Photo Credits: movie review- Shaandar
Director: Vikas Bahl
Starring: Shahid Kapur, Alia Bhatt, Pankaj Kapur, Sanah Kapoor
Shaandaar, is the kind of fairy tale your parents read to you at bed time when you were little, complete with the evil grandmother, shunned daughter/grand daughter, greed for gold and a happily ever after ending.
One fine day, Bipin Arora (Pankaj Kapur) brings home a little girl Alia (Alia Bhatt) to be raised by the family, giving no explanation as to where she came from. While Eesha (Sanah Kapoor), the daughter of the family is loved and pampered to the core, barring Bipin, who she fondly calls 'Bips' and Eesha, Alia is treated with disdain by Bipin's catty wife and his money-minded stern mother. Also, Alia is an insomniac, who spends her nights eating bananas, reading books, going for midnight swims and talking to a frog named Ashok, much to the despair of Bips who hopes for the day when the girl will get a good nights sleep. As the time comes for Eesha to get married (or rather to seal a business deal), Jagjinder Joginder (Shahid Kapoor) makes his appearance as the wedding planner. Jagjinder is so entranced with Alia from the moment he sets his eyes on her that he sees dragon flies and rose petals all around her. And if you think that's stupid, wait until you see Eesha's future family make their appearance, decked out in blinding gold, with a gold gun to complement the look. Oh and the head of the family is supposedly best buddies with Queen Elizabeth and Michael Jackson who are both Sindhis. Okay then!
Interestingly Jagjinder is also an insomniac and we soon see Alia and he get together for midnight rendezvous' where they do fun activities like peel fevicol off the palms of their hands. As expected papa dear has a problem with this growing closeness and tries his best to keep them apart. But then Jagjinder stumbles upon a secret of his, that could hamper the loving relationship he shares with Alia. Meanwhile Eesha discovers that her to-be husband is a nit-wit who cares for nothing else apart from his 'eight pack and a half' and loves to 'fat-shame' her. Will she go through with the marriage to save her family's honour?
The tussle between Bipin and Jagjinder will make make you laugh alright, but if there's one aspect that truly shines in this movie it is the beautiful settings. The grand castle where the grandmother resides, the horses and the elaborate wedding detailing will completely wow you and almost make you forget the silliness therein.
