Stars: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Cast: Ayushmann Khurrana, Rakul Preet Singh, Shefali Shah, Sheeba Chaddha

Director: Anubhuti Kashyap

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Who said you need to be preachy to teach something? You can also do it the Ayushmann Khurrana way. Doctor G, featuring Rakul Preet Singh, Shefali Shah, and Sheeba Chaddha in pivotal roles revolves around a doctor’s struggle as a male gynecologist. The film is a subtle slap to the patriarchy. 

In the film, Uday Gupta finds himself as the lone male student in the Gynaecology department. His reluctance leads to chaos, confusion, comedy, and eventually, great camaraderie with his classmates.

Doctor G is a mid-size film that is not competing with some recent blockbusters and all for the right reasons – Ayushmann Khurrana has a different audience. People who follow him, have trust that they won’t be disappointed. 

The film opens with Uday talking to his friend Chaddhi (Abhay Mishra) about his girlfriend who has a male best friend. He complains and says she spends more time with him than his boyfriend. Uday feels proud that he is not behaving like Kabir Singh and is not stopping his girlfriend from, talking to her best friend. He doesn’t realise that it’s toxic. But, this is another subtle attempt to normalise male-female friendship that is often looked down upon by society.

That’s not the only problem in Uday’s life. He wants to become an orthopedic, however, he only manages to get a seat in the gynecology department.   

The film is a successful attempt to create sensitivity towards women in several ways. On Uday’s first day at the college, he realises that women are stronger than he ever thought them to be. When he enters the class, he gets uncomfortable when all of them start staring at him and passing comments. This is usually how men make a woman feel. Anubhuti Kashyap beautifully reversed the roles.

We have often seen in films that women are breaking the glass ceiling in every male-dominated career, however, this is an unseen story of a “Man in a woman’s world.” With hilarious dialogues like “Jo Mere Paas Hai Hi Nahi, Uska Ilajh Mein Kaise Kroonga”, to Shefali Shah’s Dialogue “Ye Male Female Kya Hota Hai, Doctor Doctor Hota Hai” it makes a perfect mix of a comedy-drama that will thoroughly leave you entertained. 

In one scene, Uday asks one of his female colleagues to go and make a profile on a matrimony app as she should be married by now. Later, she becomes his saviour and helps him during tough times at work.

The film also highlights how society expects us to be a certain way and at times to oblige them we forget what’s right and what’s not. Uday, for instance, wanted to become an ortho just to show his brother that he is good. Uday’s mother, a widow, wants to explore love and life but is often looked down upon by her son. Uday even says, “Mohalle wale kya sochenge mummy.” However, again subtly, the film puts a full stop to such thinking. Uday, eventually, understands that his mother can have possible expectations from life. 

The comic punches while Uday is treating the patients also reflect the patriarchal mindset. In one scene, a husband complains that his wife is not able to conceive even when he has tried 106 times. He says, “Ismein kuch problem hai, dava de do…” However, later the woman tells Uday that her husband doesn’t even know how to have sex. This again beautifully reflects how men often fail to ask women about what they want. 

Rakul Preet Singh as doctor Fatima is a breath of fresh air. She comes to Uday’s life to teach him how he should treat women. She is engaged but eventually gets attracted to Uday. For her, it was just for the moment, but Uday accuses her of leading him on. For the first time, we got to see how even a woman can catch feelings for ‘just a moment.’ Uday realises that he has failed to listen to what women are saying throughout his life and has only understood what he wanted to. 

The supporting cast of the film is equally strong. It is Chaddhi that helps Uday’s character shine on screen. 

Verdict:

Doctor G is a subtle slap to the patriarchy for teaching us things that are not meant to be.