Abstract
- Director Karan Boolani delivers an interesting and deserving sex-positive film that focuses on the on a regular basis issues of ladies in India.
- Bhumi Pednekar’s star flip as Kanika Kapoor provides laughs and life classes, together with her comedic timing and chemistry with co-stars carrying the film.
- Whereas the movie’s giant solid limits in-depth exploration, Pednekar’s standout efficiency and the film’s huge coronary heart make it a pleasant and satisfying watch.
Director Karan Boolani has helmed an image that calls for — and deserves — to be talked about with Thank You For Coming, which is celebrating its premiere at Toronto Worldwide Movie Pageant. The sex-positive film was written by Radhika Anand and Prashasti Singh, and the feminine gaze is refreshingly current all through the practically two-hour runtime. Thank You For Coming comes near being a definitive intercourse comedy for girls, with Bhumi Pednekar’s star flip providing laughs and life classes to spare.
Pednekar performs Kanika Kapoor, a vibrant lady in her early 30s whose free spirit and progressive views on intercourse and marriage haven’t helped her on the subject of the artwork of orgasms. Although her single mom (who’s herself a gynecologist) confidently assures her that it is males who’re responsible for the truth that 70% of ladies do not expertise them, Kanika nonetheless can not help however really feel she is flawed in a roundabout way. Together with her finest associates Pallavi (Dolly Singh) and Tina (Shibani Bedi) in tow she embarks on a journey of self-discovery that manages to incorporate an organized marriage, an unthinkable betrayal, and the artwork of self-love all in the midst of not more than every week.
Whereas India could also be fascinating the worldwide market with epics like RRR and the upcoming Kalki 2898 AD, Thank You For Coming as an alternative shines a light-weight on the on a regular basis issues of ladies in India. However whereas Kanika is particularly bucking in opposition to the traditions of her tradition, her story is a common one given the overall lack of intercourse schooling and true equality anyplace on the earth. Fortunately, each screenwriters and director know find out how to keep away from didactic cliches, relying as an alternative on Pednekar’s innate comedic timing and chemistry together with her costars to hold the film.
A way of predictability does set in after a drunken evening and her personal hazy reminiscence ship her on a manhunt for the elusive frog she could have kissed and become a prince, however Thank You For Coming stays true to kind and would not accept a pat fairytale ending. Actually, far more than her lukewarm engagement to the loyal Jeevan (Pradhuman Singh Mall), or her short-lived dalliances with any variety of exes, the guts of the movie lies in her friendships and household connections. One of many standout plotlines is when her good friend’s teenage daughter Rabeya (Saloni Daini) decides to observe in her Aunty Kanika’s footsteps, just because the results are explored in an trustworthy and sudden method.
Those that are used to the grandeur of Bollywood could also be shocked by the preponderance of premarital intercourse (although it’s far more usually spoken of than seen) in addition to by the sheer lack of musical numbers, however relaxation assured that there are just a few prolonged dance sequences that can fulfill. Maybe the largest disadvantage of the movie, which is in any other case pleasant enjoyable, is that the solid is just too giant to accommodate in-depth exploration. The generational and interpersonal bonds that join again to Kanika are all sturdy and immersive, however when characters have to relate to anybody else, there is not a lot to say.
After all, Pednekar’s mild shines so shiny that it is a simple drawback to disregard, but it surely does make the film’s message much less impactful. Kamika is herself such a novel character that her makes an attempt at social insurrection do not essentially mirror the remainder of the ladies within the solid, and whereas she is extraordinarily relatable, the one-size-fits-all conclusion is a bit too comfortable for a few of the different issues the screenplay hints at. Nonetheless, Thank You For Coming is nothing wanting time made all of the sweeter due to its huge coronary heart.
Thank You For Coming premiered on the 2023 Toronto Worldwide Movie Pageant and is at present searching for US distribution. It has a runtime of 116 minutes and isn’t but rated, although it has a content material advisory for coarse language, mature themes, and sexual content material.