Ghudchadi review: Another formulaic rom-com without soul

Despite a strong cast and good music, 'Ghudchadi,' with its lack of emotions and originality, fails to deliver, making it a forgettable experience.

The bar is low for Bollywood rom-coms, buried deep in the ground. Romantic comedies keep coming out, but none have any real emotion, no heart. Directors seem to be using the same formula without adding any thought, feeling, or creativity. The result is boring rom-coms that make you yawn instead of giving you butterflies. Binnoy Gandhi’s 'Ghudchadi' is yet another similarly dull rom-com. Chirag Sharma (Parth Samthaan) is an enthusiastic and smart businessman who sells undergarments for a living. He lives with his widowed father, Colonel Veer Sharma (Sanjay Dutt), and his rude, casteist grandmother, Kalyani (Aruna Irani). Devika (Khushalii Kumar), a marketing head, lives with her mother, Menaka (Raveena Tandon), a businesswoman. Chirag falls in love with Devika, while ex-lovers Menika and Veer reunite and decide to marry each other. However, Kalyani opposes both couples due to caste differences, leaving them struggling to get married.

Also Read: It Ends with Us review: Wattpad-like story with ambition for depth

Watch the trailer here:

Ghudchadi starts off poorly. The script jumps from one event to another, trying to finish the story but drags on unnecessarily. None of the actors, including Dutt and Tandon, deliver convincing performances. Samthaan tries his best, but his character seems arrogant rather than confident. The background music and supporting characters try too hard to make you like Chirag, but it ends up being annoying. The dialogues are the worst part; the lead couple call each other "Mr. Cool" and "Ms. Hot," and the hero, while flirting, promises that he and the underwear he's selling will both provide love, care, and commitment. Other gems include, “Independent businesswoman. Tumhari bachpan ki aadat ab tak nahi gayi” and “Mujhe yaha feel aa gayi hai.” For a film that heavily relies on romance, there is zero chemistry between both the couples. The film wants to sound liberal but it ends up sounding crude. 

Ghudchadi deserves some credit for becoming more sensitive towards the end, even though it uses the same familiar themes. It attempts to show the loneliness people experience and the companionship they need in old age. Although it doesn't do it well, it tries to support intercaste marriage (but only between two people from upper castes). The best part of this film is probably its songs. They are misplaced and sometimes unnecessary but the only thing that evokes emotions in the film is the song "Rote Rote."

This film has good actors, good songs, and a strong script, but it's missing the most important part- effort. As a result, Ghudchadi a movie you can easily skip!

Ghudchadi is currently streaming on Jio Cinema.