Directed and co-written by Shekhar S. Jha, Wedding Anniversary is the story about a couple who is celebrating their first anniversary in Goa. Kahani (Mahi Gill), who is deeply in love with her husband, plans a romantic dinner for him in Goa on their first wedding anniversary. But, the husband misses the flight to meet his employers for a salary hike. The plot of the movie is poorly handled and the director has made an attempt to make a love story abstract undertones. The characters are poorly sketched and the story lacks drama and soul. Mahi Gill is theatrical and fake in the movie, but looks very beautiful. Nana Patekar is excellent in some parts and the other characters are a total waste. The music is overly stereotyped. The direction is good at some points as the director tries to create a story in Mahi’s mind. The director has miserably failed in his work due to poor screenplay and technical elements. On the whole, Wedding Anniversary is a shoddy movie with a dragged plot and a boring story. Not to be watched in theatres!
Reading philosophical musings in books is one thing, but turning them into solutions for love problems and putting them on screen is entirely different. By doing just that, director Shekhar S Jha makes the viewer go through endless conversations that are so heavy on the mind that one is ought to doze off sooner or later. The biggest problem with this film is its heavy reliance on monologues; Patekar is just waiting to break into one. Throughout the film, he speaks and Gill listens. At times when they are not doing that, she asks questions and he starts speaking again. Yes, Patekar knows the art of enunciation and reciting poetry, and it helps him sail through this particular role. But the veteran’s command on the craft alone isn’t enough to salvage the movie. Gill, who has played strong women characters in the past, tries hard but is a misfit in this role. If you have issues in your love-life, visit a marriage counsellor. Wedding Anniversary will only add some phrases to your Hindi/ Urdu vocabulary.