Turning 30!!!

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

quick review:

It's awesome that a film with a non-glam lady actor in the lead was produced. It brings greater joy that the story is about an everyday girl and she doesn't have some high profile job or boyfriend/husband. Alas, all of this becomes "blah" before you know it. What could have been a celebration of all things woman might just make all women turning 30 into a laughing stock.

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Running time: 115 minutes
Genres: Comedy, Romance
More Movie Info

This is a country where the first attack of arthritis symbolizes aging. We dismissed my mom's menopause as random irritability. Making a big deal out of 'turning 30' is considered, at best, much ado about nothing. That does not make the problems facing the chic-urban-turning-30 any less important. Yes, they have it all, and they want more. And proudly so; even if they have to fight for it. In that sense Turning 30!!! could have been a very important film. But it turns out to be a drab narrative. You wait for the spark and you are kept waiting.

I consider myself a part of the target audience, I'm city-bred, so what if I turned 30 a little while ago. I might not be as chic as her, but I have more than a friend or two who are like the women Turning 30!!! talks about. Yet Naina (Gul Panag) and her friends don't even remotely touch me. I'd have wanted to smile with their jokes, nod at their insights about love, life and everything that goes with it. I'd have loved to cry with them too, but I cringed after the first couple of times I saw Gul cry. There's only so much of a grown-up woman you can see crying, after all.

The much talked about, and rightly so, Sex and The City hangover is as dreary and superficially profound as the original (go ahead, shoot me for killing your stereotype about all women liking SATC!) And yet, it wouldn't have been such a bore if it weren't so repetitive.

Fortunately, the writer/director is very open about showing a woman's sexual urges. Hindi films have after all, always been too shy to express sensuality. That her lust goes hand-in-hand with how desperate her love gets is a slice-of-life for any woman in love - age no bar. I also liked the hand homosexuality is dealt. Right from how close friends initially react to their lesbian friend coming out to them to how the larger group reacts to how everyone comes to terms with it.

Naina's struggle at work too is something that kept me going. It felt like the writer had some insight into a woman's aspirations at work; her frustrations with the macho men in her industry; and her struggle in getting what is rightfully hers. But, that too goes bust with a sorrily written climax.

That's the story of the film's life. There were many things going right, but sooner or later, they go flat.

Like a woman who's in her 60s is likely to say, celebrating or whining about a 30th is a thing-to-do by women who have it all and know nothing of real suffering and pain at the hands of their men. And this pain is physical versus the 'literal pain in the ass that her ex-boyfriend was', Naina is heard complaining about. But, that's for the 60-year old to say. We 30-Pluses had our chance and blew it.

- meeta, a part of the audience

36 reviewers(?) - 6 yays 7 so-so 23 nays

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

Thumbs up, bigoye.com : ...The director shows the emotional trauma of the protagonist in an impressive way.... full review

Thumbs up, by Smita, Desi Martini : ...The 3 girls Gul Panag,Tillotama Shome and Jeneva Talwar share a terrific chemistry.... full review

Thumbs up, by Komal Nahta, koimoi : ...it’s an honest attempt.... full review

Thumbs up, Movie Talkies : ...In a long time after 'Dor', Gul Panag finally gets a role which she can sink her teeth into and truly relish. This is one such role and the actress lives it perfectly.... full review

Thumbs up, by Nikhat Kazmi, Times of India : ...It brings to life living, breathing, flesh and blood female protagonists who face real problems in a rat-race world. ... full review

Thumbs up, by SpiceZee Bureau, Zee News : .... Director Alankrita Srivastava has created magic with her luminous effort to project a metropolitan woman... full review

So-So, by Vikramjit Singh, Desi Martini : ...Full credit to the director(Alankrita Srivastava) and Gul for keeping it real and not making the crying too melodramatic. Although Gul Panag's narrative tends to get monotonous and bores you in places. Having said that, I can't think of another actress who could've essayed it better.... full review

So-So, by Deepa Deosthalee, Film Impressions : ...Turning 30 tries to give them the light-hearted treatment, but it needed to be much sharper to make the trials of a modern single woman evocative. Having said that, the broad strokes don't take away the fact that such women do exist and that their stories are just as relevant.... full review

So-So, by Kakoli Mukherjee, fullhyd.com : ...the concept and contents of the film are as original as Anu Malik's tunes... full review

So-So, by Aakash Barvalia, Gomolo.in : ...On the whole, this film is like a must watch documentary film especially for only those women’s, to which the title is saying it all. ... full review

So-So, by Sonia Chopra, Sify Movies : ...Another sore point is the bizarre reaction of the friends when one of their partners is caught cheating... full review

So-So, by K K Rai, STARDUST : ...Purab Kohli, the television actor who plays the other love interest of Gul Panag in the film, comes out as honest and sincere in his performance. ... full review

So-So, by Kunal Guha, yahoo! India : ...Gul is endearing and you feel for her when she's down in the pits and teary-eyed (which she is through 70 per cent of the film)... full review

Thumbs down, by Naresh Deoshi, Apun Ka Choice : ... The humour in the film stays strictly sophomoric, and indeed, the angst and anxiety of the film’s nerve-wrecked heroine begins to look bloated as she runs pillar to post, parlours to spas, not knowing what she wants. ... full review

Thumbs down, by Roshni Mulchandani, Bolly Spice : ...Really, in this day and age, turning 30 is hardly a big deal especially since 40 is considered the new 30. And that said, another major flaw with the film is that it is predominantly in English which ultimately limits the audiences it will attract... full review

Thumbs down, by Taran Adarsh, Bollywood Hungama : ...The smart usage of humour in the narrative, in the first hour specifically, makes it all the more compelling....Alankrita's writing lacks the consistency of the first half in its post-interval portions... full review

Thumbs down, by Gautam Chintamani, Buzz in Town : ...Instead Naina’s journey of finding herself is so fraught with utter absurdity that one wonders whatever made seemingly intelligent women like Gul Panag and Tillotama Shome agree to something like this? ... full review

Thumbs down, by Rony D'costa, Desi Martini : ...The only thing that works for the film and feels real are the two friends of Gul Panang. ... full review

Thumbs down, by Rhea Srivastava, Desi Martini : ...The background score adds to the whining of this girl, and to the headache of the audience... full review

Thumbs down, by Payal Khanna, Desi Martini : ...The movie could me more than embarrassing rather than being anything near entertaining... full review

Thumbs down, by Deepa Gahlot, Film Impressions : ...Naina is a bore -- whiny and clingy to boot. The nth time she goes “uh-uh-uh” and makes a sobby face, you want to throw something at the screen. Her predicament is as superficial as the solution -- writing a book!... full review

Thumbs down, by Sukanya Venkatraghavan, Filmfare : ...This is one film that’s screaming itself hoarse, lying on the floor throwing a tantrum saying, “I’m cool chick flick. Can’t you see? I’m a cool, cool chick flick.” Therein lies the tragedy.... full review

Thumbs down, by Pankaj Sabnani, Glamsham.com : ...Naina's copious and tripe narrations throughout the film are uninspiring. And you somehow don't feel for her plight.... full review

Thumbs down, by Rajeev Masand, IBN Live : ...Gul Panag approaches the film earnestly, but turns it into a charmless take on Bridget Jones's Diary. ... full review

Thumbs down, by Kaveree Bamzai, india today : ...there's only so much of whining about Turning 30!!! that the viewer can take. Even if it comes with three exclamation marks.... full review

Thumbs down, by Shubhra Gupta, indian express : ...And the perky Gul Panag is the perfect choice to play a girl like that, whom one can bump into and recognize, not some illusory size zero female whose only job is to act as a clothes hanger for demented designers. ... full review

Thumbs down, by Udita Jhunjhunwala, Live Mint : ...lack of energy, pace or tangible storyline and stiff writing which, when translated into English dialogues, sounds like scripted speeches... full review

Thumbs down, by Tushar Joshi, MiD DAY : ...unlike Gul Panag, Renee Zellweger isn't paralysed by a half-baked script and a weak ensemble cast.... full review

Thumbs down, by Minty Tejpal, Mumbai Mirror : ...The spunky Gul Panag manfully does a "sagging boob" scene in front of the mirror in a ladies loo, but that still can't lift the film enough. ... full review

Thumbs down, by Anupama Chopra, NDTV : ...if turning 30 is so devastating, where does that leave us 40-year-olds... full review

Thumbs down, by Noyon Jyoti Parasara, Now Running.com : ...Turning 30 takes off very well but suddenly turns into a tripe plot. Repetition is a recurring issue in the film. ... full review

Thumbs down, by Namrata Joshi, Outlook India : ...I also lost count of the number of times 30 gets spoken but it sure sounds more ominous than 13.... full review

Thumbs down, by Raja Sen, Rediff : ...A film can't be both empowering and embarrassing -- and here the latter is painfully predominant. The problems the characters face might well be real; the film, however, is anything but. ... full review

Thumbs down, by Janhvi Patel, StarBoxOffice : ...On the bright side, the English dialogues are unapologetic and well-written, in sync with the characters who mouth them fluently... full review

Thumbs down, by filmbear, Upper Stall : ...a laborious watch... full review

Thumbs down, by Rumanna Ahmed, yahoo! India : ...it aspires to be a bold take on urban single women but remains merely a story about a heartbreak and how to mend a broken heart. ... full review

56 tweeters(?) - 34 yays 3 so-so 19 nays

zainabjabri: Turning 30... Awesome movie.. Go n watch

XzanderCage: Watched turning 30 .... Yesterday ... The movie was good ... But the second half was a bit too long to handle ....

Vishalanam: Turning 30.. Too realistic to be just a movie and yet with Happy Ending. I liked it.. Go watch...

vipulsatya: Turning 30 is a brilliant movie. A must watch. Worth every second. Simple subtle and brilliant acting by @gulpanag :) #10on10

uday_1991: I jst watched "turning 30", i lyk mvie

togetherinlife: Turning 30...great movie & then a gr8 time in Hard rock cafe.

thebongbabe: My take on Turning 30: Sexy, witty, smart and true to life!

sujayray: Best scene of Turning 30 was when @gulpanag was driving the RE Thunderbird, and best dialogue when Purab said "I can sink into her dimples"

sonaliranade: http://tinyurl.com/67sqdrl There are few movies made for urban working women. @gulpanag identifies us as nobody can. Go see the movie!!

ShutterCrazy: I did like #Turning 30. All the actors were great! Very real, didn't revolve around a hero! But I don't think 1/2

samirmansuri: gul u look really best on bike!!!!! ur turning 30 rocks,hop see u more like that...

rohitbio2007: Turning 30!! Nice movie

ravikapoor: Turning 30: It's about today's urban woman, her struggles & how she overcomes 'em. Absolutely loved @gulpanag's slapstick humor! #pass

rahulnanda86: Turning 30 in theatres today!! Do what it!! I loved it :)

piyal_mukherjee: Watched Gul Panag's rebounds on 'Turning 30' - Agree tht its more of a Chick Flick, but I personally liked the movie... Good one!

phalange_chips: had a really nice night! #watched Turning 30, had Subway Chicken Salad for dinner and to keep myself warm got me a #Costa Coffee :D :)

pallavikaa: My take on 'Turning 30': Not my type of movie but certainly recommended for Gul Panag fans, myself included. her career best: Dor, Manorama.

Nidhik20: In other news .. Just watched Turning 30 .. n trust me @gulpanag is just wowwww in d movie!!She hs acted so damn well .. Deserves an award.

musingsman: Battery dead last night..beginning the day about "Turning 30"...well done @gulpanag Paisa Wasool..wish more such realistic films wr made

Mr_Twirt: Turning 30 jus took me by surprise. The best thing I cud hav done this sunday :D @gulpanag u rock. 2nd movie in a row and u want me craving!

missmalini: Nice work @gulpanag @PurabKohli! Totally enjoyed Turning 30. Also the soundtrack is surprisingly good :)

lovableaarti: turning 30 good realistic muvi!

KadwaDhatura: Just watched 'turning 30.'@gulpanag again made me fall I'n love with her once again. Stoled all the accolades. #win

Jhunjhunwala: My weekend has started well.I've seen 2 awesome movies - @gulpanag 's Turning 30 and Yamla Pagla Deewana.Both Rock.

janiemarek: Turning 30 review: It has its moments but misses the mark: Despite this some people dread aging or in this case,... http://bit.ly/hX3elW

IamDeepikaRM: "@MissMalini: @Purab_Kohli I loved Turning 30!" Me too.. But I felt purab was very under used.. Looked sooper hot though!!!

HindiPoet: Turning 30 is awesome Movie .. a must watch .. GUL is best at act :) @gulpanag

hifiab: turning 30, a classical act, made 4 classes, but will fail to deliver commercially

awtaney: Turning 30: realistic screenplay.

arpanak10: Turning 30! is a good movie to watch :-)

anandpar: Turning 30... A tad pretentious maybe, but eminently watchable...

Amit_J: Turning 30 is a wonderful movie... It's a must watch #movie.

Abinash03111992: Luv d fact dt our cinema's evolving!With films lyk turning 30 actresses r also gett'g meaty roles! Viewer get 2 see sumth'g new! @gulpanag

aakanshasethi: Turning thirty is awesome! Must watch

shadanmd: Turning 30 is a decent movie..but didnt excite me much..as i hve already dealth with d idea at extent long back..bt the mvie will hve takers

PillaiMK: Somewhere down the second half, the script does slip into cliches and the phobia of turning 30 gets a bit exaggerated.

neenzin: Turning 30, poorly directed yet fun to watch! Loosely tries to adapt the carrie-big relationship.

vodkaholic: While the world goes gaga over Golden Globes, here's my review of Turning 30: Terribly disappointing. Second half was better. Purab is HAWT.

vishalmundra04: Huh...turning 30 seems to be a disaster...some cheap humor...all in all waste of time.

vidya83: If you cringe every time someone cries in a film, it must be bad. #Turning 30

veryvitriolic: Turning 30 is a monumental disaster. The definitive proof that being a stud girl on twitter doesn't add up to shit

tishya_khillare: Turning 30 was all bout Gul Panag and her clinging on to Rishabh. What an #EpicFail portrayal of an independent thinking Indian woman.

SudhishKamath: Turning 30: The writing! Fuck. The writing! Never thought a day would come when I would call Aisha a classic. Feel really bad for Gul 3.5/10

spotlessmind27: am really really sorry @gulpanag ...expected loads out out turning 30, super let down :(

sauravbhanot: Turning 30 was very bad ! Hated it!

saurabhtyagi: turning@30-a B grade Indian version of SATC..full of clitches abt urban Indian single woman..the intention was rite but the execution sucks!

price4u2: Turning 30!!! is a chick-flick that lacks fun: is a women-centric flick that takes inspiration from the 'Bridget... http://bit.ly/fygynM

nishioswal: Turning 30...Prakash Jha, after making some critically acclaimed n award winning films, something filthy like this is just unacceptable..

nabilazaidi: Bollywood should take my advice rather seriously - GIVE UP ON CHICK FLICKS... U CAN NOT MAKE EM! Aisha! Turning 30! #wtf

mugdhakalra: Saw one of the worst films ever 'turning 30'. What a disaster!!!

mirchiplex: Turning 30 gets 2 mirchi at #Mirchiplex meter http://bit.ly/f9kE3D

kranium256: Turning 30 IS THE SADDEST MOVIE OF ALL TIME!! AARRRGGGHHH!! It's got inconsistent acting and a whole bunch of things gone wrong. Argh.

iprasadpatkar: Trust me Turning 30 isn't as astoundingly painful as the film

Bhadauriya18: Turning 30 must be a nightmare. But I'm sure it isn't as agonizingly painful as the film.

annavetticad: My revw of Turning 30. Sad to say 'tis a silly film! http://annavetticadgoes2themovies.blogspot.com/

aneebunee: Saw Turning 30. Went in with no expectations & still came out disappointed. Story was ok. What happened with the dialogues, styling, acting?

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

Parental Guidance:

  • Violence: None
  • Language: Lots of abusive language and free expression of sexual needs and sexuality.
  • Nudity & Sexual content: Explicit making-out and love-making
  • Concept: The struggle of a woman who's just turned 30
  • General Look and Feel: Refreshingly not bright

Detailed Ratings (out of 5):

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Turning 30!!! - Cast, crew, links

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Running time:
115 minutes
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