Aditya marries his college girlfriend Ragini, who is ready to start a family while he is not. After a miscarriage and a stillbirth leave Ragini unable to conceive, the couple's marriage is pushed to its limits. The film follows how far Aditya will go to revive their love and give Ragini the child she longs for.
Congratulations marked Sharman Joshi's debut in Gujarati cinema, and director Rehan Chaudhary builds it around a subject Dhollywood rarely approaches head on: a couple's private struggle with parenthood. Aditya is not ready for children while his wife Ragini aches for them, and after a miscarriage and a stillbirth the story turns into a question of how far a husband will go to rebuild the life they had imagined. The much-shared first-look poster, showing Joshi in a pregnant-man avatar, set the tone for a film that wants to talk about fertility and family with a lighter face than the weight underneath.
Reception landed squarely in the middle, with the film holding around 5.6 on IMDb. Viewers gave real credit to the two leads, praising Joshi for a sincere turn and Manasi Parekh for carrying Ragini's grief with warmth, and many welcomed a premise braver than the usual Gujarati family comedy. The pushback was about execution rather than intent. Several felt the direction, the dialogue and the pacing did not rise to the ambition of the theme, and that Joshi's unfamiliarity with spoken Gujarati slowed some scenes and softened their impact. The result is a film that is easier to admire for its choice of story than for the way it tells it.
Even so, the effort registered. The film later collected two nominations at the 21st Transmedia Gujarati Awards, a nod to the intent and the performances if not a full endorsement of the craft. Watch it for the leads and for a Gujarati drama willing to sit with an uncomfortable subject, and go in knowing the storytelling is uneven.
Verdict
A brave, tender subject for Gujarati cinema carried by its leads, held back by uneven direction and pacing.
What works
- Sincere lead turns from Sharman Joshi and Manasi Parekh
- A brave, unusual theme for Gujarati cinema
- An emotional, unconventional premise
- Two Transmedia Gujarati Award nominations
What holds it back
- Direction and pacing fall short of the ambition
- Sharman Joshi's Gujarati slows some scenes
- Uneven dialogue and execution
- Lands only in the middle with viewers
Cast & crew
Writers: Rehan Chaudhary
Music: Kedar - Bhargav
Cast: Sharman Joshi (Aditya), Manasi Parekh (Ragini), Jayesh Barbhaya (Dr Kartik), Ami Bhayani (Dr Ira), Archan Trivedi (Kamlesh Mehta), Swati Dave (Ramila Mehta)
Producers: Sharman Joshi, Jeegar Chauhan, Vedant Maheshwari, Rehan Chaudhary
Watch the trailer
Play the official trailer on YouTubeMore from Rehan Chaudhary
More Drama Gujarati films
Frequently asked
Is Congratulations worth watching?
A brave, tender subject for Gujarati cinema carried by its leads, held back by uneven direction and pacing. Kevu Che rates it 2.5 out of 5.
What is Congratulations about?
Aditya marries his college girlfriend Ragini, who is ready to start a family while he is not. After a miscarriage and a stillbirth leave Ragini unable to conceive, the couple's marriage is pushed to its limits. The film follows how far Aditya will go to revive their love and give Ragini the child she longs for.
What is the IMDb rating of Congratulations?
Congratulations (2023) holds an IMDb rating of 5.6 out of 10.