Sab Kushal Mangal

wogma rating: Add to that never-watched 'To Watch' list (?)

quick review:

Sab Kushal Mangal is what happens when you have a few good ideas but don’t know how to wrap them up together.

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Director: Karan Kashyap
Running time: 135 minutes
Genres: Comedy, Social
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Sab Kushal Mangal - Preview

As good as it is to see Akshaye Khanna in a film, it is disheartening to see him reduced to a caricature. That too, in a movie that looks shabbily written even from the trailer. A love triangle will stay a love triangle no matter how many angles you add to it, right?

It doesn’t help that glimpses of neither Riva Kishan’s performance nor those of Priyaank Sharma’s inspire you to make that trip to the theatre. So little to look forward to in the first film of the year. :(

Sab Kushal Mangal releases on 3 January 2020.

- meeta, a part of the audience

A wrong against a wrong doesn’t make it right.  Men’s families asking for dowry—wrong.  A gun being held on the men’s head to get them married to women whose families cannot afford dowry—still wrong.  But what if the man and woman in question like each other and want to get married? Well, it gets complicated when the person holding the gun falls in love with the woman. The kind of confusion that transpires in Hindi films. The sort of chaos that is neither a comedy nor romantic and loses the plot around its social commentary.

Meanwhile though, the actors lend the milieu and its characters a lot of credibility even though much of it is caricaturish.

The sparks of social commentary are unexpected but remain just that—sparks. There is talk about the meaning of consent and even how men don’t even know that something they do requires consent. But this isn’t explored further. On the other hand, the lead female protagonist, Mandira (Riva Kishan) does not wait for some man to solve her issues. But is her stance in the climax the way we want our girls to solve their problems—by using emotional blackmail.

Anyway, the climax seems like a last-ditch effort to finish things off by hook or crook. And not a thought-provoking one which the build-up in the story could have used. And thus the film comes across as a hotch-potch of ideas trying to breakthrough patriarchy and thus seem progressive. But in the end, you are left a little unsure. 

Meanwhile though, the actors lend the milieu and its characters a lot of credibility, even though much of it is caricaturish. Akshaye Khanna does creepy well, and his creepy-cum-innocence is slap-worthy—exactly the intention, I assume. Priyaank Sharma and Riva Kishan don’t let your mind wander though together they lack chemistry. In fact, they reminded me of the missing sense of togetherness between the lead pair in Jabariya Jodi, another film with a similar theme of forced marriages.

Both films also had seriously disappointing climaxes. Not that we were expecting any great shakes from Sab Kushal Mangal. In that sense, the flickers of things done well in the film are a bonus. And I am grateful for those.

- meeta, a part of the audience

32 reviewers(?) - 0 yays 14 so-so 18 nays

Warning: clicking on "full review" will take you to an external website that could contain spoilers.

So-So, by Subhash K Jha, Bolly Spice : ...It’s a ballsy film and fun to watch as long as the makers don’t take themselves too seriously. Sadly it’s the marginal characters who light up the screenplay while the central romance remains dimlit and dimwitted.... full review

So-So, by Subhash K Jha, Bolly Spice : ...secretes a droll humour, never quite culminating into a high-rise hilarity that I am sure the script must have intended in the ‘farce’ place.... full review

So-So, by Devesh Sharma, Filmfare : ...Summing up, Sab Kushal Mangal does make the right noises about how dowry still makes life hell for the girls and that they should be allowed to make their own choices. It asks questions but doesn’t offer any concrete solutions.... full review

So-So, by Madhuri V, Filmi Beat : ...'Zamana Badal Gaya' has some funky lyrics which register on your lips. Shriya Saran's special song, 'Nayi Wali Jab' leaves you squirming in your seats. The rest of the tracks have nothing to offer.... full review

So-So, by UDITA JHUNJHUNWALA, FirstPost : ...Will the women finally be allowed choose or will the men continue to call the shots? The song ‘Zamana Badal Gaya’ pays lip-service to changing gender dynamics, which, besides Papu’s beliefs, is the only evidence of the commitment of the film to gender equality.... full review

So-So, by Vishal Verma, Glamsham.com : ...SAB KUSHAL MANGAL – the ‘Kushalta’ of Akshaye Khanna makes it a ‘mangal’ experience when he is on screen otherwise…... full review

So-So, by Ambika Sachin, Khaleej Times : ...Sab Kushal Mangal is a film that's confused about its own intentions. Watch only if you are an Akshaye Khanna fan. And hopefully, the sequel (the message is loud and clear at the end of the movie) will be built around a more robust and feisty story between Baba and his 14-year-long romance with Nilu.... full review

So-So, by Ambica Sachin, Khaleej Times : ...Supriya Pathak and Satish Kaushik who play Pappu's parents and Rakesh Bedi who essays Manda's father, in fact, do more to keep us entertained.... full review

So-So, by Mayank Shekhar, MiD DAY : ...Akshaye Khanna plays a Bihari don, Baba Bhandari — full of desi swag and rustic twang, which anyway is an inspired casting decision. Don't think he's done anything even remotely similar before. Some of the comic dialogue writing is top-grade.... full review

So-So, by Priyanka Sinha Jha, News18.com : ...Sab Kushal Mangal does have a few redeeming features but it is unlikely to make the list of memorable comedies in Hindi cinema. A pity really, for a good comedy, would have been the perfect way to kick off the New Year.... full review

So-So, by Prasanna D Zore, Rediff : ...Kashyap's adept handling of the film in the first half and most of the second does not justify the manner in which the film ends.... full review

So-So, by Nandini Ramnath, Scroll.in : ...Babu’s attempts to transform himself into a metrosexual has its moments, and his self-regard is always on point in a comedy that is stretched to its limits. Some of the dialogue, by Brijendra Kala, is very funny, and the stop-start wackiness delivers when it is allowed to interrupt the stilted and unengaging romance.... full review

So-So, by Gaurang Chauhan, Times Now : ...Overall, Sab Kushal Mangal has an okay first half and a boring second half. Akshaye Khanna is the sole saving grace of the film unworthy of his talent.... full review

So-So, by Ronak Kotecha, Times of India : ...What works against the film is not its story but the execution that suffers from weak writing and missed opportunities for an impactful social satire.... full review

Thumbs down, by Urmimala Banerjee, Bollywood Life : ...Sab Kushal Mangal could have been a decent situational comedy with better writing and editing. It is an average film that won't give you a headache nor would it leave you satisfied.... full review

Thumbs down, by Urmimala Banerjee, Bollywood Life : ...The film is shot in Jharkhand and we get to see real colours of small-town India.... full review

Thumbs down, by ARNAB BANERJEE, Deccan Chronicle : ...This is Khanna’s solo after a long time and the first hour is a breeze with him hogging more than his share of screentime, and making good use of it too.... full review

Thumbs down, by Varun HK Read more at: https://www.deccanherald.c, Deccan Herald : ...The script also lacks any coherency, which may be a new low for mainstream Bollywood. Read more at: https://www.deccanherald.com/entertainment/dh-talkies/nothing-kushal-or-mangal-here-sab-kushal-mangal-review-790978.html... full review

Thumbs down, by Devesh Sharma, Filmfare : ...Newcomers Priyank Sharma and Riva Kishan are confident youngsters showing enough spark for you to wish that they should have started their careers with a better film... full review

Thumbs down, by Madhuri V Read more at: https://www.filmibeat.com, Filmi Beat : ...Veteran actors like Rakesh Bedi, Satish Kaushik and Supriya Pathak end up with half-baked roles. Read more at: https://www.filmibeat.com/bollywood/reviews/2020/sab-kushal-mangal-movie-review-and-rating-akshaye-khanna-priyaank-sharma-riva-kishan/articlecontent-pf305245-293554.html... full review

Thumbs down, by Udita Jhunjhunwala, FirstPost : ...The song ‘Zamana Badal Gaya’ pays lip-service to changing gender dynamics, which, besides Papu’s beliefs, is the only evidence of the commitment of the film to gender equality.... full review

Thumbs down, by Chaitanya Karthik, Fully Hyderabad : ...The writers evidently didn't care much for any of the characters apart from that of Baba Bhandari, just like how they didn't care much for the issue they wanted to tackle.... full review

Thumbs down, by Manjusha Radhakrishnan, Gulf News : ...Akshaye Khanna tries to breathe life into the poorly scripted film and fails... full review

Thumbs down, by Shubhra Gupta, indian express : ...Pity because both debutants (she is the daughter of Ravi Kisan, he is the son of Padmini Kolhapure, both solid actors) have a confident presence. And Khanna, lips characteristically pursed, shuttling between small-town-goon decked out in white-on-white-pant-shirt and a made-over metro type desperately trying to sip black coffee, is laugh-out-loud funny in places.... full review

Thumbs down, by Shubhra Gupta, indian express : ...The writers try and stitch together a comic yarn by slinging Pappu, Mandira and Baba into a romantic triangle, but it all comes off as a long, aimless plod.... full review

Thumbs down, by Umesh Punwani, koimoi : ...Harshit Saxena’s songs add fuel to the fire of absurdness going through the film. All of them are just to fill in the gap and serve no purpose. Even the background score isn’t memorable.... full review

Thumbs down, by Umesh Punwani, koimoi : ...there’s not a single thing to carry out with you.... full review

Thumbs down, by Mayank Shekhar, Mumbai Mirror : ...as an audience, when the premise, let alone the story, doesn't work for you, it's best to be distracted by things that do. Because you're in; make the most of it. From that perspective, gotta say, for a movie by a first-time filmmaker, this is quite solidly directed — with some fine performances, and general attention to detail over the lehja and mahaul of the East India that the film is set in... full review

Thumbs down, by Kunal Guha, Mumbai Mirror : ...The above premise has enough fodder for drafting silly sequences... full review

Thumbs down, by Priyanka Sinha Jha, News18.com : ...What works in the film’s favour is that the director draws confident performances from newbies Priyaank Sharma and Riva Kishan, both progenies of accomplished actors.... full review

Thumbs down, by PRASANNA D ZORE, Rediff : ...There are many hilarious moments and nifty dialogues by Brijendra Kala and, of course, the supporting cast that includes stalwarts like Supriya Pathak Kapoor, Satsih Kaushik and Rakesh Bedi.... full review

Thumbs down, by Nandini Ramnath, Scroll.in : ...Some of the dialogue, by Brijendra Kala, is very funny, and the stop-start wackiness delivers when it is allowed to interrupt the stilted and unengaging romance.... full review

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This page has additional observations, other than the ones noted in the main review.

Parental Guidance:

  • Violence: People forcibly getting other people married with a gun to their head, a show of wanting to commit suicide
  • Language: Clean
  • Nudity & Sexual content: One item number with suggestive choreography
  • Concept: A man is kidnapped to be forcibly married to a woman, they run away from each other only to fall in love with each other.
  • General Look and Feel: Nothing out of the ordinary. Plain story-telling.

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Sab Kushal Mangal - Cast, crew, links

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135 minutes
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