Ritu's Reviews

As NRI’s living in America traditions have been modified. In the old days wedding matches would come through relatives, word of mouth that so and so is “of age”, or through the matrimonial section in your local newspaper. But now living abroad even parent’s have become savvy with the Microsoft era and logged on to Shaadi.com to find the appropriate match for their otherwise pre-occupied son or daughter. Vivaah is the story of a present day couple that gets engaged the traditional way and their journey to marriage. See if the ideals of the Bharjatiya’s will sit well with you.

In this day and age where career comes first for both; educated guys and girls, Vivaah re-institutionalizes the virtues that marriage acts as a backbone to success. It shows how goals can be better achieved with a partner who’s actually your support vs. an obstacle. A classic view and presentation, this Bharjatiya film gets back in alignment with the good old wholesome Rajshri way. It goes back to the roots of Indian tradition and shares a beautiful message.

Sooraj Bharjatiya begins with a sensitive narration by Alok Nath gently unraveling the bond between a father and his precious daughter to set the tone. The film is throughout emotional, with light humor and tear-jerking moments.
The dialogues are well penned for the most part, barring some predictable lines. Alok Nath and Amrita Rao give the film a warm feel with the affectionate relationship they share and the intro scene where Shahid and Amrita meet leaves an impression.
Shahid Kapur instills lively vigor in his character, portraying it sensibly. Amrita Rao suits the part and uses her facial expressions to emote, as her character doesn’t have much to say. At times the innocence of her character is overkill, a blunder on the part of the writer. Alok Nath is superb and Anupam Kher is very good. Seema Biswas is full of conviction. The rest of the supporting cast portrays their roles with confidence.

The cinematography is low-grade. While it uncovers the beauty of India, the technical finesse of the film is poor. The entire film has a dated look as if it was shot in the ‘80’s with low-grade technical equipment.
Rajshri films never fail when it comes to good music, but in Vivaah they don’t quite impress. “Milan abhi aada adura hai” is the one song that follows you, since its repeated every so often.

The story will strike a chord with conventional audiences but risks being rejected by contemporary viewers. Conventional audiences will appreciate this film that instills the rich sanskar, morals, they were raised with, while contemporary audiences will find the film to be very idealistic. It would have done a better job of reaching out to all audiences had it not been filled loads of melted Velveeta cheese. Some moments in the film are just too cheesy and sappy to be a hit with modern youth, while others are far too dramatized and unbelievable. At some point you want to say, "Give me a break!! Are you kidding me?!". After all, what girl doesn't say anything the entire time she meets a new guy and what couples in this day and age don't care to meet more than once and decide its done in the first meeting? It's just not a film of today's senses. Where you have the "Dil Chaata Hai's", "Saalam Namaste's", and "Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna's", showing progression in sync with current trends and youth, Vivaah puts you in a time machine and takes you back to the basics.

Still, all said and done, the film is touching. Even if it’s idealistic, it’s surely something to strive for. If you can look beyond the film lacking any sass and accept it for a simple story with an honest message, you’ll enjoy it. Vivaah journey’s through Ritu's Reviews with 3 stars.

Vivaah gives Rajshiri fans what they miss seeing – wholesome family entertainment with values.