Luka Chuppi (2019) Hindi Movie Review

This movie is the story of a couple living in with their family. Superstar Nazim Khan gets into a controversy when it comes to light that he is living-in with his girlfriend and is unapologetic about it. The moral police come out in full force to protest against his ‘indecent’ act. One such organization is Rashtriya Sanskriti Manch and in Mathura, it is led by Vishnu Trivedi. His daughter is Rashmi and she joins a local news channel after completing her media studies in Delhi.

Luka Chuppi (2019) Hindi Movie

Here she bumps into Guddu and both fall in love. After a fight with his elder unmarried brother Vikas and brother in law Babulal, he decides to tie the knot ASAP. He proposes to Rashmi. She however refuses to marry him so soon and insists on a live-in relationship. Guddu obviously freaks out. However inspired by an idea given by their colleague Abbas, they decide to live in when they go on a 20 day assignment at Gwalior, where no one knows them. Hence they could live in without any fear. But in order to get the flat on rent, they pretend to be a married couple. Rashmi also has to go out wearing mangalsutra and apply sindoor. All is going well when Babulal catches them getting cosy in a public place. Assuming they are married, he tells his family about it and they all land up at their pad in Gwalior. What happens next forms the rest of the film.

The story of the movie ia like a novel story and entertaining and different from other such films in this genre. The characters are very well fleshed out and most importantly, they are relatable. Rohan Shankar’s screenplay is very effective for most parts and evokes the right humour. At some places however, it is a bit weak, especially in the first half. In the attempt to establish the setting and the dynamics between the characters, the writer seems to have done a bit of a rushed job. On the positive side, a few scenes are exceptional and would surely be loved. Rohan Shankar’s dialogues are funny. There are no dialogues with double entendre.

Laxman Utekar’s direction is good but could have been better. The script gets a bit off in the first half and his direction does not do much to polish the minuses. But he gets better as the film progresses. One of the best parts of the film is how it addresses a taboo topic and yet makes it mainstream. In the past, we have had films based on livein like say “OK JAANU” (2017) but it was a niche product as majority of the country just could not relate to it. Laxman however executes the plot well and the message comes out loud and clear. As a result, this film has a wider appeal and thanks to humour and treatment.

The movie begins on a surprising note, showing the Nazim Khan controversy. It makes it clear that besides being a comedy, it’s also going to make a social comment. Audiences however will go by the trailer and they expect to see romance and some dash of situational fun. And they definitely get that once the characters get introduced. At the same time however the film takes a while to get into its element. The falling in love happens quite quickly. The way the equation between Guddu with Vikas and Babulal is established seems forced.

In fact the dream sequence where Guddu imagines that his nephew Chiku is getting married falls flat. It’s in the scene where the Gwalior neighbours create a havoc is when the film picks up. This particular scene is quite hilarious and even heroic and will be greeted with claps. The intermission point, when Guddu-Rashmi’s “luka chuppi” gets exposed is also quite entertaining. Post-interval, the film gets even better as Guddu and Rashmi pretend to be married when they are not. The sequence at the temple is quite impressive, especially when it brings a new angle into the film. Guddu-Rashmi attempting to get married in their house is touching and yes, guffaw-inducing. The best however is reserved for the finale. Usually, comic capers tend to go all over the place. Fortunately in the case this movie , it does not happen and it ends on a good note.