Happy Family Review - A Conditional Fun With Peculiar Gujju Family

Family dramas are changing nowadays, for good and for bad, and that's what Jamnadas Majethia and Aatish Kapadia's Happy Family: Conditions Apply proves yet again. I remember watching the Khichdi serial in my childhood with my entire family, and then there was Baa Bahu Aur Baby, with a similar sense of humor (but more dramatic). The Gujju culture became known to more people nationwide and became popular by crossing the borders of the States. Happy Family attempts to recover those lost formulas, but had to go over the top for the sake of advanced filmmaking and the audience of today. It wins some battles and loses some, so overall it's like a half-win, half-defeat for the makers and audiences both.The film has a simple story of a Dholakia family, but as we know, families are never so simple in movies and serials. The peculiar members of the Dholakia family have special features—mind you, individuals, but together they are a perfect mix. Mansukhlal and Hemlata Dholakia (Raj Babbar and Ratna Pathak Shah) are the seniors; their son, Ramesh (Atul Kulkarni), is married to Pallavi (Ayesha Jhulka). Ramesh and Pallavi's son, Sanjay (Raunaq Kamdar), and his wife, Tisca (Meenal Sahu), want to move to a new house, which creates a sort of stir in the family. Raunaq and Tisca are a modern couple, so they want their own private space, while Ramesh and Hemlata believe in joint family traditions and want everybody to stay together. What would be the final outcome of these seemingly funny banters?Happy Family is a funny film, and there is really nothing else to it. To be brutally honest, it's not a family comedy. The jokes are mostly adult-driven, double-meaning, and use below-the-belt elements to click bait you. Gujju words are funny, you know. Gaando Thai gayo che sounds so abusive in Hindi, but in Gujrati, it's a simple sentence. You remove the letter "O" from Gaando, and the entire meaning changes to a holy smoking excessive level. It's a pure Hindi gaali, but it's okay because it is an OTT era. But who the hell will watch it with the family? Happy Family makes your family sad there. The ultra-stylish feminism is harmful too. A divorced woman can say it with a swagger that she is divorced, but what's over the top is her saying that she cheated on her husband with a favorable attitude. I am not saying that she should have been sad while saying so, but at least don't be so happy and joyful as if divorce is nothing but a shopping cart. Not an ounce of shame, really? Even the senior characters here are seen talking openly about below-the-belt things, cracking adult jokes, revealing bedroom secrets, and what not. Family films aren't capable of going so bold even in 2023.Speaking of performances, Raj Babbar returns with a sensible character. If there is any character who doesn't go cheap in the entire film, then it has to be Raj Babbar's. Ratna Pathak Shah is wild and funny, but unacceptable. You remember that one disciplined, outdated, but extremely honest fella from 2000s family soaps? That's what Atul Kulkarni is. Silly, but laughable. The guy with so much medical knowledge doesn't have a basic sense of what to say and where. Ayesha Jhulka presents a pretty accessible wife with enough conviction, even though she doesn't look like a Gujju woman at all. Raunaq is fine, but what a super hot wife Meenal Sahu has played here. Having one fatty in the family is too outdated for 2023, but it's still okayish with Sanah Kapur playing that role. Aham Saabo, Paresh Ganatra, Pranoti Pradhan, and others have been passable enough in the supporting roles.Happy Family: Conditions Apply is an entertaining watch, but you have to take the second half of its title too seriously to enjoy it. "Conditions Apply," that's what is a spoilsport here. The background score should have had those festival vibes, but where is it? Jamnadas Majethia and Aatish Kapadia know the Gujju culture and their audiences very well, yet they try to go outside of that comfort zone. Of course, pan-India equations are different, but there are other people who can make projects with that calibre. Majethia and Kapadia aren't in that league yet. They should have realized it long ago. Anyway, there are a few scenes that leave you with proper gags and improper LOL moments—if that's all that matters. But if you are looking for a Khichadi-type entertainer, then let me warn you, this ain't kid-friendly stuff. Overall, an average comedy somehow survives due to the freakishness of the Dholakia family.