Girlfriend Review: One of the Finest Rom-Coms in Indian Cinema!

• Review: Girlfriend
• Director : Upendra Sidhaye
• Star Cast: Amey Wagh, Sai Tamhankar, Rasika Sunil, Isha Keskar, Suyog Gorhe, Kavita Lad, Yatin Karyekar & Sagar Deshmukh
• Screenplay: Upendra Sidhaye
• Producer: Anish Jog, Ranjit Gugale, Afeefa Nadiadwala Sayed, Kaustubh Dhamne, Ameya Patil & Salil Datar

Quick Viewpoint: ‘Girlfriend’ is a smart emotionally strong romantic comedy that both addresses the typical traits of the genre & also redefines most of them on it’s own! It also incorporates the changing definition of love in today’s social media savvy world.

What Works? 

• To start with, both Amey Wagh and Sai Tamhankar are exceptionally good in the film! Especially Amey has totally succeeded in convincing us that ‘Nachya’ is a real person with real issues and real fantasies! He uses a completely different physicality and mannerisms than his previous roles. Whereas Sai’s portrayal of ‘Alisha’ adds a unique sense of wonder to the film (talking more about her would be spoilers) along with her usual charm. And their chemistry together is what elevates the film overall, otherwise the narrative of the film might have felt a bit fabricated.
• Writer-director Upendra Sidhaye has crafted the film in two clearly distinct segments; up until the interval and after the interval. Both halves still work even when narratively the twists are a bit hard to believe. The strangeness of the second half is a bit difficult to digest at first (even when we are thoroughly entertained in the journey) but slowly as the characters before us start unveiling their inner natures & their chemistry starts mingling together, in no time we buy the strangeness! The film in fact celebrates “strangeness” in many ways.
• For the first time in Marathi cinema we are seeing actual understanding of our new social media infused societal culture. No longer can we have a private life when we have chosen to have people surrounding us. We are judged everywhere & in every way now. The film doesn’t criticize this new societal behaviour but it recognizes all of that. And in a rom com genre that is no lesser accomplishment to start with!
• A recent Hindi film ignited a debate about glorification of morally wrong things done by the “hero” of the film. Here, there are a few morally questionable things that our “hero” indulges in, but the contrasting approach given to the character of the “heroine” completely baffles our train of thought and makes us feel stupid to even think of anything of this sort in the first place! Now that’s what good story tellers do, they smartly manipulate you! 
• Girlfriend’s another big strength is that it never lets us realize how beautiful it is technically and how much hard work has been done by every department of the film! Later when the film keeps lingering in our mind we realize all those little details that made the film so wholesome!

What Fails? 

• Nothing. Absolutely.

Final Verdict: Urban Rom Coms made anywhere in India today are slightly similar to each other consciously or otherwise. But ‘Girlfriend’ stands out in all of them because of it prioritizes the people in the love story more than the love story itself! As we only buy into the love story when we love the people in it!