Thank You For Coming features power-packed ensemble headlined by Bhumi Pednekar and solid performances from Shibani Bedi, Natasha Rastogi, and Sushant Divgikr.
Director: Karan Boolani
Cast: Bhumi Pednekar, Shibani Bedi, Dolly Singh, Kusha Kapila, Shehnaaz Gill, Pradhuman Singh Mall, Natasha Rastogi, and Dolly Ahluwalia
Where to watch: Theatres
Rating: 3 stars
Bhumi Pednekar is Kanika Kapoor or as they call her, Kaandu Kanika, a content creator and a single woman in her 30s. She wants her partner to be as romantic and devoted as Shah Rukh Khan's Veer Pratap Singh from Veer-Zaara. But, in her search for that one true love, she has had a fair share of relationships right from her schooling till now, but nobody could give her the utmost sexual pleasure. While Kanika looks to fulfille her desire of an orgasm in this two-hour film directed by Karan Boolani in his debut, we have a female buddy comedy, which is good in parts but doesn't come together as a whole.
Kanika lives with two women at her posh Delhi home, her grandmother Kishori Kapoor (Dolly Ahluwalia) and her gynaecologist mom Bina Kapoor (a brilliant Natasha Rastogi). The latter chose not to marry Kanika's biological father as she didn't want a 'tick-mark' marriage. The scenes featuring the three Kapoors are some of the most tender moments in Thank You For Coming. Kanika's girl gang has Pallavi Khanna (Dolly Singh) and Tina Das (an excellent Shibani Bedi), her two best friends from school who stand by her in her escapades until the very end. While Pallavi is married but her husband isn't happy with the manner how she dictates some of his life decisions, Tina is a single mother with a teenage daughter Rabya with her own character arc in the film, which felt too rushed.
Among the men in Kanika's life, we see delightful cameos from Anil Kapoor (who has also co-produced the film), Kanika's professor with whom she had an affair, and Karan Kundrra, Kanika's blind date on her 32nd birthday. Sushant Divgikr plays Rahul, Kanika's ex with commitment issues. The reveal behind his decision to avoid sex with Kanika shouldn't come out as a surprise as Sushant is a well known personality. The 1991 indie track Pari Hoon Main is recreated after 32 years for his stunning sequence in the second half.
After facing rejections from these men, Kanika finally decides to settle down with Jeevan Anand (Remember Pradhuman Singh Mall who played Osama Bin Laden in the two Tere Bin Laden films?), who is as devoted as Veer Pratap Singh but absolutely lacks Shah Rukh's romance. At their roka, Kanika gets sloshed and when she finally wakes up in the morning, she realises she has had her first orgasm the previous night, but the twist in the tale is she doesn't remember out of all the men mentioned here, whom she slept with. The second half revolves around how Kanika deals with her own insecurities and fears as she, Pallavi, and Tina begin their search operation to find the elusive guy.
Thank You For Coming features power-packed ensemble headlined by a brilliant Bhumi Pednekar and solid performances from Shibani Bedi, Natasha Rastogi, and Sushant Divgikr. Shehnaaz Gill and Kusha Kapila are completely wasted and apparently cast just for their Instagram following. The humour lands, the dialogues are solid, and some emotional scenes are terrific. Also, the music and background score suit perfectly well for the film. But the problem lies in the execution. I wonder why did the makers decide to show the entire first half summarised in a two-minute trailer, which also included more than half of the punchlines in a film. The writing, from Radhika Anand and stand-up comedian Prashasti Singh, could have worked with slightly more depth and subtlely.
The Ektaa Kapoor and Rhea Kapoor production lacks originality. The main narrative of jotting down the pieces of puzzle to recollect the happenings from an eventful night reminds one of the Hangover franchise and finding that person who gave Kanika her first orgasm might take you back to another Hollywood hit, Mamma Mia. Also, the whole climax sequence with Bhumi and school kids shouting 'smash the patriarchy' juts out as inorganic in the sequence of events.
But to be fair, Karan has actually succeeded in his intention of making an impressive female buddy saucy comedy, filled with right amount of humour and emotions. At just under two hour length, Thank You For Coming is a breezy watch and should work well, not just for chicks but also for the bros.
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