Badhaai Do 2022 Movie Review

『A Struggle for True Freedom Within a Disguised Marriage』

🎥 Movie Overview

🎬 Title: Badhaai Do (2022)
🌍 Country: 🇮🇳 India
🎞️ Genre: Comedy / Drama / Romance
⏳ Runtime: 147 min
📢 Director: Harshavardhan Kulkarni
🖋️ Screenplay: Harshavardhan Kulkarni, Suman Adhikary, Akshat Ghildial
📺 Platform: Netflix, theatrical release in India and abroad

👩‍💼 Cast: Bhumi Pednekar – Suman ‘Sumi’ Singh
Chum Darang – Rimjhim Jongkey

🧩 Story Deep Dive (Spoilers)

👩‍❤️‍👩 The Secret Deal Between Shardul and Sumi

The story revolves around Shardul, a gay police officer, and Suman (Sumi), a lesbian PE teacher. In their early 30s, both are constantly pressured by their families to get married. Once they discover each other’s sexual orientation, they agree to a “Lavender Marriage”. Outwardly, they act like a married couple to satisfy their families’ expectations, but in reality, they live more like roommates, each seeking the freedom to meet their same-sex partners.

🩵 Living Together in Loneliness and the Arrival of Partners

After their marriage, Shardul and Sumi both pursue relationships. Shardul secretly dates his boyfriend Kabir, while Sumi falls in love with Rimjhim. When Rimjhim eventually moves into Sumi’s apartment, the façade of the fake marriage becomes even more complicated. Though they share physical space, relentless family surveillance and constant pressure to have a baby leave them both feeling intense isolation even within their real relationships.

🔥 Coming Out and a New Form of Family

When family pressure peaks, Shardul’s mother accidentally discovers Sumi and Rimjhim’s relationship, causing everything to unravel. Shardul eventually comes out as gay to his family, which leads to shock, anger, and grief on their side.

After much conflict, Shardul and Sumi decide to maintain their “lavender marriage,” but in order to shield themselves from social pressure and to build a stable household, they choose adoption. The film ends with Sumi’s family accepting Rimjhim as Sumi’s partner and one of the child’s parents, as they all participate together in a traditional family celebration. This closing scene suggests a new family model where tradition, modernity, and genuine love coexist.

🦋 Emotional Resonance and Thematic Meaning

🎬 The Real-Life Dilemma of “Lavender Marriages”

Badhaai Do is rare in Indian cinema for directly addressing the idea of a lavender marriage. More than just a comedic setup, it reflects the desperate strategies LGBTQ+ people sometimes choose in a society where homosexuality, though decriminalized, still faces heavy social stigma and where same-sex marriage remains legally unrecognized.

The marriage was meant to be a tool for “freedom,” but it instead provokes even tighter family interference (especially the demand for children), pushing the protagonists into a kind of “glasshouse existence”. The film sensitively portrays how a lavender marriage may provide temporary relief but often comes at the cost of suppressing one’s true self.

🎥 A Call for Dialogue with Family and Society

The greatest strength of this film lies in how it avoids framing queer lives solely through “suffering” or “struggle.” Instead, it treats them as ordinary love stories. Sumi and Rimjhim’s relationship, as well as Shardul and Kabir’s, unfold with the same ups and downs as heterosexual couples—quarrels, reconciliations, and everyday intimacy.

The family dynamics are particularly realistic. Parents’ shock and disapproval do not vanish overnight; rather, time and love gradually lead them toward acceptance. In the final scene, when Sumi’s father welcomes Rimjhim as family, the film underscores that what queer people often long for most is not legal recognition alone, but the heartfelt acknowledgment that comes from within the family.

📝 A New Benchmark for Queer Bollywood Cinema

Badhaai Do retains Bollywood’s trademark humor and warmth while tackling weighty themes such as same-sex marriage, adoption, and lavender marriages. More than simply spotlighting queer characters, the film boldly challenges India’s conservative family structure by inviting audiences to celebrate (“Badhaai”) new forms of love and family. It stands out as a progressive and essential work in Indian queer cinema.

🎯 Personal Rating

💕 Love Scene Intensity: ♥
⭐ Overall Rating: ★★★★☆