Mohsin Khan Cinema, AB International, Merge XR Studios, Ameya Vinod Khopkar Entertainment and Victor Movies Ltd.’s Vada Paav (Marathi; UA) is a double love story. Jaydev Deshmukh (Prasad Oak), the widowed father of Arjun Deshmukh (Abhinay Berde), loves a girl, Gauri (Gauri Nalawade), who is much younger than him. The two want to get married and hence narrate a cock-and-bull story to Jaydev’s family so that the issue of marriage with such a huge age difference is taken care of. It then turns out that the adult son, Arjun, is in love with Gauri’s younger sister, Kavya (Ritika Shrotri). This means that the son wants to marry the younger sister of his step-mother. How the sticky situation is resolved forms the crux of the story.
Siddharth Manohar Salvi’s story is unusual but it rests on too many coincidences and hence does not appeal much because of the implausibility factor. Salvi’s screenplay is average but it never really becomes very convincing because it doesn’t flow seamlessly. The angle of the two sisters is too much of a coincidence for the viewers to digest quite easily. It looks so forced that the drama loses its grip on the audience after the relationship of Gauri and Kavya is revealed. Also, the solution to the problem is not very exciting. Siddharth Manohar Salvi’s dialogues are average.
Prasad Oak does fairly well as Jayant Deshmukh. Gauri Nalawade performs ably as Gauri. Abhinay Berde is alright in the role of Arjun Deshmukh. Ritika Shrotri is so-so as Kavya. Savita Prabhune lends ordinary support as Jaydev’s mother, Subhadra. Rasika Vengurlekar is adequate as Jaydev’s sister, Anjali. Siddharth Salvi is okay as Anjali’s husband and Jaydev’s brother-in-law, Vikas. Sameer Shirwadkar is routine as Jaydev’s brother, Akash. Ashwini Kinhikar passes muster as Jaydev’s sister-in-law, Madhura. Shalva Kinjawdekar is okay as Jaydev’s nephew, Angad. Mahesh Patwardhan is ordinary as the father of Gauri and Kavya. Others fit the bill.
Prasad Oak’s direction is not of the kind which can cover the shortcomings of the script. Kunal-Karan’s music is average and so are the lyrics (by Mandar Cholkar and Kunal-Karan). Supriya Chavan’s choreography is ordinary. Sai-Piyush’s background music is alright. Sanjay Memane’s camerawork is good. Nilesh More’s production designing is proper. Mayur Hardas’ editing is reasonably sharp.
On the whole, Vada Paav is too ordinary to satiate the hunger of the discerning audience. It will not be able to do much at the turnstiles.
Released on 2-10-’25 at Metro Inox (daily 1 show) and other cinemas of Bombay by Cinepolis India thru August Entertainment. Publicity & opening: so-so.