“Batti Gul Meter Chalu” REVIEW: The film fulfills its main purpose.

There are films that focus on the content, message, and purpose of the film in a fresh and focus manner, and then there are those films that become handicapped due to a formulaic set up, even if the major purpose is to communicate a relevant message. For example, in Hindu cinema we may see thrillers, horror films, comedies and even fantasy dramas, but many of them will have a love story at its core. This either consists of 1 guy and 2 girls or 2 guys and 1 girl or 1 guy and 1 girl. “Batti Gul Meter Chalu” also starts off as a love story, and then starts focusing on the main crux. Nothing wrong with this, and at some level it works.

The story is simple. Nauti (Shraddha Kapoor), SK (Shahid Kapoor) and Tripathi (Divyendu Sharma) are friends who live in the small town of Tehri in Uttarakhand. The trio is inseparable and their dosti is rock solid. But life takes a turn for the worse, when Tripathi’s new business set-up is slammed with an exorbitant electricity bill of 54 lakhs. So the first chunk of the film focuses on the trio. The friendship is depicted naturally, and each character has a motive. This works. Another aspect that works, in terms of the screenplay, is that the issue of electricity in the village is seeded in from the beginning. So the issue doesn’t appear suddenly when Tripathi’s business is affected. The second half is where the drama really begins. It begins right at the court. The screenplay moves much faster from here. One main strength of this film is how it tries to avoid getting preachy. The dialogues and situations blend nicely with the message that the film is trying to convey. The message definitely reaches the audience.

Now for the flaws in the screenplay and story. One just wishes for a fresher approach to the plot. Also, it takes too much time to get to the main point of the film. The screenplay takes too much time in the first half, establishing the relationship between Nauti, SK and Tripathi. Another turn-off was some of the humour. It didn’t gel with this type of film since some of the jokes seemed sexist, for the sake of cheap laughs. Also the character of the judge seemed like a caricature, and was made out to be too comical. It doesn’t work. Lastly, the film almost hits 3 hours. It’s generally too long and can get overbearing at times. The cinematography showcases the locales beautifully. The beauty of Uttarkhand is captures well. The editing could have been more crisp. The music is ok, nothing extraordinary, but it goes with the movie.

Everyone’s performance is note-worthy. Shahid Kapoor stands out, with a wonderful transformation. We connect with his character the most. Divyendu impresses with a restrained performace. Shraddha plays the ‘seen to death’ small town girl, but does it with ease and brings her own quality to the character. Yami Gautam is decent in a small role.

Over all, “Batti Gul Meter Chalo” is a one-time watch, and definitely fulfills its purpose even if it isn’t perfect.

RATING: 3 stars