Avni and Ronit Bagchi’s journey was nothing more than a roller coaster ride. And they’re not ready to overcome all sorts of hurdles in hosting a big Punjabi wedding – dealing with picky relatives, keeping the wedding on a budget, and keeping the temperature amidst all the chaos. Will their relationship affect the process?
Only in recent years has the public recognized the value of actors:
Who can be funny on screen? The cast of Happiness Ever After is none other than Navin Kasturia and Harshita Gaur may be formidable actors, but they have great chemistry as a couple.
There’s something unfinished when the two appear together on screen. It’s a mix of uninspired script, stunning performances, with a sense of timing. Shivankit Singh as Mani and Gurprit Saini as Rishi don’t have much work in their less established roles.
Rajiv Hannah is as annoying as an arrogant uncle (I’m still not sure if that’s a compliment). Ramna Wadhavan remains a confident figure amid all the mediocrity that surrounds him.
Happiness Ever After tries to be a Karan Johar-meets-Made in Heaven universe. But it’s not quite as good as the first, nor is it as realistic as the second. A couple’s struggle in choosing between a simple and spectacular marriage, facing budget constraints, inflated egos, meaningless superstitions, fluctuations in their equations during coordination – writing explores society through the prism of marriage and relates situations on many levels. But the soul of Happiness Ever After is lost out of nowhere. From a great script to a show for the small screen.
With marriage in mind, this show mixes two traditions that Bollywood has always wanted to introduce – Punjabi and Bengals. The main reason Happiness Ever After is unable to connect with the audience is the fragmented story.
The non-linear storytelling in different timelines adds more confusion to the show and doesn’t leave enough time for viewers to connect and invest in the character’s journey. The lines are hilarious, but the lead and supporting cast are short.
A lot of unnecessary subplots add to the chaos that eventually turns out to be.
Ronit’s cousin’s s*xuality, problems with his engagement over the holidays (which drove the main couple out of the relationship), his greed and supposed shameless handling of life and relationships, the story of a widow who lost her husband at a young age, the ambiguity of the story deepens.
The series calls for a heartbreaking moment when the couple bond – instead, it focuses solely on their struggles. This makes the show bitter rather than sweet.
The tone of the series is also inconsistent – always unsure if it wants to be chunks of life or splendour and clunky moves. The forced branding is so intimidating for the flow of the show – it’s annoying that the makers are still making excuses for convenient advertising loans of SBI and Pond products in the middle of nowhere.
In addition, the protagonist causes so much hysteria that you don’t want to expect a happy ending for the couple. This is not the vibe that a couple’s journey to marriage should emit. The audience’s happiness is the reason why the show ends.
What is a show for a Punjabi wedding with stupid music? There is no distant beat or enthusiasm in the background music and musical life of composer Gaurav Chatterjee. Cinema is one of Happiness Ever After saving factors – thanks to its visual prowess, it doesn’t let the show sink in so quickly.
Major editing decisions for Winnie N. Raj could go a long way in making this mediocre show memorable – the torn story is just torture to watch. His writing style is partly good and partly amateurish. However, Happily Ever After has the most doubts when it comes to performance.