Badhaai Ho (2018) User Reviews

Simplicity with Comedy & Emotions

[siddharth-ck · 9/10 · 20 October 2018]

Simple movie with a great message which is directed to break ancient taboos. Filled with Packages of Humour and emotion.

Emotional comedy. You'll miss your family even you living with them.

[TorukMahto · 9/10 · 21 October 2018]

I laughed crazy at first half and second half made me think I'm lucky to have a family. I don't want to spoil your excitement but I need to express what I felt last night. What's good - Some of your memories will revive of being in middle class society. Like I remember my mom always asked me to get snacks for guest, saying "bas last time".

What's bad - It's difficult to find but you'll loose your entertainment anyhow if trying to find some.

The comedy engages you thoroughly...!!

[Tejas_Vinda_AITS · 7/10 · 18 October 2018]

It is not a laugh riot but emerges as a complete family entertainer with emotions as its USP. The film leaves you with a smile.

Neena Gupta Is Outstanding.

Badhaai Ho is certainly worth a visit to the multiplex.

A Must Watch...!!!

[hersheyzjs · 10/10 · 18 October 2018]

Kudos to all the actors for their brilliant work. Each character had its own significance in the movie. It was a perfect blend of simplicity & decency while conveying a sensitive social message, ofcourse with a lot of Entertainment..!

Everyone is a hero in this film

[nishanttrivediu · 10/10 · 19 October 2018]

The movie is a must watch for ppl who hav struggled to laugh seeing loud bollywood so called comedy movies.. This one is a genuine comedy masterclass.. Actors' expressions itself is enough especially Dadi's acting... Just go for it..

A unique story that can easily reach the Indian's heart

[AIOS-Reviews · 8/10 · 19 October 2018]

While watching Badhaai Ho I was remembering a dialogue - "Family is above everything" from the film 'Coco'. Badhai Ho is definitely a film that makes you love of your family sometimes more.

Nakul's (Ayushmaan Kuranna) family resembles a perfect happy Punjabi family until the tragedy happens when Nakul's mother (Neena Gupta) get pregnant on her late 50s. For sure Nakul, his brother and his his grandma everyone started blaming her and his husband (Gajraj Rao) for being careless. And this story spread like flame and they all started feeling exhausting on the society.

Now It's reflect a story that's really unique and anyone will want to know what's gonna happen next. The next situations are quite realistic and perfectly organised. Every scene is so funny and hilarious that makes you sit through the film. And the film has a kind of humor that can makes anyone laugh.

Amit Sharma comes with this amazing story and he is successful to reach India's heart, anyone can fall in love with his work. When talking about the acting Gajraj Rao did a great a job and everyone else in this film is amazing, Ayushman Khurrana getting to an unique place on Bollywood day by day. The screenplay written by Jyoti Kapoor and several others is great. The background score sometimes makes the film melodramatic but that's not a question at all because the drama never gets too much because of the beautiful cinematography(Best of 2018 after 'October) by Sanu Varghese.

Overall it's a 2nd amusement in 1 month by one and only Ayushmaan Khurrana that is completely watchable and anyone can say "Let's make this kind of films more"

A drama of emotional comedy!

[abhilashmhaisne · 8/10 · 18 October 2018]

Hilarious first half. Brilliant acting by Ayushman , Sanya, and others. Brilliant screenplay. A very 'bursting the status quo' kind of story which makes the message reach. The movie turns dramatic in second half and quite emotional towards the end. Recommend one time watch!

A rollecoaster ride!

[mesiddiqui · 7/10 · 20 October 2018]

Badhaai ho is a fine blend of both comedy and emotions. Some scenes are truly remarkable and are going to be remembered for long. This is a not your typical bollywood family story. It was refreshing to see something new.

An Indian middle class laugh riot

[Saroj-k4 · 10/10 · 20 October 2018]

The movie is the proof of the current encouraging trend in Indian cinema which is coming up with lots of original concepts. Indian movies have started regaining their old charm by keeping the stories and characters real and relatable. This movie is one of them. Some of the points which makes the movie special are.....One - Conceiving a child in middle age, considered a taboo in indian middle class and the writer, director duo depicted this in a satirical way with lot of lmao moments. Two - Gajraj Rao and Surekha Sikri were exceptional and over shadowed Neena Gupta and Ayushman. I watched the movie yesterday and still laughing out loud by remembering the dialogues of Surekha Sikri. It's proven that Ayushman is best suited for boy next door characters and he has managed the emotions with humour so well. It's really nice to see Neena Gupta after long and she has a done remarkable job with controlled emotions. Gajraj Rao has always been a good actor but recent directors are getting best out of him by showing more faith and giving more screen space. Lastly Sanya Malhotra has justified her role and she looked stunning. Last but least, it's definitely a laugh riot.

Long Review: Badhaai Ho (7 Stars)

[nairtejas · 7/10 · 20 October 2018]

If I said that Bollywood has played it right for most of the part in 2018 then you wouldn't disagree with me. There are at least a dozen examples in recent times where Bollywood has shed its usual formula of masala and cheesy romance and turned to narrative storytelling about social issues. All of which has reignited my faith in Bollywood, and thanks to director Amit Sharma, Badhaai Ho can be added to that list of films which helped in that feat. It is a perfect example of an entertaining family drama with one major conflict that is as novel as the storytelling itself.

The masterful Gajraj Rao and the queen of nuances Neena Gupta are the heads of a Delhiite family - the Kaushiks - who bear the embarrassment of being preggers at an the age when others prefer (or rather give in to the society-accepted job) to play with their grandchildren (which Surekha Sikri tries to do in the film as the paternal grandmother). How cultural stigmatization of being pregnant well over the age of fifty when you have two boys themselves active enough to bear child acts as a source of ridicule and contempt is shown in a visibly light but loud manner in Badhaai Ho. Gupta's character struggles from start to end, even receiving a "do you really want to?" from her own husband, which prepares you for the ulterior question of pro-choice that is in the mind of others who put tradition and cultural indifference on the top. Ayushmann Khurrana plays one of her sons - an adult working-class man - who finds himself in a situation that usually demands happiness but which instead has created some distance between him and her, especially from the eyes of his girlfriend (Sanya Malhotra) and her mother (Sheeba Chaddha). Badhaai Ho is not a celebration of a birth but instead a narration of how the world perceives a product of love when it shifts from the routine or expected.

The almost pedantic attention to details in Badhaai Ho appeals to my OCD and it also tells me that director Sharma does not believe in cinematic liberty. The entire film has been carved with honesty and by giving due reverence to reality. Why else would a character make a silly act of pointing out the missing apostrophe in the word "Kaushiks" that has been inscribed on the backside of their red Wagon R with a typeface that will make a designer quit his field? It may not be a big deal for the casual cinema-goer but it does show where the makers are coming from. This type of attention to tiny details - whether it is in the selection of the soundtrack or the usage of the score as a cue to the audience to rejoice in laughter - is what makes Badhaai Ho an even better family entertainer. However, what sets the film apart from other recent family comedies is that every character is idiosyncratic - from their family doctor who reminds you of that overweight physician your family used to consult in the 1990s to the kin characters who also remind you of people you know in real life. They all have their own flavorful characteristics which not only makes the film a fun to watch but also makes you wanting more from director Sharma. Despite his last one being the noisy thriller, Tevar (2015), with Arjun Kapoor and Sonakshi Sinha.

As I have noted above, Badhaai Ho has an excellent suggestive score (Abhishek Arora and Tanishk Bagchi) that acts as a cue for you to take note of the particular scene. And such cues come and go every five minutes. The titular song is catchy and funny, which although is too loud for me, reminds me that I am watching a Bollywood movie. Special appreciation to editor Dev Rao Jadhav who concocts a complex carving so that the viewing becomes interesting. I am amazed at the sound mixing as well, which made me sit back and marvel at the amount of efforts put in the film in the editing room. The anti-climactic narrative may put some of you off, but it is what makes Badhaai Ho enjoyable and different.

Sanya Malhotra is the only cast member who seemed out of place in the whole film. Others blend in like actual members of a Delhi housing colony, with a special visible connection between the actors who play the family. Malhotra is good-looking and adds brightness to the scene she is in, but her facial expressions make me want to direct her to a film school. Gupta and Rao are the highlight performances of the film, and maybe even the year. You cannot find anyone else to play the kind of a miser and innocent father that Rao plays in Badhaai Ho that you want to go and hug him if you ever meet him in person. Helping him put up a show is Gupta, who is phenomenal in her star character. (I even wonder what prevented casting directors from hiring her all these years when she was out looking for a job.) Together, their performances overshadow that of the rest of the cast, including Khurrana's, who I think has reached the typecast saturation. There is even this discussion that happens on Reddit where people claim that Khurrana plays the same character - ordinary young man from Delhi or UP - in all the films. I tend to agree, after watching Badhaai Ho and Andhadhun almost within two weeks.

If you thought Sharat Katariya was the only master household storyteller (who directed Sui Dhaaga this year) then think again. In Badhaai Ho, director Sharma crafts comedy out of thin air; out of routine familial conversations, which is so sweet to watch that it melts in your mouth like the caramel popcorn you prefer while watching such comedy dramas. There is no shortage of such palpable moments in this honest drama that you will complete watching it with a big smile on your face. But, when you go in to watch Badhaai Ho this week, don't go in to be outsmarted by a relevant story, but instead go in to get your mind blown with a crispy drama that will make you laugh and cry - in a way that Bollywood hasn't been able to in a lot of years. TN.

Masterclass in performances

[sanjivchopra-1 · 9/10 · 23 October 2018]

Amazing performances and direction! All characters and the story are so believable.

Light comedy movie

[megs-89806 · 6/10 · 14 December 2018]

Movie is good with great punchlines. Acting by each actor is at par and gives a feel of story next door.

Extremely Overrated

[advocatevyas · 4/10 · 26 October 2018]

I blindly trust on IMDb ratings, but with this movie I was disappointed. Though the story and concept are completely fresh and performance are great by every artist. But it was not worthy to be " stretched" for more than two hours. After interval movie becomes extremely slow and boring. Nothing exciting happens. Unnecessary songs added.

A must watch

[adutt-36398 · 10/10 · 21 October 2018]

Extremely well written, beautifully acted and directed movie. I have never laughed this hard in a movie theater. Definitely, a must watch.

New concept with Infotainment

[mamlankumar · 10/10 · 20 October 2018]

After watching this film,you can feel that Bollywood has still some creativity ideas film maker alive.Because of Movies like Taare zameen par,3 idiots,Vicky donor ,nd these types of movies,many foreigner are watching Bollywood.I am requesting everyone to please give 10 rating.you will find love story,family drama..Like Aamir khan,Ayushmann Khurrana is also making fully Infotainment.

The new age of offspring

[Peter_Young · 8/10 · 16 December 2022]

Films like Badhaai Ho make me lament that such films didn't come out before in India. The film is so culturally rich and enlightening it's just wonderful. Like with most films of its sort off late, the film is set in a most realistic backdrop of lower-middle-class families which show the beauty of today's India. The film's story is indeed a unique cultural insight into how late pregnancy is approached by this milieu. I was all set up for a highly humorous comedy and was a little concerned that it's turn into a comedy of errors or something of the sort. Thankfully, despite all the wonderful humour he infused it with, the director Amit Ravindrenath Sharma took the film and the subject seriously enough to deal with the social stigma attached to middle-aged pregnancy and turn this film into a moving, emotional drama, with a strong social message. While I thought the second half wouldn't be as good as the first, it exceeded all my expectations to go from strength to strength. I believe non-Indians, particularly people of western societies, would not so easily understand the social context of this film, and why such a big deal would be made about it. It takes great perspective to be able to grasp the sensibilities depicted in the film, but those willing to not get too judgmental will love it.

And every viewer is likely to find it very easy to fall in love with this film. As said above, the cultural insight, the realistic setting, the positive and gracious tone of the proceedings, all make for cinematic treat. The casting is fantastic. Ayushmann Khurrana, doing his usual bit of positive social activism through cinema, is as reliable as ever, but the show belongs to the senior generations of players. Neena Gupta, a familiar character actress, gets a tremendous opportunity to lead a film with this wonderfully challenging role, and she is breathtaking in a beautifully understated performance. In the role of her husband, Gajraj Rao is excellent. Sanya Malhotra does exceedingly well. It almost goes without saying, however, that it is the legendary Surekha Sikri who gets the best lines and moments and, in turn, gives the film its winning combination of comedy and emotion. She is phenomenally real, and she is also responsible for the film's best scene, where she acknowledges her daughter-in-law's devotion in a way that is no less than stirring and emotionally overwhelming, encapsulating the core message of this story and reminding us all of the divine duty of honouring our parents and elders. Badhaai Ho has lesser moments too, but at its best, it's just brilliant entertainment.

amazing

[kishudwivedi · 9/10 · 18 October 2018]

Amazon film for comedy genre lovers...overall movie was so good...

First half for the win! [+61%]

[arungeorge13 · 6/10 · 29 January 2019]

Badhaai Ho has sitcom recipe written all over it. It has some finely constructed humor, moments of emotional outburst, and not to forget, a 'happy' ending. The film is about a Delhi-based middle-class family with its set of isms. The concept that it tackles (of 'late pregnancy') is one that hasn't been explored in Indian cinema quite a lot. I really enjoyed the director's eye for the little details like the sticker (in an atrocious font) on the back of their car that says 'Kaushiks' (with an apostrophe missing), the house in which they stay (the grandmom's bed is bang opposite the television), and more along those lines.

The humor is simple, situational, and mostly relatable in the first half. The mom of the house (who is nearing her 60s) is unexpectedly expecting and the whole family somehow has to accustom themselves to this fact. What makes this unusual scenario work on screen are the terrific performances of the older couple (played by Neena Gupta and Gajraj Rao), the grandmother (Surekha Sikri), and to an extent the sons (Ayushman Khurrana and Shardul Rana).

The warm, affectionate relationship shared between the dad and mom of the house is what makes the first half of Badhaai Ho an engaging affair. Khurrana's scenes are pretty fine too (the romance track between him and Sanya Malhotra thankfully isn't a cheesefest), but the comic timing of the seniors often outdo the rest. The dialogues have been written well and ensure sufficient laugh-out-loud moments.

However, the second half isn't without its share of flaws. The film, all of a sudden, turns into a collection of moments: the sons choosing not to accompany their parents to a family wedding, the younger son getting into an altercation at school and the older one coming to his rescue, the ugly spat between boyfriend and girlfriend and the eventual reconciliation, and the grandmom coming to the aid of the pregnant daughter-in-law while she gets shamed, and plenty more. The film loses its focus a wee bit here and tries to rely too much on cinematics. The songs do not help in making the proceedings appear less dramatic either.

'Badhaai Ho' needs to be applauded for placing a fair bit of emphasis on the characters of Neena Gupta and Gajraj Rao (who can easily have a whole movie to themselves) in the initial half even though their issues sort of recede into the background in the latter half. The angle between Nakul (Khurrana) and Renee's mother also seemed rather pointless. Would I recommend the movie to a friend/peer? Yes, for the fantastic performances of the senior Kaushiks.

Cute Movie! With lots of love and Emotion. :)

[iampkmaurya · 10/10 · 20 October 2018]

Badhaai Ho is one of the best movie to watch it with family :)

It's Never Too Late

[boblipton · 7/10 · 20 October 2018]

It's a middle-class family. Father works for the government.... well, he collects tickets on the railroad. The older son works in the telecommunications industry and is romantically involved with a co-worker. The younger son is still in school. Grandma lives in the apartment and belittles the mother every chance she gets. And the mother is a housewife who is not feeling too well. She goes to the medical clinic and discovers she is expecting, at an age when they were looking forward to saving some money and retiring, they have to consider abortion.... and she's refusing.

It's not a new theme. There's a good movie version of the Broadway show NEVER TOO LATE and, indeed, the two movies share a lot of the same concerns and even the same jokes. That's hardly surprising, given that some aspects of human life haven't changed much in ten thousand years. Yet every place and age differs, so we are left with the question of whether this movie deals with anything new or in a new manner. Given current Indian governmental pushing towards smaller families, as well as the concurrence of 'the best people' (whoever they may be), yes it does.

Fun packed family flick

[nihalsharma · 9/10 · 19 October 2018]

The movie is a superb joyride with moments of fun and tears. The story line, well very different, essentially teaches how family bonding is important. All the cast do great justice to their roles. More than a comedy movie, it is a lovely family drama.

A decent comedy with some extraordinary performances

[i_odin · 6/10 · 1 January 2019]

Badhaai Ho with it's simple yet thought provocative story is definitely one of the memorable films of the year. The performances by it's lead characters are excellent. But they dragged the plot a bit.

Fresh concept but executed not well

[ishankoul · 5/10 · 20 October 2018]

Watch only with your family maybe they will like it but I neither found it humourous nor interesting but yes star cast acted well including nenna Gupta and especially Dadi..

You can relate to it.

[bhuyanhassanul · 10/10 · 19 October 2018]

Best Bollywood movie of 2018 so far.Just a simple movie which is funny at times and can make you teary the next time.The movie will connect more to each and every middle class family of our country.Must watch for everyone.

Another brilliant satire on the Indian society

[bharalinikhil · 10/10 · 19 October 2018]

Name anything - Story, Acting, Funny Dialogues or Direction, this film has all of it with the word "Amazing" added to all the aforementioned words. For those people who think the Khans are ones who can make movies hits, they should watch out for Ayushmann Khurrana. The guy is very natural in his performance. But despite him being the protagonist of this movie, I feel the story is mainly about Neena Gupta's character. It is her character that faces a tough situation in life and decides to go through it anyway. Ayushmann Khurrana and the other characters are people who react on that situation. Hence I feel they are more like supporting characters.

The film shows how the society reacts to yet another taboo situation that is very unusual: parents having a baby again. The characters of Ayushmann Khurrana and Gajraj Rao are symbolic of the typical Middle Class people who are against it. The character of Sheeba Chadda (Renee's mother) is symbolic of the society itself that judges any person it wants to.

On the Writing & Direction part, I can't believe these are the same people who made Tevar. Tevar was a movie copied from the South while this feels more like an Original Story. Guess they have realised that proper observation and imagination can give really good stories.

On an ending note, I'm beginning to really like each and every movie that Ayushmann Khurrana is coming up with. All of his movies are getting a rating of more than 7 or 8 in this website and I hope this continues.