Badhaai Do review in short: Harshavardhan Kulkarni’s 2022 film is a warm, funny family entertainer about a gay policeman and a lesbian PT teacher who enter a lavender marriage. Rajkummar Rao and Bhumi Pednekar are excellent, the second half drags a little, and the film streams on Netflix in India.
Badhaai Do released in cinemas on 11 February 2022 as a spiritual sequel to Badhaai Ho (2018). It shares the title, the small-town family humour and producer Junglee Pictures, but tells a completely new story. Our verdict: 3.5 out of 5.
Badhaai Do: quick facts
| Release date | 11 February 2022 (theatres) |
| Director | Harshavardhan Kulkarni |
| Writers | Suman Adhikary, Akshat Ghildial, Harshavardhan Kulkarni |
| Cast | Rajkummar Rao, Bhumi Pednekar, Chum Darang, Gulshan Devaiah, Sheeba Chaddha, Seema Pahwa |
| Runtime | About 147 minutes |
| Where to watch | Netflix |
| Our rating | 3.5/5 |
Story
Shardul Thakur (Rajkummar Rao) is a police officer in Dehradun who hides that he is gay. Suman “Sumi” Singh (Bhumi Pednekar) is a PT teacher who hides that she is a lesbian. Both are under constant pressure from their families to get married.
Shardul suggests a practical solution: a lavender marriage, where they marry each other for appearances and live separate private lives as roommates. It works until Sumi’s partner Rimjhim (Chum Darang) moves in, the families start asking about children, and the lies become harder to hold together.
What works
Rajkummar Rao and Bhumi Pednekar
Rajkummar Rao plays Shardul as a stiff, macho cop who is clearly uncomfortable in his own body language, and slowly lets the mask slip. It is one of his most controlled performances. Bhumi Pednekar is equally good as Sumi, who is more open and less afraid, but still trapped by her family.
The supporting cast
Sheeba Chaddha as Shardul’s mother and Seema Pahwa as his tayi ji bring the loud, nosy family scenes to life. Gulshan Devaiah has a small but memorable part as Guru, and Chum Darang as Rimjhim gives the film its quietest, most honest moments.
Humour that does not mock
The film gets its laughs from family pressure, nosy relatives and the awkwardness of the fake marriage, not from making fun of its gay characters. That balance is the film’s biggest win.
What does not work
At close to two and a half hours, the film is too long. The second half repeats the same conflict and takes time to reach its emotional payoff. Some scenes, especially the speeches near the end, spell out the message when the story had already made it clear.
Some viewers also felt the film plays safe in showing the couples’ relationships. It is a family film first, and that choice limits how far it goes.
Why the subject matters
The film arrived about three and a half years after the Supreme Court decriminalised homosexuality in 2018 in the Navtej Singh Johar case. In October 2023, the Supreme Court declined to legalise same-sex marriage and left the question to Parliament. That makes the film’s central problem, two people who cannot live openly or marry the partners they love, still very real for many Indian couples.
Badhaai Do does not lecture on law. It keeps the focus on everyday fears: what the neighbours will say, what parents will feel, and how long anyone can keep up a lie.
Badhaai Do vs Badhaai Ho
Badhaai Ho, starring Ayushmann Khurrana, Neena Gupta and Gajraj Rao, was about a middle-aged couple expecting a baby and their embarrassed grown-up son. Badhaai Do keeps the same mix of family chaos and social comment but has a heavier subject and a longer runtime. The first film is funnier; the second is braver.
Where the lead actors are now
Rajkummar Rao went on to lead Stree 2 (2024), one of the biggest Hindi hits of that year. Bhumi Pednekar played a journalist in the Netflix film Bhakshak (2024). Both remain among the most dependable actors in Hindi cinema for socially themed stories.
Box office and awards
Badhaai Do earned about ₹28 crore worldwide in theatres, against a reported budget of around ₹25 crore, so it was not a commercial hit. It found a much bigger audience after it began streaming on Netflix.
It then swept the critics’ categories at the 68th Filmfare Awards, winning six awards: Best Film (Critics), Best Actor for Rajkummar Rao, Best Actress (Critics) for Bhumi Pednekar, Best Supporting Actress for Sheeba Chaddha, Best Story and Best Screenplay.
Badhaai Do review verdict
Badhaai Do is a rare mainstream Hindi film that treats LGBTQ characters with warmth and respect while still working as a family comedy. It is not perfect, but it is easy to recommend, especially to watch with family members who might not otherwise pick a film on this subject.
If you liked it, try Badhaai Ho (2018) and Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan (2020). For more reviews, see our reviews section and Bollywood coverage.
Frequently asked questions
Where can I watch Badhaai Do?
Badhaai Do streams on Netflix in India.
Is Badhaai Do a sequel to Badhaai Ho?
It is a spiritual sequel. It shares the title and the family comedy tone, but has a new story and new characters.
What is a lavender marriage in Badhaai Do?
A marriage of convenience between a gay man and a lesbian woman to hide their sexuality from family and society. In the film, Shardul and Sumi marry for this reason.
Did Badhaai Do win any awards?
Yes. It won six Filmfare Awards in 2023, including Best Film (Critics) and Best Actor for Rajkummar Rao.
Sources: Badhaai Do, Wikipedia, 68th Filmfare Awards, Wikipedia, Badhaai Do on IMDb.
