irritable - totally at ease with his character. Prasanna presents Shubh Mangal Saavdhan in a rather flat manner and refuses to give space to characters other than the hero and heroine, leaving behind one mess of what could have been a fun-filled entertainer.

The fabulous ensemble cast is complemented by Shubh Mangal Saavdhan's lead actors Ayushmann Khurrana and Bhumi Pednekar. Bringing their chemistry from Dum Laga Ke Haisha to this film, the two fit perfectly into their roles. Their love story is fraught with many problems, but making the audience laugh is not one of them. The couple moves from struggling to deal with the task at hand, erectile dysfunction, to being swamped by unwonted suggestion from all quarters. It is when the film takes a comparatively serious tone from being a light-hearted comic caper that the pace drops. But it quickly recovers from the slump thanks to the actors. Ayushmann, with his knack of choosing the unusual scripts, is here to stay. His performance here is reminiscent of Vicky Donor (the two characters are polar opposites as far as the other performance is concerned). Bhumi is mostly consistent in her role but for a few moments. Shubh Mangal Saavdhan comes just a few weeks after Toilet Ek Prem Katha. But while she shines on her own in the Akshay Kumar-starrer, it is her see-sawing with Ayushmann in Shubh Mangal Saavdhan that makes the couple such a delight to watch. The songs are distributed evenly through the film and the story does not suffer. Shubh Mangal Saavdhan wins in its storytelling and acting departments. The film flows smoothly. There is no climax forced on to the viewer, but the director lets things take their own course. And that is the biggest strength of this film that is a remake of Prasanna's 2013 Tamil film Kalyana Samayal Saadham. This is easily one of the best films that Bollywood has given us in 2017, a year that has been notoriously dry as far as good cinema is concerned. Shubh Mangal Saavdhan does not fall flat. It flies.

The Ayushmann Khurrana and Bhumi Pednekar film falls into the category of ‘could have been better’. But overall this comedy of middle-class-Dilli-manners-and-mores suffers from a sit-com flatness, and a sagging climax. The film falls into the category of ‘could have been better’, but I’m charmed by the premise and the honesty-minus-vulgarity with which it’s been done. And when everything is meant to make us laugh, you can quite easily deflect attention from the main premise. The Ayushmann Khurrana and Bhumi Pednekar film resists the temptation to tart up the ordinary, which is the best part: no one’s calling attention quirky, everyone is real. When the action stays between the two main leads, whom we have seen play so well together in Dum Laga Ke Haisha, the film comes together, terrible pun fully intended. Pednekar once again reminds us just how convincing she can be as a real honest-to-goodness young woman in search of love. I’m now longing to see her do something more than the ‘gharelu-gunwati’ young woman parts: she’s in danger of being typecast. And Khurrana once again is in fine fettle: from a brawny Punjabi fertile Aryan ‘puttar’ that he plays in Vicky Donor to a fellow who can’t, he’s inhabited both ends of spectrum, showing no performance anxiety at all.

Is it possible to create a Hindi film around the 'touchy' subject of erectile dysfunction without being downright crass about it? Turns out that it is, and quite a funny one at that. This is because the lead pair has an affable chemistry between them - an absolutely essential element when dealing with such a private 'Gents problem' (as the film calls it). The whole premise would fall flat without them playing so well off of each other. Ayushmann and Bhumi are able to recreate the magic of being together on-screen, even if their characters aren't exactly new or challenging to either actor. But it works, so there's no need to fix it. Additionally, they're surrounded by a group of talented supporting actors who blend in seamlessly without being too overbearing. This makes the comedy work exactly how and when it's meant to without stooping to raunchy humour. But, much like Mudit's character, the film is unable to perform when it matters the most - the climax. For some reason, the screenplay resorts to an unconvincing turning point towards the end, followed by a few more absurd sequences, including a seemingly forced cameo before going flat out overboard. It's quite the disappointment, and while that doesn't negate the undeniable effort put in by the cast, it makes you wonder why the narrative suddenly went limp. That aside, 'Shubh Mangal Saavdhan' keeps you entertained long enough to make it worth a watch.