A simple and light-hearted romcom
Sometimes you just want a simple romcom story without a lot of stress or thinking attached to it. Step forward, Congrats My Ex starring Bella Ranee Campen, Bright Vicharavit Chivaaree, Mahir Pandhi and Anahita Bhooshan. This Thai romcom premiered on November 16, 2023 on Amazon Prime Video. It has been a hot topic of chatter prior to its release for it features a very Indian theme and vibe.
The movie follows the story of Risa, who runs a wedding management company. She was heartbroken a few years ago by Arun, an Indian boy she met while in the UK. Since then, poor Risa has had a not so savoury physical reaction to anything remotely romantic. As fate would have it, she ends up having to arrange for Arun’s wedding.
She does want to make Arun jealous but does not sabotage the wedding festivities. She ends up hiring another ex-boyfriend Tim for filming the wedding when her originally hired photographer gets into an accident. Risa and Tim pretend to be a couple just to make Arun think that Risa is doing well.
There are certainly things unsaid between Risa-Arun and Risa-Tim. As the movie progresses, we see the problems arise and get sorted, sometimes in comical scenarios and others in a teary manner.
As an Indian viewer, it feels nice to see there’s a celebration of culture instead of chuckling about its peculiarities. What would have been interesting though is a comical misunderstanding because of the language barrier between the characters. It was refreshing to see India and its culture not be stereotyped in foreign films.
The main cast steal most of the spotlight, as it would in any good romcom. The supporting characters are present to give a comical touch (looking at you Aoffy and Jan) or be a catalyst for the main character to clear a confusion (Arun’s dad has quite an interesting theory about love!)
You can’t have an Indian theme in a movie without there being a colourful and delightful dance sequence either. We see Bella and Bright draped in fine Indian style clothing and dancing to the Bollywood tunes of the song “Hayi Shava”.
The song has quite a catchy tune to it and you might find yourself humming to it at random. (I am still waiting for the song to be released as a music video!)
Congrats My Ex is a delightful comic caper with a touch of romance. If you want to watch something light, funny and set amidst a chaotic wedding preparation, then this movie is a good choice. While some might feel the English dialogue by Thai actors are lacking in some areas, kudos to them for the effort all the same!
Read More: Congrats My Ex Ending Explained
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Verdict - 7/10
7/10