Film

Badrinath Ki Dulhania

Name: Badrinath Ki Dulhania
Genre: Drama, Comedy, Romance
Released: 2017
Cast: Varun Dhawan, Alia Bhatt, Shweta Basu Prasad, Gauahar Khan, Sahil Vaid

A vibrant Hindi romantic comedy about a traditional man from Jhansi and a feminist woman from Kota whose opposing worldviews clash spectacularly when they fall in love. Lively, earnest, and genuinely funny about the absurdity of small-town gender expectations. Perfect for anyone who loves romance with actual ideological teeth—love stories where the characters have to change their minds, not just their hearts.

TMDb rating

3.2

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you like romantic comedies where the sparring between two strong-willed leads does most of the heavy lifting, and where small-town family pressure is played for bright, colourful farce rather than grim realism.

Skip it if you want a tight, restrained romance; this one runs close to two and a half hours and leans into loud, broad comic beats that can feel exhausting if you prefer subtlety.

What it asks of you: Settle in for a long sitting with a lot of noisy, bustling energy, then be ready to let the lighter tone carry you through its many emotional swings without much quiet space.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge1995

The template for everything Badrinath does: young lovers from opposing backgrounds, family pressure, and a hero who must learn to respect his partner's independence. DDLJ invented this argument on screen, and it still sings.

But Shot in the 90s, paced like the 90s—if you find long romantic montages indulgent, this will test your patience.

Toilet: A Love Story2017

Another small-town love story that uses romance as a vehicle for social change. Akshay Kumar is excellent, and it's genuinely moving beneath the comedy about a husband learning that women's dignity matters more than tradition.

But The premise sounds like a gimmick, and sometimes it leans that way. Tonal whiplash between broad comedy and real suffering.

Raees2017

Varun Dhawan's only real alternative—it shows he can carry drama and intensity. If you loved his energy in Badrinath but want him tested by something darker, this is the film to see.

But It's a crime thriller about bootlegging in Gujarat. Tonally it's the opposite of romantic comedy; the shift might feel jarring.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Badrinath Ki Dulhania

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Kahaani2012

Both films center women who think for themselves and refuse to perform compliance. Kahaani just refuses to reward that thinking with marriage, which is the bravest thing it does.

Vidya Balan as a pregnant woman in Kolkata, searching for her missing husband. On the surface: a thriller. Below: a film about a woman's autonomy, resourcefulness, and refusal to be a victim despite every circumstance conspiring to make her one. Like Badrinath, it gives you a female character with agency; unlike it, she gets no love interest to validate that.

But It's a mystery-thriller, not a romance. If you're here for the meet-cute and the songs, you'll be disappointed.

Tanu Weds Manu2011

Kangana Ranaut and R. Madhavan in a love story where the woman is genuinely unmanageable—she won't soften herself for love. Badrinath echoes this refusal to make the female lead a reward for male growth.

But The humour is broader, more slapstick. If you liked Badrinath's satirical edge, this might feel cruder.

Vicky Donor2012

Ayushmann Khurrana discovering that challenging social orthodoxy is funny *and* important. It has Badrinath's mix: comedy that lands, but stakes that matter, and a hero genuinely changed by what he learns.

But The central issue is sperm donation, which some find uncomfortable. It's also now ten years old, and feels it.

Queen2014

Kangana again, and this time alone—a woman who goes on her honeymoon solo after being left at the altar. It's funny, it's furious, and it has Badrinath's DNA: small-town woman learning the world is bigger than her family's rules.

But It's very much a feel-good film. There's not much moral complexity; it's here to celebrate, not interrogate.

Happy Bhag Jayegi2016

A woman runs away from her wedding to marry for love, pursued by the jilted groom who slowly realizes she's right. Similar arc to Badrinath—the man has to unlearn his entitlement—and it's genuinely charming.

But It's lighter, less invested in ideology. You might find it slight compared to Badrinath's sharper social commentary.

Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga2019

A love story that breaks ground by making one half of the couple a queer woman. It's still a mainstream romantic comedy, but it expands the grammar of what those stories can be about in Hindi cinema.

But It tries to do too much—romance, coming-out story, family drama—and sometimes collapses under its own weight. Uneven.

Thappad2020

Badrinath argues that love requires a man to change his mind about women's equality. Thappad argues that some things—dignity, safety, respect—are not negotiable, not even for love. It's the dark mirror.

A husband slaps his wife during an argument. She files for divorce. That's the entire premise—no reconciliation, no redemption arc, just the absolute refusal to normalize violence as love. Taapsee Pannu is extraordinary. It is made with surgical precision.

But It is a film about marital abuse and divorce. There are no songs, no comedy, no lightness. It is grave and difficult and will leave you shaken.

Natrang2010

Both films are rooted in the texture of provincial India—the gossip, the reputation-anxiety, the weight of family and community. But Natarang uses that texture to show how easily people are swallowed by it, whereas Badrinath believes love is an escape hatch. They're arguing with each other.

A Marathi film about a man from a small Maharashtran town who joins a traveling theatre troupe. He's discovered, celebrated, seduced by performance and attention—and slowly corrupted by his own success. It has Badrinath's love of small-town texture and its skepticism about whether love (or success, or recognition) is ever as simple as it seems.

But It's in Marathi with subtitles. It's also bleak, unsentimental, and ends in a place no romantic comedy would dare go. Regional cinema, serious register.