Husband Material

Bollywood royal Abhishek Bachchan makes his much-anticipated return to the big screen in Husband Material. Playing opposite rising star Vicky Kaushal and newcomer Taapsee Pannu, Bachchan takes a surprising role in this spin on the classic romantic triangle. Since the film springs from the imagination of Mumbai maverick Anurag Kashyap, Husband Material goes beyond the archetypal masala movie into something refreshingly new. Rummi (Pannu) is a free-spirited young woman. She lives with her extended family in Punjab state, doing her best to be a good daughter. But youthful desires have led her to Vicky (Kaushal). With his impulsive nature and shock of dyed-blue hair, he's the excitement she wants right now. How long can they keep their trysts secret from her family? As it turns out, not long. When they press Rummi to accept marriage to a mate chosen by a matchmaker, Robbie (Bachchan) enters the picture. Is he the partner he appears to be? And is either of the men in Rummi's life true husband material? Working from a screenplay by author Kanika Dhillon, who wrote the satiric novel Bombay Duck is a Fish and co-wrote Shah Rukh Khan's superhero movie Ra.One,

Kashyap strikes a knowing tone with this film. The arc of the story celebrates Bollywood tradition, with its love complications and family obstacles. But the feel is up-to-the-minute, with daring scenes unimaginable a few years back. That's not simply a matter of the few risqué elements Kashyap's fluid camera captures. There's also a deeply affecting maturity in the way Husband Material explores those first flushes of both desire and disappointment. With memorable music by Amit Trivedi (Dev.D, Queen) and inventive dance sequences that echo the action, Kashyap's latest is a pure pleasure to watch.