In the mood to watch four women navigate the treacherous terrain of adulthood filled with minefields such as brutal break-ups, rocky relationships and a messy wedding? Look no further than Veere Di Wedding, the friendship romp starring Kareena Kapoor Khan, Sonam Kapoor, Swara Bhaskar and Shikha Talsania, which is out in the UAE on May 31.
Directed by Shashank Ghosh of Khoobsurat fame, the women in this bawdy romantic dramedy are flawed but fabulous. But before you venture into the cinemas, here’s a crash course on their characters...
Who: Sakshi Soni
Actress: Swara Bhaskar
You know her from: Nil Battey Sannata and Anaarkali of Aarah
Sakshi in her own words: “She’s a bit of a brat who is used to having her own way in life. She has this idea that her father’s credit card is going to solve all her problems and her friend’s problems too. She is lovable and she isn’t a bad person. She is blunt and always calls spade, a spade. Sakshi is also unpredictable.”
Sakshi in a nutshell: “She’s the wild one of the gang.”
The biggest challenge in playing Sakshi: “I have never played a character that who’s urbane, English-speaking and attending private schools. I have worked on my clothes and Rhea [Kapoor, producer and stylist] has kicked it out of the park here. My roles in the past were very rooted and real.”
Veere Di Wedding in her own words: “It’s a film that will make you believe in friendship and there’s a lot of warmth in this film… It’s the story of four women characters who are flawed and real.”
Her thoughts on playing a character that parties and cusses with abandon: “The whole point of the film was to show a section of society — four urban women in India living in a big city. They cuss, they go out with friends at night, they drink at parties… When we allow our heroes in our films to have these liberties, why are we not OK with women doing so? When men can be shown as angsty and commitment-phobic on the big screen, why do we put the burden of purity and niceness to women character?”
A film that showed women in realistic light: “Bollywood began to change with Tanu Weds Manu and that was the first film that I though represented a real woman.”
The best part about Veere Di Wedding: “It was liberating to be a part of a Hindi film where four women were not chasing the same guy or falling in love with the same man. It was also liberating to be a part of a women-centric film that is not about a social issue. Every film that is headlined by women in Hindi films doesn’t have to be a story of someone who has been raped. I am not saying anything is wrong with those films. Those are important stories to tell. But let us also have normal stories about women.”
Her thoughts on those who believe that being progressive does not mean being risque: “We never claimed to be progressive, feminist or whatever, please don’t put any such labels to our film. For me, Veere Di Wedding was an empowering film. We are not social activists. The burden of morality shouldn’t be on stories or actors. The burden of originality and being real should be on us. For me, Veere was an empowering film because we now have the courage to be flawed. If we can grant all our male characters that freedom, why can’t you grant the same freedom to your female characters? Secondly, did they have a problem with Gangs of Wasseypur? Was this question posed to Anurag Kashyap when all his male characters were swearing like fishermen? So their problem is not with swearing, it is with the women swearing. And that means you are a part of the problem of having a patriarchal mind-set. Feminism is not about swearing or drinking alone, it is also about choice and freedom. And if there are certain women who drink, smoke, swear and are sexually active as they are, we as women artists and filmmakers, producers and storytellers, must have the freedom to tell their stories.”
Her issue with labelling her film as a chick flick: “The problem with labels is that you are damned if you do, and damned if you don’t. It is a Catch-22.”
On working with Sonam Kapoor, her best friend in real life: “Sonam and I have worked together in three films. As long as everyone is aware and fairly realistic in their expectations of each other, then all’s good.”
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Who: Meera Sood
Actress: Shikha Talsania
You know her from: Wake Up Sid.
Meera in her own words: “Meera comes from a conservative family. She eloped and got married, but she returns to India to attend Veere’s wedding.”
Meera in a nutshell: “She’s fiercely loyal and protective about her friends”
Meera’s relationship status: “She’s happily married and shares a wonderful relationship with her husband. She has the most understanding husband and they are in love. But they haven’t had sex in a year.”
Her distaste for labelling her film as a chick flick: “Calling it that alienates a certain bracket of people. At the end of the day, it’s a story of four friends who are in different stages of their lives.”
Her biggest challenge: “I play a Punjabi and I am not one in real life. But I had some wonderful people helping me out to get the language right.”
On losing weight since her role in Wake Up Sid: “I led a disciplined life. I ate a lot, but I began eating the right kinds of food. I wasn’t starving at any point.”
Her go to film on friendships and bonding: “There are so many… Andaaz Apna Apna, Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, Dil Dhadakne Do to name a few.”
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Who: Anvi
Actress: Sonam Kapoor
You know her from: Neerja, Pad Man, Aisha
Veere Di Wedding in her own words: “It’s a beautiful film about four incredible women in their late 20s and early 30s. These women are in a very difficult stage in their lives and are in different stages of their relationship and marital status. One is married, the other is about to get divorced and there is another friend who’s about to get married and the fourth one is unmarried,” said Kapoor in an interview with Gulf News tabloid! in May.
On her character Anvi: “I play a lawyer, quite the perfectionist. She’s very ambitious, but also wants to settle down. I’m not quite like her in real life, but there were parts I could relate to.”
On getting the film funded: “It was challenging because it continues to remain a male-dominated industry. But finally, we got the budget we deserve.”
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Who: Kalindi Puri
Actress: Kareena Kapoor Khan
You know her from: Udta Punjab, Jab We Met
All about Kalindi: She’s the anchor of the gang and it’s her big fat Punjabi wedding with Rishabh (Sumeet Vyas) that brings the four friends together for a re-union. She’s vibrant, but is commitment-phobic.
Her thoughts on Veere Di Wedding: “It is an exciting story about four friends. Also, there are two female producers onboard [Rhea Kapoor and Ekta Kapoor] and that is also exciting. It’s a different time in the industry as people are watching more women-centric films. This is a lot more fun and nothing serious. Hopefully, people will enjoy it,” said Kapoor in an interview with IANS.
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Don’t miss it!
Veere Di Wedding releases in the UAE on May 31.
