Doctor G Movie Review

What do women want their men to be? They certainly don't want them to be Kabir Singh kind of alphas. They're not averse to taking on lovers, but there's a place for friendship in their lives as well. They'd appreciate it if guys gave them space and started believing in being friends without benefits instead of looking at women as playthings. And treat them as being equal in every sense of the word. That's the message put out by the medical comedy Doctor G, which offers a refreshing take on man-woman relationships, among other things. The film is set in the gynaecology department of a government college in Bhopal. It showcases the lives of overworked doctors dealing with pregnant couples who have little knowledge of their condition, are prone to unnecessary fears, and often try to hide their actual problems with the people treating them.

G in the film stands for gynaecology. Our hero, Uday Gupta (Ayushmann Khurrana), is a medical student who wants to specialise in orthopaedics but gets a seat in gynaecology because of his less marks in the entrance exams. He plans to give the exam again and just sit the year out. The situation is hard for him because he's the only male in the class. He feels awkward among all the females, but somewhere along the way, life teaches him to lose his 'male' touch and become the best doctor he can be.

The film is written with a female gaze, with the writers inverting situations faced by females in a male-centric work environment. Uday is mercilessly ragged by his seniors, is given lots of grunt work to do and is intimidated by senior professor Nandini Srivastav (Shefali Shah), who is a hard taskmaster and doesn't suffer fools. But they don't remain mean towards him for long and soon take him under their fold, smoothing his edges in the process.

It doesn't help that he's a clueless individual who isn't woke enough to understand the needs and desires of women. His emotional growth has been stunted, and that has hindered every relationship he has had with the fairer sex. His girlfriend ditches him because she can't tolerate his overbearing ways anymore. His widowed mother (Sheeba Chaddha) wants him to acknowledge the fact that she might want a companion late in life, and he can't fathom the fact that fellow doctor Fatima Siddiqui (Rakul Preet Singh) just wants him to be a buddy and not a lover. Some hard knocks teach him the error of his ways.

We're glad that Doctor G doesn't turn into a medical romance. It has a separate track which deals with the horrors of underage sex and teenage pregnancy. Here too, the melodrama isn't stretched out. Instead of victim shaming, the girl in question is mentored into believing there's a life for her beyond her mistake. The sequences are portrayed with sensitivity and offer a lesson in what and what not to do in such situations.

It's seldom that we come across well-written, well-acted, well-intentioned, and well-directed films, and Doctor G is one such rare gem. The narration is consistent throughout, keeping us in stitches by showcasing real-life situations. The gags aren't forced but are holistically woven into the narrative. The situations that the lead characters find themselves in have a logical beginning and end. Uday's 'education' is a gradual process. The insights he gets don't happen overnight. It's all nicely tied up with a nail-biting climax.

Director Anubhuti Kashyap has extracted fine performances from the entire ensemble cast in her debut feature. Shefali Shah is the personification of a strict department head who holds herself to high standards and wants everyone to emulate her example. The poise with which she mouths medical jargon makes you believe she's an actual surgeon. Sheeba Chaddha just lights up the frame with her antics. Whether it's her foray into food blogging or into online dating, everything is infused with tender moments. Her confrontation scene with her son overflows with dignity and grace. Ayushmann has taken a chance in playing a character who isn't so likeable at first. The evolution of his character thaws him out to the audience, which ends up rooting for him. It's another fine performance from the seasoned actor. He's underplayed the role, letting his female colleagues take centre stage, which is good to see in a male star. Last but not the least, Ayesha Kaduskar, who plays the troubled teenager, too, has played her role realistically.

Doctor G is a conversation starter of sorts for several issues plaguing our society. Watch this well-made film for its positive message and for the inspired acting displayed by the entire cast.

Trailer : Doctor G