Gay love stories are funny. But this time, the joke is on homophobia.

Thereâs a clear distinction between previous efforts at these kinds of films and SMZS - the latter is razor-focused on not just normalising same-*** relationships, but doing so in tier-two/tier-three cities. Having said that, the space and city where the film is set has no relevance whatsoever to the story.  But for this alone, the film deserves considerable merit and reflects a welcome change in Bollywoodâs dynamics - but the question remains - how did they sell it?

The story opens up with Aman Tripathi (Jitendra Kumar) and Kartik Singh (Ayushmann Khurranna) - a young gay couple that finds themselves in love.  Thatâs the only detail we get to know about them because well, what more do you need to know about them more than their sexuality?   

Both of them have different viewpoints regarding how open they are about their sexuality -- Kartik, had come out to his father, he doesnât give a hoot about people who may judge or ridicule him. Meanwhile, Aman (who is the reserved, thoughtful part of this couple as opposed to Kartikâs flamboyance) is terrified of coming out to his family, fearing that their small-town ideals wouldnât ever be able to accept him for who he is.  

With Kartikâs sunny disposition behind them, itâs only a matter of time before they make their way to Allahabad to convince Amanâs orthodox parents to approve of their relationship. All this happens over a simple conversation in a parking lot almost ridiculing the amount of mental pressure it takes for a person to come out to their families. This follows the age old tradition of instant transformations in Bollywood. If only all my troubles could die with a monologue, alas!

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Cut to them ending up on a train bound towards a family wedding. Where Goggles, played by Manvi Gagroo, is getting married to a guy much older to her. On the train,  Jitendra and Ayushman are caught kissing by Amanâs father Shankar Tripathi (played by the exceedingly talented Gajraj Rao). Nothing much happens here - the father is so repulsed by what he sees, that he reacts by literally throwing up.

In the midst of a subplot bringing together black cauliflowers, curfews and some pretty hilarious dialogue, Aman and Kartik finally decide to ramp up the PDA to 100% - making out in the middle of the wedding theyâve attended. Closeted to exhibitionist in two nights, well that escalated quickly. 

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Amanâs uncle, essayed amazingly well by Manu Rishi, throws a jacket over them, only for them to continue kissing while Amanâs parents look on in bewilderment and shock, the mother trying to seek some kind of normalcy in front of the big reveal. Kartik is sent away while Amanâs family processes his sexuality through all seven stages of grief - from confusion to desperate religious measures and everything in between.

Hereâs the thing - weâre quite doubtful that an orthodox family would react to such an event with mere surprise. While Amanâs father does react with threats of suicide and later on in the film attacks Kartik with a lathi, most characters in the film are ignorant at worst and curious at best. In the end, Amanâs parents don`t entirely let go of their homophobic beliefs, but they also admit that the changes cannot happen to them overnight.

Director Hitesh Kewalya seems determined to avoid getting too intense with the message he wants his audience to take home - and perhaps this might be the gentler, more realistic way to open them up to discussing the topic with family. But while doing that, he forgets to add more layers of romance between the two boys except a couple of kisses and verbose monologues. When we create a straight love story, the romance involves lot many layers than what Hitesh expressed here. A simple bike ride is the only space where we get to see more layers of romance.  

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But the film does answer a lot of questions an otherwise ignorant person would have towards same *** relationships. An inquisitive uncle even poses the question - âDo people decide to be gay, or are they simply born that way?â It all serves as a surrogate for the viewers, and while it is a middle-ground approach, we think it works. 

As for the performances, the acting in this film is fantastic all across the board. Jitendra Kumar is very much the focus here, and his demure yet grounded and realistic portrayal serves as a firm anchor for the rest of the filmâs actors, most of which give an earnest, solid effort that helps elevate a script that falters with some of itâs jokes. The stand outs however are the others. Gajraj, Neena, Rishi andSuneeta Rajwar deliver stunning performances. Perhaps an unexpected disappointment crops up with Khurranaâs Kartik - who seems far too much like a caricature in front of his co-star.

In summary, the film is snappy, quite entertaining and marks a supremely important social change in Bollywood -- making self-aware swipes at old-school Amitabh Bachchan-style portrayals of men, and Laila-Majnu heterosexual-romance tropes.

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