“Doctor G” has a noble topic that surely deserved better execution. The film could have delivered the subject in a better way, but it probably failed due to its flawed approach. It is a medical comedy film set in the city of Bhopal that revolves around Dr. Uday Gupta, who is stuck in a course while he is desperately seeking a seat in another division. It leans towards social messaging, and in this case, it demonstrates a male gynecologist slowly getting comfortable treating women, and he is helping women to be comfortable around him. Directed by Anubhuti Kashyap, “Doctor G” released on October 14th, 2022 in theaters and stars Ayushmann Khurrana, Rakul Preet Singh, Shefali Shah, Sheeba Chaddha, and Indraneil Sengupta.
Spoilers Ahead
What Happens In ‘Doctor G’?
The film begins with Dr. Uday (Ayushmann Khurrana) complaining to his friend about how his girlfriend prefers spending time with her best friend than with him. After coming under a lot of pressure from Uday, his girlfriend breaks up with him and says Uday doesn’t listen to women and doesn’t understand them. Uday Gupta is seeking postgraduate admission in the field of orthopedics because he always wanted to pursue that area of medical science and become an expert just like his mentor/distant cousin, Dr. Ashok Gupta. Unfortunately, Uday doesn’t get any seats in his area of interest in Bhopal. The only choice left with him is to move to another town to pursue Orthopedics or take the seat allotted to him in Bhopal in his choice of college but in the Gynecology department. Initially hesitant about taking up the seat allotted to him, Uday starts working halfheartedly. As he joins the gynecology department, he comes across his seniors who rag him and backlashes from his classmates because he does not attempt to understand this field. Fatima (Rakulpreet Singh), his senior, initially teases him but starts telling him to deal with the situation at hand.
Meanwhile, the Head of the department, Dr. Nandini (Shefali Shah), isn’t also that keen on seeing him in the gynecology department but starts mentoring him in her way to make him understand how to deal with women coming to the hospital. Since the hospital is in Bhopal, most of the patients are pregnant women and find it difficult to let Uday examine them because of his gender. Dr. Nandini insists on getting familiar with the doctor’s touch and letting go of a man’s touch. How does Uday go from not being interested in gynecology to understanding the necessity to understand the subject at hand forms the plot of “Doctor G”? Uday’s mother, Shobha Gupta, is a widow who takes care of him and a tenant staying at her home, and she is keen on starting her own food YouTube channel.
Ending Explained: How Does Uday Save Kavya From A Risky Abortion?
Uday soon becomes aware of the fact that his mentor, Dr. Ashok (Indraneil Sengupta), is having an affair with a young girl. Uday is a little disturbed by the thought of his married mentor having an affair with a girl half his age, but stays silent. One of those routine runs at the hospital forces Uday to deliver a baby in the corridor of the hospital. While knowing the risks involved in delivering the baby in that area, the baby and the mother survive, which helps Uday gain positive reactions from his seniors and the rest of the staff at the medical college. Uday slowly starts building confidence and starts understanding what Dr. Nandini always advises him.
Uday and Fatima become close friends and, at one point, kiss each other. Fatima, who is about to be engaged to another person, makes it clear the kiss was just a one-time thing and she considers Uday to be only his friend. Uday initially does not understand Fatima’s decision but later comes around it. Uday is soon faced with a dilemma when Dr. Ashok asks him for a favor. Ashok’s young girlfriend, who turns out to be a minor, is pregnant, and Ashok needs to get rid of the baby without anyone knowing. Uday approaches Fatima and realizes that the abortion might lead to a life-threatening situation. Fatima and Nandini refuse to operate on her. Nowhere to go, Kavya is sent to stay at Uday’s home, where he starts empathizing with her and her ambitions to become a doctor. Kavya is soon taken to a shady clinic by Ashok without Uday’s knowledge and left to die. Uday and his mother rush to help her and shift her to the medical college. He performs emergency surgery on her with the help of Dr. Nandini and her colleagues. Uday insists on dealing with filing the FIR later because saving Kavya is a priority. Kavya survives the surgery, but Dr. Ashok is arrested for having sex with a minor. Uday’s actions come under the scanner for not revealing she was a minor and not filing an FIR before the surgery. Dr. Nandini comes to his support because she thinks his intentions were right, but she will watch his work from close quarters going forward.
Uday’s mother gets into a relationship with an acquaintance, much to Uday’s agony. Shobha confronts Uday and conveys that all her life she has taken care of him, and now she craves companionship, which she found in this said person. Uday finally understands what his mother is going through and apologizes to her and her partner. “Doctor G” ends with Uday making Fatima promise to be his lifelong friend.
The ending of “Doctor G” throws light on Uday’s understanding of various forms of emotions women of every age go through. His mother, a widow, is longing for companionship after taking care of Uday for years. Fatima looks for friendship even though her kiss happened on the spur of the moment. She reveals to her fiancé about this incident, which makes her sound like a genuine person who is looking out for herself and Uday as well. In Kavya, Uday sees an innocent girl who needs nothing but good guidance, which she never received from Dr. Ashok. Uday takes it upon himself to show her around the medical college and help her with school essays to make her situation less painful. Uday understands the doctor’s touch as the film ends and he can let go of the “man’s touch”. Uday understands there is no female or male gynecologist; they are just here to help women through every form of gynecological problem. In the transition, he goes from being uninterested in this subject to come to terms with it, the importance of men understanding the female body, and the changes they go through after puberty and during pregnancy. The ending of “Doctor G”, if not perfect, is a testimony of how a female perspective in the screenplay adds a layer to the male characters. Male characters written by women are sensitive, empathetic, and understanding. Anubhuti Kashyap, Vishal Wagh, Saurabh Bharat, and Sumit Saxena forge a rushed ending to “Doctor G,” but the intent was never lost in the execution.
Final Thoughts
“Doctor G” has a decent start but loses steam halfway through as the conflict that Uday faces seems repetitive after a point. In the second half of the film, Uday gets a purpose and decides to help Kavya with her not-so-favorable situation. The story is interesting. The screenplay is kind of jumpy, and editing is a major issue. The performances somehow make the film interesting. Ayushmann Khurrana’s performance felt the same as his other performances, but his ability to get into the skin of the character made Uday understandable. His arc is believable. Shefali Shah’s character was one-toned, which felt like her character in Delhi Crime. I wish the writers had given her more layers than just of an authoritarian figure. Sheeba Chaddha, as always, is top-notch. Rakulpreet Singh was not impressive at all, even though her character had layers. Overall, “Doctor G” is a decent watch where the writers explore small-town stories spearheaded by topics that are considered to be a taboo. Something that has been attempted many times, with Ayushmann Khurrana in the lead.
“Doctor G” is a comedy drama running at theatres near you with subtitles.
