Badhaai Ho

At a juncture in Puri Jagannadh's underrated film Neninthe, director Harish Shankar laments the fact that he has to write stories centred around mass-murdering heroes. After hearing this comment, a commoner retorts, "We have to watch these movies because you make these movies. Don't forget that Shankarabharanam and Sagara Sangamam were hits because we watched them." He concludes by daring filmmakers to do better and dream better. That man was a conduit to an emotion shared by millions across the country. And Badhaai Ho is a film aimed at appeasing that man.

Set in a middle-class....