Who can forget those beautifully captured frames of "1942 -A love story","Devdas","Rang de Basanti" etc.Courtesy Binodh Pradhan and here he takes his baby steps as a director with the HAHK and DDLJ inspired "Wedding Pullav" with a host of newcomers in the lead roles.
The story is nothing novel and the treatment is nothing great that you have not witnessed earlier.It is a wedding album and talks about destination weddings(Next week's Shandaar seems more interesting), matters of the heart and the head conflicting as friends grow up to realize they are truly meant for one another but taking on wedding woes with the wrong people and their families who have to face the backlash.It helps that the cast looks refreshing and is styled well.Anushka Ranjan pouts like Priyanka Chopra and oozes confidence.Newbie Diganth vaguley resembles Neil Nitin Mukesh.He is sizzling hot and his experience in the Kannada film industry shows in his performance.Telly actor Karan who plays Anushka's boyfriend and nude model painter is charming in whatever little screen space he gets while Sonali Sehygal as Diganth's hot and sassy bride is passable.Kitu Gidwani, Parmeet Sethi( as Sonali's parents), Himani Shivpuri(as Anushka's gaurdian aunt), Satish Kaushik and Upasana Singh( as Diganth's parents) and Rishi Kapoor(as the hotel resort manager in Thailand) are adequate..but one character who stood out for me was Anushka's grandmom who engages in some naughty banter and says she is still in her golden years.
The music by Salim Suleiman and the cinematography by Gopal Shah are the film's biggest strengths.The tunes may not be fresh but a couple of them especially Oh Jaaniya,Ishq da panga and Party karni hai are alluring and set ur feet tapping.
Not a great debut but entertaining in its given oft repeated constraint filled territory, Wedding Pullav is a good time pass to see some good looking youngsters on screen and enjoy a feel good on screen wedding scenario.
BTW, destination wedding enthusiasts should keep their seats reserved for the other big movie of the wedding season-Shandaar that releases this week.