5 Thoughts I Had About The 14 Phere Trailer: Vikrant Massey Is On Fire, And Gauahar Khan As Delhi Ki Meryl Streep Looks Promising!
I once heard the story of a friend’s friend, whose family was opposed to love marriages. So she and her boyfriend came up with an elaborate plan of registering on matrimonial websites and then pretending that they’d found each other there. To this date, their families think their kids had an arranged marriage. And the couple also got lucky that they belonged to the same caste and had no other issues that could become a hurdle in their marriage. Not every couple can pull it off though. Some have to go through the grind a few times to be with the one they choose. And in this new film directed by Devanshu Singh, starring Vikrant Massey and Kriti Kharbanda, 14 Phere, the couples have to literally get married twice, with fake families et. al, to avoid the family drama that might arise from their inter-caste marriage. The 14 Phere trailer dropped today and…. sigh, the things we do for love.
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Wait, actually not love. The things we do for our society. Because love is pretty simple. Love is love, and it can happen at anytime, with anyone. But it is these norms of the society, which draws these caste and religion lines, and family members who enforce it at the cost of their children’s happiness, that force Romeos and Juliets to risk mortal danger in pursuit of their happiness.
The trailer begins with the guy, Sanjay (Massey) meeting the girl, Aditi (Kriti) in college, falling in love and living together in the city, away from their families. Alas, it’s a temporary loan and soon enough it is time to pay it back, with interest. Since they know their families won’t agree, because they belong to different castes, the two hatch an elaborate plan to have two weddings. They hire two actors to play fake parents; once of the bride, so they can get married with the blessings of Sanjay’s real family, and once of the groom, so they can get married again with the blessing of Aditi’s real family.
If it sounds super confusing, then let me assure you, it is. And the trailer too has these moments of exposition that might make you scratch your head. But this is the gist of it. One set of fake parents, and two weddings to appease both sides. It’s a given now that the plan is not going to go down smoothly, despite all the detailed planning. So everything up till the planning stage will be laughter and fun. And I am guessing, it’s after the first wedding that Houston, we might have a problem.
The film, which is being billed as an entertaining social comedy, is written by Manoj Kalwani and produced by Zee Studios. It additionally stars Jameel Khan, Gauahar Khan, Vineet Kumar, Priyanshu Singh and more.
Here are five thoughts I had about the 14 Phere trailer:
1. This is Vikrant Massey’s world and we’re all just living in it.
I’ve always thought Vikrant Massey is really good actor. But with his every film, the guy makes me blush and mush over the serious eye candy that he is becoming! Massey fever is legit, because I think the man’s already on every single OTT platform that matters, now including Zee5. I don’t think there’s anything the man can’t do, and despite the dubious morality of Haseen Dillruba, I really enjoyed watching him in it.
So, let’s just admit that we’re in peak Vikrant Massey season and we’re loving every minute of it!
Also Read: Haseen Dillruba Review: A Treacherous Mistress That’s Morally Ambiguous But Absolutely Engrossing
2. They had me at Gauahar Khan as ‘Delhi ki Meryl Streep’!
The film boasts of veterans like Vineet Kumar and Jameel Khan, who have never disappointed. I know that I’m in for a good time when actors like these are on screen. But I think the moment that the trailer really ‘had’ me was when I saw Gauahar Khan playing the actress hired to play fake mom to the leads. She proclaims herself Delhi Ki Meryl Streep, and while for some reason that reminded me of Kangana Ranaut comparing herself to the Oscar-winning Hollywood star, I have a feeling Khan’s version is going to make us laugh, more than cringe at the comparison.
3. The chaos will bring comedy for sure. But I will be paying particular attention to the ‘social’ messaging in 14 Phere.
The film is a social comedy that looks all fun and two long cons, but is actually addressing a very grave, very rampant social issue in India. Inter-caste marriages are a big bone of contention even now amongst communities, not just in rural areas but even in those communities that claim to be educated and modern. Moreover, while the couple in the film could probably get away with a happy ending somehow, that’s not the ground reality.In fact, I think a scene in the trailer perhaps alludes to honour killing?
So it will be interesting to see how 14 Phere tackles its ending, and the social message that ought to be addressed to the older generations that try to dictate the lives of their children in the name of caste and religion.
4. I LOVED filmmaker Devanshu Singh’s last outing, Chintu Ka Birthday. So consider my expectations high!
If you haven’t seen Chintu Ka Birthday, then you’re missing out on a very good film! I also nailed the social message at the heart of the film that had its funny and heartwarming moments too. So I hope we get to experience the same with Singh’s 14 Phere.
5. Finally, something I can watch with the fam, so I hope it doesn’t disappoint.
These days, when a film that looks like a half-decent family entertainer comes, I get excited because I can watch it with family. Lately, everything just wants to go dark and intense, and it’s been very few films, like Sherni, Ramprasad Ki Tehrvi, Pagglait, that I’ve been able to enjoy with the fam, without worrying of awkward silences and fast-forwarding. So please be nice! *crosses fingers*
14 Phere premieres on Zee5 on July 23, 2021.
