Thank You for Coming, Review: Desperately Seeking the Big O

Here’s a thumbs up for picking a taboo issue. And here’s a thumbs down for making a mess of it. Thank You for Coming deals with female sexuality in a society where it is the male who dominates a lot of things, including sexual relations. After going halfway down the foreplay, the film then turns into a whodunit, and, simultaneously, a whodidnotdunit. If you are not aware what the big O is, this film might be for you, whether you are a male or a female, married or unmarried. On the other hand, if you are educated and well read, and the big O is more than just a large letter of the English alphabet, you might not find the film exciting, sexually or otherwise.

Kanika Kapoor, daughter of Dr. Beena Kapoor, is 32, single, has slept with many men, but has yet to experience an orgasm. She has never been told who her father was, and Dr. Kapoor is happy to bring her up as a single parent. She lives with her mother and her maternal grandmother, Kishori. Kanika agrees to marry Jeevan Anand, who has been proposing to her time and again, and adores her, in spite of the fact that his name sounds like an insurance policy. At her engagement party, Kanika drinks herself silly and, as is her wont, cannot remember what happened after that. But, to her delight, when she wakes up in her hotel room, she feels the after effects of an orgasm. Assuming that it must have been Jeevan who brought it on, she asks him, and is shocked when he says he did not. This leaves her completely foxed. Determined to find out who the “hero” was, she starts a process of elimination, to try and zero down to her angel. After all, something that proved elusive for almost twenty years was realised that night.

It could have been ‘Professor’ Shekhar Sinha, who used to try and impress her with promises of taking her to meet poet Gulzar, who, he claimed, was his buddy. It could also have been Arjun, her one-time flame. Then again, it might have been her other ex, Rahul. And last, but not the least, it could even be Karan, her best friend Pallavi’s husband. Wait a minute! There is a rabdivaalaa also in the picture! Huh? Exactly, Huh! Pallavi and Kanika were pals from school-days, and the possibility of it being Karan would be devastating. Running parallel to this story is the plight of schoolgirl Rabeya, daughter of a friend ok Kanika’s, who had first time sex with her boy-friend behind closed doors, only to find a video of that encounter going viral. Rabeya is a school-topper and head-girl, and is expected to deliver a speech at a school function the next day. As a result of the video, she is in a state of utter shock. Just when it matters, she finds a solid ally in Kanika.

Reminding you of the films Dil Aashna Hai (1992) and Mamma Mia (2008), where the search is for the probable parent, Radhika Anand and Prashasti Singh’s script deals with a few home truths. Female orgasm is not usually discussed, either at the dinner table or at conferences. Here we have a whole film about it. It also makes a case for the liberated girl/woman who should have the right to have sex when she wants and with whom she wants, and should not be shamed for it. Two nice lines in the dialogue: Jeevan to Shekhar: “Maen inka plus one hoon”. Shekhar’s reply: “Aor maen inka minus one hoon”. There are far too many characters for the audience to keep track of. Radhika and Prashasti lay it all bare, in the open, with tons of alcohol, hundreds of swear words and lines like “Kab tak akeley gharpar porn dekhtee rahogee,” to boot. And there are also sex toys on display. There is an audience for this kind of film, but it is minuscule. And even they might be disappointed when, in the end, Drs. Anand and Singh prescribe a DIY kit.

Getting most of the actors to perform effortlessly is a plus for director Karan Boolani, who makes his feature debut, after working on the OTT platform. There was no need of a voice over in the beginning. The choice of Bhumi Pednekar as Kanika is okay in terms of age, but she does not ooze sex appeal, like some of her friends. Apparently, in an attempt to keep the ambience as a slice of life, there are no stunners among the women. Almost throughout the film, Bhumi goes about exposing her legs (and cleavage), which are not all that psycho-symmetrical. Most shots are so short that you might think this is an ad film (Boolani has made more than 500 of them). Wonder what was the problem with the sound-track, which sounded distorted. I had problems following many of the dialogues. Boolani directed Anil Kapoor in 24. Maybe that is the carryover. But here, where Anil is one of the producers, he is wasted in a role, though it is billed as a cameo. That he can pull off a highly unlikely role of a seducer, Shekhar Sinha, is a tribute to him. It does not flatter him, but says, “Look, I can do this too!”

A veteran by now, Bhumi performs with élan. And with her friends, she forms a clan: Dolly Singh, Shibani Bedi, Shehnaaz Gill. Dolly Singh, playing Pallavi, naturally gets a lot of footage and has a few over-the-top moments which she essays well. Dolly Ahluwalia makes a natural grandmother. Natasha Rastogi plays Kanika’s mother with great enthusiasm. Saloni Daini has a weird hairdo, but performs well as Rabeya Das. The men are Pardhuman Singh Mall (Rahul) and Gautmik (Karan), Karan Kundra (Arjun) and Sushant Divgikar (Rahul). Note that Gautmik plays Karan and Karan plays Arjun! Pardhuman has the most awkward role to delineate, and he manages to do it with some dignity. Gautmik’s role becomes key towards the climax, and he has underplayed it effectively. The others, too, have done a good job.

When you see the Saregama motion logo before the film, it is a sure sign that there will be some old song from the company’s repertoire in the film. In Thank You for Coming, they have used ‘Paree hoon maen’, by Suneeta Rao, which occurs twice, and is in keeping with the mood of the film. There are four other original songs, including ‘Duniya farzee’, which has some meaningful lyrics by Kumaar, and ‘Nach nach’, a Punjabi number set to a disco beat. Cinematography by old-timer Anil Mehta, who has been around since the mid-90s, delivers as ordered. Editors Shweta Venkat Matthew and Manan Sagar seem to be in a tearing hurry to get to end, which is 117 minutes away.

So what is Thank You for Coming about? Sex education? Female orgasm (70% of women have never experienced it? Chick flick (made by a man)? Rebel rouser? It tries to be all of these, but fails to hit the G spot. But then it was aiming for the O, wasn’t it?

Rating: * ½

Trailer: https://youtu.be/mHKrjUZJoK4