A doctor (Anu Kapoor) running a small artificial insemination clinic in some shady by-lane in Delhi, hires a happy-go-lucky, jobless Punjabi guy (Ayushman Khurana) as a Sperm Donor. As the clinic’s success rate goes up, the fertile youth soon becomes the star acquisition for the struggling doctor. Later the youth falls in love with a Bengali girl (Yami Gautam) and everything complicates. The young guy has never dared to reveal his true ‘profession’ to his girl-friend or his family. But then a family crisis makes him reveal his real job description and all hell breaks loose. Forget about the rest of the world, will even his near and dear ones ever understand his side?
Roughly speaking, Vicky Donor goes through three stages. The first third of the film is about the doctor chasing the young man to become the Sperm Donor; the next third features the love-story and the last third is about misunderstanding and understanding.
The writer and the director do exceedingly well in the first 2/3rd of the film. The colorful depiction of Delhi (done for the n-th time but still done very well!), excellent character establishment (the seedy yet sensitive doctor, the carefree guy thinking ten times before finally taking the ‘sperm donation’- plunge, his tech-savvy grandma and typically loud mother; the cool and distant girl and her fiercely proud father), the matter-of-fact tone about the whole artificial insemination thing and the sweet handling of the Punjabi-Bong culture-clash romance- all things make for a smooth movie-ride which keeps you smiling all the way. But then the film loses some steam in the last third by opting for a serious, sentimental twist.
Still all in all, Vicky Donor is a film worthy of accolades for its down-to-earth depiction of a taboo topic and its compelling characters. Ayushman Khurana is superb in his debut title role. He is funny, warm and natural. Yami Gautam looks great and delivers a measured performance. Kamlesh Gill and Dolly Ahluwalia run riot as the Punjabi ladies and Jayanta Das gives his ‘Bengali Dad’-touch perfectly. But the best performance for me was that of Anu Kapoor. He is simply brilliant as the doctor treading the thin line between the ethical and the unethical. The way in which he analyses people (Angry Sperm, Confused Sperm etc.) is a superb piece of acting and writing!
To make a film on a theme like ‘Sperm Donation’ and turn it into an entertainer without indulging in any crude, crass comedy is no minor feat. But writer Juhi Chaturvedi and director Shoojit Sircar have managed to do it with aplomb. Two thumbs up for them! And also kudos to John Abraham for showing the guts and wit to produce a film on such an unusual theme!
Kesariya Balam