Wedding Anniversary review: When a director forgets why he is telling a story

No matter what the genre of a film, its basic aim should be to tell a story. But many a times filmmakers forget to ask why they wish to tell a particular story. This question hovers over Wedding Anniversary for its entire duration.

The next question is, what prompted a respected and veteran actor like Nana Patekar to do a film which is hardly even a film?

When you don’t have a proper story, it is probably a good idea to name your central character Kahani. Wedding Anniversary revolves around the first marriage anniversary of Kahani (Mahie Gill) and Nirbhay. Kahani arrives in Goa to celebrate her special day. Her husband is scheduled to arrive later as he has an important presentation to be made in Mumbai. The couple chose Goa because they had met each other for the first time in Goa. 

Kahani has some grand plans for their special day. But her excitement is transformed into anger when she gets to know that Nirbhay will be late. He suddenly gets a lucrative offer from another company and needs to complete the formalities, due to which he decides to take a later flight.

While an irritated Kahani waits for Nirbhay, a stranger arrives at the place unannounced. He is the famous author Nagarjun (Nana Patekar). What is the purpose of his visit?

In the first few minutes itself you realise that the film is not up to the mark. The opening song features the carnival of Goa in which a girl is seen trying too hard to be "cool". The film only goes downhill from here on. The events, situations and conversations constantly force you to ask what the hell is happening. 

But if you are a seasoned trashy film lover, you will find plenty of unintentional laughter. Here’s revisiting some of these events:

– Gill’s character walks into a spa to get a massage. She randomly starts sharing her entire love story with the masseuse, who is a complete stranger. In return, the masseuse gets emotional and shares her sorry romantic tale. The scene has no relevance to the story.

– Gill is alone in the house wearing only a kurta when a stranger (Patekar) walks in. She berates him for this but doesn’t try stopping him even when he roams around the living room making philosophical rants.

– After the lady discovers the man is her favourite author, she starts a monologue criticizing herself in a loud voice while moving about in her lawn and compound.

– She happily lets him in without asking the purpose of his visit. The two talk as if long-lost friends.

– In one of the scenes, Gill walks into a cake shop and says, “Show me a cake as beautiful as me.” Really?

– A foreigner is clicking pictures of a private part of a beggar in exchange of money. This angers a local man and he impulsively decides to marry the beggar!

– The hearing ability of Gill and Patekar’s characters is incredible. They can eavesdrop on people speaking inside a boat which is far away from the shore. And this is just one example of their incredible talent. 

– In the second half, Patekar’s character goes completely into philosophical mode. He doesn’t speak a single sentence like a normal person.

– Amidst all this, the makers sneak in not one but two item numbers. During both songs it seems someone just changed the channel.

The unintentional laughter is broken in between when you wonder why Patekar did this film. His mannerisms and dialogue delivery are impressive. But they hardly matter here. The content also makes Mahie Gill struggle. Well-known Marathi actress Shruti Marathe is wasted in an item number. Priyanshu Chatterjee has nothing to do in his cameo.

Shekhar S Jha has been a cinematographer before. The film boasts of some impressive camerawork, especially with a hand-held camera. Perhaps, this is the only good thing about this whole film.

Overall, Wedding Anniversary is a fine reminder for upcoming filmmakers why it is necessary to know why they are making a film.

Reviewed by Keyur Seta