Hyderabad Blues 2

I had watched this flick long, long, long back and didn't enjoy it as much as the 1st part then. Watching it again today made me appreciate it more. This movie has many flaws but the underlying story, situations and what Kukunoor is trying to portray is so real. I haven't seen another movie about marriage which makes you think so much. 


It stars Nagesh Kukunoor, Jyoti Dogra, Tisca Chopra, Elahe Hiptoola and Vikram Inamdar. 
Jyoti replaces Rajshri in the lead role and I hate this woman. She is so ugly but worse... has a weird left eyebrow. I have watched her in serials and can never understand the deal with her eyebrow. Like, why. Why are her eyebrows not of the same shape? 

The story in brief:
Varun (Nagesh) and Ashwini (Jyoti) are happily married and living in Hyderabad. Varun has left USA and started a call centre in India which is doing quite well. Ashwini is opening her clinic. By Indian standards, they are a successful couple and lacking for nothing. But, Ashwini wants a kid since they have been married for 6 years and Varun does not. When Varun hires Menaka (Tisca) at his call centre, he comes close to cheating on Ashwini. Or rather Menaka tries to seduce him but he does not give in. 

*Whether he was wrong or right differs from people to people. It depends on how you define 'cheating'. Technically, he didn't even touch Menaka but he did think about sleeping with her. Is that cheating*

Anyway, Ashwini finds out and throws him out of the house. Varun moves with his parents and is served a divorce notice. He begs and pleads but Ashwini does not give in. They get divorced and Varun leaves for USA. Or does he? He does not since his friend Sanjeev (Vikram) booked him onto the wrong flight and Ashwini realizes what a daft idiot she is and proposes to him. 
And then they live happily ever after. Or do they?

Some highlights:

- How do you define cheating? On one hand I believe that humans are not meant to be monogamous. If we were, monogamy would come naturally to us. I also believe that once you commit to a person, you stick to it as long as it feels right. And when someone breaks that commitment by cheating, it's not because there is something wrong with the relationship it's because there is something wrong with the person who has cheated. 

- Also, what is cheating? I think the lines are different for anyone. For some guys (I know some of them), their wife/gf talking to other men is cheating... for others, it maybe flirting... for others, it is thinking about sex with someone else... and for still others like me, it's going far enough to get physical (not hugs and stuff) with another person

- My favourite parts were Varun's conversations with his parents. At one point he says 'Who needs enemies when you have parents?' which is so damn true. His parents rant about reputation and family honour when Varun is getting divorced and just like any normal person he is horrified that that's what is bothering them and not that his life is falling apart. And then the killer... his parents want him to get married again as soon as he gets divorced. Typical.

- There is a point in the movie when Varun's parents go to meet Ashwini and convince her to get back with Varun. Ashwini is touched by the gesture and almost gives in. TILL his parents start the crap about how it's a woman's job to compromise even if the man is wrong etc etc. That's when she goes ahead with the divorce. Well, any normal woman with dignity would have been pissed off and gotten a divorce just out of spite. Completely relate with this.

- I loved Sanjeev and Seema (Elahe) relationship. How Seema wears the pants in the relationship and tricks Sanjeev into having kids. It's quite a contrast from their arranged marriage where Sanjeev had the upper hand and kept saying 'I am the King'.

I liked the movie. Nagesh Kukunoor does make you think. He touches on some very relevant points and this makes me love him even more.