Vicky Donor: one swimmer short of good..

It doesn't get much more simple than this: Vicky Donor is a drama-comedy about a guy named Vicky, who becomes a sperm donor. The title pretty much tells you all you need to know, and of course anybody can guess that there are complications, there are laughs, and there is, naturally, even a love story woven into the mix. 

I'll keep my review simple as well. Here's what I congratulate the film makers and cast for doing: creating a simple story about a topic not really explored by Hindi films before this, portraying it in a progressive manner while also dealing well with all the false assumptions and prejudices that people might have about sperm donations and artificial insemination. There's also a fun b-plot about the coming together of two cultures, Bengali and Punjabi, in form of the love story where Vicky (Ayushman Khurrana) falls for Bengali girl Ashima (Yami Gautam). 

The cast is mostly fresh-faced, plucked out from TV, and perform well. Yami Gautam especially makes me believe in the character's emotions even when the script doesn't quite convince me, and I can't get over Ayushman Khurrana's dimples. Annu Kapoor plays the doctor who convinces Vicky to become a donor, and he's funny, whilst being just a tad too silly.

What about the bad, then? Well, for all the good that the script contains, it's far from perfect. First off, the beginning is unnecessarily prolonged and stretches the limits of credulity a little - why is Vicky the guy the doctor wants as a donor, surely there are other good ones out there if enticed with some money? Second of all, I never felt like I truly liked the character of Vicky. He's a confusing combination of the workshy guy who thinks he's too good for work, yet seems to lead a lifestyle that isn't exactly free, and yet accepts the "job" of a sperm donor even though he's quite against the idea as being beneath him. There's nothing that really endears me to the character; he doesn't treat anybody particularly well and for all of the actor's cuteness, even the romance leaves me a little cold.

Then there's Ashima - my annoyances with her character only come about towards the end of the film, so I won't get into them as to not spoil anything. Let's just say the things they make her do and feel to create dramatic tension seem a little too contrived.

So there's the good and the bad. I'm glad I saw it, if only for the new stars it gives us - I certainly hope they continue to do good work in the business. However, I'm not sure my recommendation would be anything more than a lukewarm one and I'm not dying to rewatch this film.