Movie Review: Vicky Donor (Hindi) 151

“Vicky Donor” is all about dealing with a taboo subject with humor. Keeping with the trend of multiplex cinema, it is made for urban audience who prefer a smart film packed with laughs. And, made on a low budget, first-time producer John Abraham has got it right in the first go; all credit to him for attempting a bold theme!

Dr Baldev Chaddha (Annu Kapoor) runs a fertility clinic in Delhi. He has a large clientele of childless couples who have specific demands of how they wish their children to be. But Chaddha is at a loss as he is unable to find the right sperm donor to meet this demand. One day, he spots Vicky Arora (Ayushman Khurana) and things change.

Vicky is a jobless 25-year old happy go lucky Punjabi boy who spends his time playing cricket and hanging around spends his mother’s money on shopping. Noticing his good looks and his stress-free lifestyle, Chaddha is sure that he has found his catch. So as to salvage his floundering business, he hounds Vicky and lures him to the job.

Although Vicky is initially reluctant, he falls for the money as Chaddha milks him for all his worth. With money comes success, but he can’t explain his profession to his widowed mother (Dolly Ahluwalia) who single-handedly runs a beauty parlor or his doting and forward looking grandmother (Kamlesh Gill). Things get further complicated when he finds his love, Ashima Roy (Yami Gautam).

The comedy is simply amazing with its outstanding one-liners that had the audience in splits. It could be the way they introduce the subject, or when they portray the characters’ inconvenience with it. There is also some inter-regional humor with a Punjabi-Bengali wedding thrown in.

Ayushman Khurana, a find from season 2 of MTV roadies had established himself as a popular VJ and television anchor and this is his first tryst with films. Still, he gets into the skin of his character comfortably. He is complemented by Yami Gautam, also making an effective Bollywood debut after a stint on TV and regional cinema.

But the film is not just about the lead actors. There is Annu Kapoor who is surely set to win some awards as the supporting actor. Dolly Ahluwalia has done well too. But, Kamlesh Gill has some of the best lines and stands out in a very comic role.

Low budget approach is evident in its production design as it hardly has any expensive sets or big stars. Its well written script by Juhi Chaturvedi is its biggest investment and the biggest asset. There is only one bit where the movie falls short of being awesome; the editing. The second half could have done with a bit of snip here and there.

The film also has a strong Delhi flavor to it and many lines peppered with Punjabi. That also includes its songs ‘Paani Da Rang’, ‘Mar Jaiyaan’, ‘Rum Whiskey’ which are runaway hits already. For director Shoojit Sarkar, who last made ‘Yahaan’ a serious movie seven years ago, ‘Vicky Donor’ is his second film and first ever comedy.

Considering its theme, “Vicky Donor” obviously carries an ‘Adult’ rating and the humor may not be palatable to everyone. So, if this ever hits the small screen, most of its best lines could be muted. So, better catch it now when on the big screen.

Rating 7/10: It’s all about ‘fertile’ comedy!