Running Shaadi, starring Taapsee Pannu, Amit Sadh and Arsh Baja has been awaiting its release for three long years as the producers couldn’t find a viable time to release the film. After a long wait, the film has finally seen the light of day, and we’re only glad it has!
Ram Bharose (Amit Sadh), who is fresh out of a job, teams up with his tech wizard of a friend Cyber (Arsh Baja) and his ex-employer’s daughter (Nimmi) to cook up a storm. The three decide to start a matrimonial service called Runningshaadi.com, where they help couples elope and get married. It’s a rather cool concept because they make it all seem so seamless. They come up with impeccable plans to get them out of the house, arrange for a priest and venue to get them married, and finally, even team up with a lawyer, who helps them seal the deal – and all this in just one day! How very effortless for the couples sans the tension of actually being caught. They’re so good at this that they don’t have a plan B because they’ve never needed it. Little did they know when they started their website that they’d have to use their own services some day to plan their own running away shaadi.
The film begins by giving you a very Band Baajaa Baaraat vibe with three people from a small town trying to make a living by getting people married… Add a little concoction of technology and lots of humour into it, and we have Running Shaadi.
Nimmi and Bharose share a very relatable story. The film which should’ve released three years ago has the couple talking about periods, abortions, sex, and other things filmmakers would generally shy away from showing in the past. Nimmi’s character isn’t the most likeable at times but she’s headstrong, fights for what she wants with an almost childlike candour. Amit Sadh as Bharose delivers his career best performance showcasing a plethora of emotions in the rollercoaster ride that lasts two hours. He’s so earnest, you want to root for him. So much that at times, I almost felt the urge to give him a tight hug because Bharose is just so innocently cute! He’s the nice guy you want your parents to meet.
While the first half of the film is rather slow, it is Nimmi’s mid movie act that really lights up the film. She cons Bharose in the most unexpected way possible and you spend the interval wondering if you should be annoyed with her for being so selfish or if you should just love her for going after what she wants. It really is a mental ‘Empathy vs Sympathy’ war that I had going on in my head. Despite all of Nimmi’s antics, Bharose continues to put himself on the line for her, making him eventually realise that he might feel a lot more for her than he’d like to believe.
Writer Navjot Gulati has brought to the fore very relatable characters and situations, thought at times, it really makes you question how far he’ll take the concept of suspension of disbelief. A light rom com, it is the multi-dimensional personalities of the supporting cast that really hold the film together. Whether it is Cyber in all his hilarity, or Bharose Bihari uncle (Brijendra Kala) who won’t give up trying to master the english language, or his fiance’s stern brother – they’re all amazing and lift up the film when needed the most.
While the angle of a love story works in most films, the writing here is really shabby. Bharose as a character is someone who has his priorities straight and is extremely rational. So, when he jumps the gun on Nimmi, it seems very unjustified to the character. There is no rational explanation for his reactions.
All in all, it’s a good one-time watch with some surprisingly good music. Amit Sadh, who has been underrated all this while, might just get the due he deserves as an actor because he was incredible. Taapsee Pannu really owns the film and has shown tremendous growth as an actor. Give it a watch for the strong performances by its actors. You might just end up laughing more than you do on a normal day.