Before we review this over-hyped piece of garbage, let us put certain "perspectives" in place, especially in the Indian context:
1. Being a housewife is a "sacrifice" and a "torture" as compared to being a working wife.
2. Devoting time to one's family is a "challenge" and an excuse to weep / grumble
/ scowl.
3. All men are boors.
4. Men have all the good things in life. They do not sacrifice their hobbies, personal interests etc, for the sake of a career and earning money in this cut-throat world. Their struggles in the professional world mean nothing.
5. If a woman reacts, physically or otherwise, it's her right, since she is the "victim."
6. If a man reacts, physically or otherwise, it's because he is the villain of the piece.
7. The Indian housewife's story is the eternal sob story, although her contribution to the family (leave aside earning) is much lower than the comparable western woman's, who does everything imaginable, because her conditioning is like that.
Now coming to the film itself, we see sub-stories of couples, all of which have "sacrificing" women and insensitive men. However, one sub-story spins out of control, as during the hurly-burly of a party, a husband slaps his wife. No doubt it is bad. But we have to see the context of the moment. The husband means no harm, he has no issues either way - he actually loves and depends on his wife, but he gets into an argument with a colleague which turns ugly and the wife drops into the middle of the brawl. Now, in such a situation, anybody could have got hurt. Unfortunately, in this case, it is the wife. And therein starts the rigmarole of domestic violence, legal separation, divorce, hidden skeletons in cupboards, grim faces, sad looks, martyrdom feelings. In another sub story, a senior lady lawyer apparently has a fling with a restaurant chef, because her husband, who is a Judge, btw, is not that.. uh .. good. It is not clear, why he is bad. But the fling is justifiable, nevertheless.
In another sub-story, we see an aged couple, with the mother complaining how she left singing and dancing to be an ideal housewife. Heck, most boys leave their sports interests, singing, dancing and guitar playing, once they get out of college and get busy in earning a livelihood and associated family pressures. But no matter. If a girl leaves these, it is another supreme sacrifice.
This film is so skewed that one can write an essay on its loopholes, and yet be incomplete. Such films play important roles in sexual stereo-typing and become a rallying point for social media affectionados and Twitterati. They have no substance whatsoever. No message to give. No entertainment worth the name. Only an endless 2 hour journey of moralizing, sermonizing and glum faces of characters suffering from matyrdom syndrome.
