Mr & Mrs Unwanted

Rajesh (Rajendra Shirsatkar) and Riya (Smita Gondkar) live a well-planned life. They are over-practical and suffer from the DINK (Dual Income, No Kids) syndrome. They have certain wishes and desires to fulfil before deciding upon adding a new member to the family. It’s a happy life but a void keeps troubling them over and over again.

When Riya wants to have a baby, Rajesh isn’t ready and vice versa. The unwanted pregnancies are terminated multiple times and this affects Riya’s health. Ultimately, when both of them agree upon having a kid, Riya is diagnosed with a medical condition that prevents her from getting pregnant. Will the couple come out of this crisis and support each other in the time of need?

At its core, Mr & Mrs Unwanted looks to address the problem that many working couples face today – a dilemma choosing between personal and professional life. In doing so, however, the film falters big time. At 140 mins, it is stretched unnecessarily and it doesn’t take an Einstein to figure out what comes next, after every scene.

A few months ago, another Marathi film, 'Anuraag', handled somewhat a similar theme. Although the story of both these films is different, 'Mr & Mrs Unwanted' could’ve benefited from the kind of execution 'Anuraag' had. When there are only two people that the film focuses on, there have to be certain other elements to keep the viewer hooked. 'Mr & Mrs Unwanted' lacks those.

The protagonists Shirsatkar and Gondkar are known faces in the industry but breakaway from the kind of roles they usually portray and do so with aplomb. Shirsatkar, who is mostly seen in cop roles, and Gondkar, the glam girl of the industry, strike an interesting chemistry onscreen. It is their film altogether and both hold fort, at least in the acting department.

With some fine tuning, 'Mr & Mrs Unwanted' might’ve worked but in its current state, the film is a tedious watch.