Turning 30!!!

When we were young, we could not wait to grow up. And now that we have, there are days we wish we were young and irresponsible. Age is just a number and yet it causes so many hours of worrying. People worried about mid-life crisis before, but now even folks in their 20s are not spared of quarter-life crisis! In this progression of ever more depressing numbers stands 30. As one who turned 30 recently, I am all too familiar with the assumptions and expectations that families and society in India direct towards a 30-year old. The pressure is only worse on the fairer sex in India.

Directed by Alankrita Shrivastava, Turning 30!!! deals with the problems facing one such urban working woman. Naina (Gul Panag) works at an advertising agency and is going steady with Rishabh, her boyfriend of 3 years. Her dreams of a happy married life in her thirtieth year are dashed when Rishash leaves her and she is unjustly pushed to the verge of losing her job. Life throws a confusing melange of people into her life: a former boyfriend who is interested, a close friend who comes out of the closet and another friend whose perfect marriage is on the rocks. The movie deals with Naina trying to find her own footing from the mess she has been thrust into.

Turning 30!!! is one of the new breed of Bollywood movies which are in English, which I was glad about, especially given this subject. The story is unique enough for Bollywood, but its actual implementation is quite tacky. Acting, editing, production, everything looks amateurish. And yet, I found the movie quite watchable as it progressed. Despite some of the absurdities the Naina character is forced to endure (literally throwing herself at Rishabh), the plot works and the ending is comforting. Turning 30!!! is a good movie to watch once, especially if you are in its target audience ;-)