What a lovely story this film is. It starts off a little bland - we see a rather aimless guy who we don't immediately sympathise with and the entire sperm donation track is too quick to ring true. Indeed, it takes time to pick up, but when it does, it does so with unusual panache, humour and heart, and there's no looking back. The love story between the male lead and his love interest turns out much more affecting that one would imagine given the light tone that precedes it.
Vicky Donor is one of those films which revive an old middle-of-the-road style, very reminiscent of the style of Hrishikesh Mukherjee and Basu Chatterjee classics, by bringing back a much-missed energy of simplicity to mainstream Hindi cinema, very real and authentic, with great dialogue, lifelike situations, smart comedy based on the tiniest nuances, and above all, celebration of the Indian culture and lifestyle, particularly among middle-class families.
One of the film's most entertaining sequences happens when the lead pair decide to get married. Cultural and communal differences soon arise among their Punjabi and Bengali families in the form of vocal recycling of the most familiar of ethnic stereotypes by each sectorial group against the other. This part of the film is written with such wit and affection for each community that it becomes much more than just a comic commentary on prejudice.
This part is greatly played by the wonderful character actors. Obviously, Dolly Ahluwalia is stupendous throughout, bringing layers and credibility to what could have been a caricature. The same is true of Kamlesh Gill, who is amazingly authentic as the playful grandmother, who might be the oldest in the house but by far the worldliest and less bigoted. In smaller parts, Jayant Das is hilarious as the Bengali father and Swaroopa Ghosh is effective as his sister.
The film naturally belongs to the brilliant Ayushmann Khurrana, who was a promising new find then, and today it's clear to what extent. Yami Gautam is luminous. Her delicate, angelic beauty along with her radiant screen presence make her a most convincing love interest even if acting-wise she could have been a little better. Doubtlessly, the driving force of this film is Annu Kapoor as the fertility expert in a wonderfully transformative comic act.
The film's seemingly main theme of sperm donation is revealed to be no more than a nice gimmick or, at most, a recurring comic motif which infuses the film with symbolic heft. What lies at the heart of this film though is the romance, which culminates in a phenomenal musical number, "Pani Da Rang", sung beautifully by Khurrana himself. Sadly, there are flaws, including some poor dubbing and predictable moments. But Vicky Donor remains fresh and interesting.
Vicky Donor is one of those films which revive an old middle-of-the-road style, very reminiscent of the style of Hrishikesh Mukherjee and Basu Chatterjee classics, by bringing back a much-missed energy of simplicity to mainstream Hindi cinema, very real and authentic, with great dialogue, lifelike situations, smart comedy based on the tiniest nuances, and above all, celebration of the Indian culture and lifestyle, particularly among middle-class families.
One of the film's most entertaining sequences happens when the lead pair decide to get married. Cultural and communal differences soon arise among their Punjabi and Bengali families in the form of vocal recycling of the most familiar of ethnic stereotypes by each sectorial group against the other. This part of the film is written with such wit and affection for each community that it becomes much more than just a comic commentary on prejudice.
This part is greatly played by the wonderful character actors. Obviously, Dolly Ahluwalia is stupendous throughout, bringing layers and credibility to what could have been a caricature. The same is true of Kamlesh Gill, who is amazingly authentic as the playful grandmother, who might be the oldest in the house but by far the worldliest and less bigoted. In smaller parts, Jayant Das is hilarious as the Bengali father and Swaroopa Ghosh is effective as his sister.
The film naturally belongs to the brilliant Ayushmann Khurrana, who was a promising new find then, and today it's clear to what extent. Yami Gautam is luminous. Her delicate, angelic beauty along with her radiant screen presence make her a most convincing love interest even if acting-wise she could have been a little better. Doubtlessly, the driving force of this film is Annu Kapoor as the fertility expert in a wonderfully transformative comic act.
The film's seemingly main theme of sperm donation is revealed to be no more than a nice gimmick or, at most, a recurring comic motif which infuses the film with symbolic heft. What lies at the heart of this film though is the romance, which culminates in a phenomenal musical number, "Pani Da Rang", sung beautifully by Khurrana himself. Sadly, there are flaws, including some poor dubbing and predictable moments. But Vicky Donor remains fresh and interesting.