Meenakshi Sundareshwar trailer: Sanya Malhotra, Abhimanyu Dassani tell the sorry tale of newlywed millennials

The trailer of the much-awaited film Meenakshi Sundareshwar is finally here. Starring Sanya Malhotra and Abhimanyu Dassani, the rom-com drama brings alive an arranged marriage setup, and how the newly married couple are forced into a ‘long distance relationship’.

Netflix dropped the trailer of the Karan Johar produced film on Tuesday, and while it has a few sweet moments, overall it doesn’t leave a lasting impression. It’s probably only the performances of Sanya and Abhimanyu as the newlyweds Meenakshi and Sundareshwar, that somehow manages to tug an emotional chord. Also, the first few seconds of the trailer has the lead characters speaking only in English, which might be an issue for largely Hindi-speaking audience.

Meenakshi Sundareshwar comes across as a film about two very different people — one is an introvert but is confident of being a good husband, as engineers never give up. On the other hand, the ‘superstar Rajnikanth’ fan wants to make a difference but is left being the supportive wife. As the two embark on a new journey, miles apart from each other, misunderstanding, insecurity crop in leaving them with a big question – will this marriage work? Even as they try their best, even indulging in some naughty video calls, the family interference leaves them red-faced.

What works for the film is its relatability. In today’s time and age, career growth has led couples, even married ones, to stay apart. The film does strike a chord with the issues long distance can bring in a relationship.

Debutant director Vivek Soni while talking at the trailer launch shared that he was ‘nervous, excited and confident’. He added that they have put their heart and souls into this film and hopes the audience likes it. The film has been at the receiving end of criticism for portraying the stereotypical south Indian characters. Giving his reason for setting the love story down south, Soni added, “The story organically falls in Madurai. We also wanted to set in the south of India for a beautiful visual setting.”

Talking about the film, Sanya Malhotra in a statement said, “Returning to Netflix with Meenakshi Sundareshwar is like a homecoming for me after Pagglait and Ludo. Working with Abhimanyu under the direction of Vivek has been a great experience. I’m glad this film will be released on Netflix to a global audience because the film offers something for everybody, and audiences all over the world will find the film appealing and will relate to it.

The film will mark the digital debut of Bhagyashree’s son Abhimanyu, who entered Bollywood with Vasan Bala’s critically-acclaimed 2019 comedy-drama Mard Ko Dard Nahi Hota. Sanya on the other hand has had two of her films released on OTT — Ludo and Pagglait.

Meenakshi Sundareshwar is backed by Karan Johar’s Dharmatic Entertainment. Staring November 5, it will stream on Netflix