Karan Boolani’s film, about a woman entering her 30s who’s never experienced an orgasm, conflates a search for sexual pleasure with a search for ‘prince charming’, an antiquated, not to mention far-from-feminist ideal. Sex comedies can be a revolutionary genre, especially in India where sex is still a taboo. And particularly when it comes to women, whose sexuality continues to be heavily policed. The comedy, directed by Karan Boolani and written by Radhika Anand and Prashasti Singh, stars a strong female cast, with Bhumi Pednekar in the forefront, flanked by the coterie of Shehnaaz Gill, Kusha Kapila, Dolly Singh and Shibani Bedi. The story revolves around Kanika Kapoor (Pednekar) — a typical dilli ki ladki who calls her friends ‘kutti’, drinks like a fish, and is terrified of ageing. In a drunken monologue on her 30th birthday, Kanika’s lament about not finding ‘the one’ suddenly turns into an admission of never having orgasmed. Her search for sexual pleasure prompts her to agree to marry Jeevan Anand (Pradhuman Singh), whose name, as her friend points out, is literally a ‘life insurance policy.’ This sudden jump from orgasms to marriage is symptomatic of a broader confusion underlying the film — where a search for sexual pleasure is conflated with a search for ‘prince charming’, an antiquated, not to mention far-from-feminist ideal. “70% of women don’t orgasm during sex,” Kanika’s gynaecologist mother tells her, and while that might be true, how does getting married follow from that? It’s probably worth mentioning that though the film is about how female orgasms are underrated, when Jeevan Anand prematurely comes in bed, Kanika responds with a mix of embarrassment and disgust — followed by Jeevan apologising and being wracked with shame. What follows is a slew of pre-wedding sequences filled with song and dance, culminating in a night of drunken debauchery where someone makes Kanika orgasm. But the catch is, she doesn’t remember who, and here we get to the crux of the film: a long-winded search for this magical lover. Pednekar is stellar as Kanika, and brings a strength and authenticity to what could otherwise have been a rather frivolous character. Similarly, Dolly Singh and Shibani Bedi as the ever-loyal, raucous friends make for complete entertainment, and the trio’s constantly riffing friendship is one of the best parts of the film (though the plot imposes an awkward wedge between them, only to be resolved, absolutely unsubtly, in the climax). My personal favorite was Pradhuman Singh as the awkward, bumbling Jeevan, a perfect casting choice: a sequence where he is showing Kanika their new house, replete with the modern bathroom’s toilet flushing capabilities, is hilarious. Another hit for me was Shehnaaz Gill as Rushi, a character who has no compelling reason for being in the film, but lands up everywhere with her desi one-liners. You For Coming is an entertaining watch.
