Let me tell what I thought of the movie before I tell you why. Vivaah is a typical Suraj Barjatya film, its very sweet (sometimes enough to give you a toothache), a bit melodramatic and innocent.
For all people who’ve experienced a young arranged marriage, it will for sure take you back to your engagement days and that I believe is exactly what the director was trying to do. Agreed its overstretched but whats a hindi film without some overstretching!
Simple, small town girl Poonam (Amrita Rao) is to wed Delhiite rich boy Prem (Shahid) in what is a completely arranged affair. Vivaah is a story of this engagement to the wedding. The story begins with Alok Nath giving a background on Poonam. She is the orphan of his brother and has been under his care since she was very little much to the dismay of his own wife played by Seema Biswas. He has a daughter of his own known as chhoti in the film who is very close to Poonam.
The enagagement seemed a little rushed (to me) since the larka-walas had only come to see the girl. All of a sudden the same evening, the couple are engaged! ok, even in filmi world thats too fast! conveniently, the larka walas had gotten all the stuff for the engagement with them (hmm... wonder if they hadnt liked the girl or vice versa!). anyway, in true barjatya style there is an enagagement followed almost instantly bya family picnic. The shy young couple steal glances and special moments to speak to each other and there’s a lot and I mean a lot of sharmana!! There is a bhabi (obviously) who absolutely dotes on Prem (obviously) and arranges these stolen rendezvous for the young love-birds.
Three quarters of the movie is about this - so thats what I meant by giving you a toothache (and maybe a little headache). then comes the twist - I wont tell you what but it serves to give the movie its finishing touches else you would truly wonder what the last 2 hours of the movie and albiet your life were about!
It is like HAHK - true but arent all barjatya films. I was thankful for the lack of jhatak matak clothes and a birthday, sangeet, pooja function every 10 minutes!
Vivah is not a superhit not even close but its a sweet film, cuz i’d like to believe that innocence (ok maybe not that much) still exists.
PS: Note to mr. barjatya: maybe he should have explored the relationship between seema biswas and amrita rao.