Wednesday, May 27, 2015

Film Review: TANU WEDS MANU RETURNS


If you want to see the film for its performances, leave your brain behind at home! 

Cast: Kangana Ranaut, R. Madhavan, Jimmy Shergill, Deepak Dobriyal, Swara Bhaskar, Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub
Director: Anand L. Rai

I had missed watching Tanu Weds Manu in 2011. I so wanted to see it but no one else showed interest; while the film left the theatres too soon. When Tanu Weds Manu Returns was announced, I decided to watch the first one online and did just that. It’s very well made and I decided to catch the sequel despite mixed reactions from the public.

THE STORY

Tanu (Kangana Ranaut) and Manu (R. Madhavan) have been married for four years and they are facing marital trouble. After a visit to a marriage counsellor, Manu lands up in a mental asylum. Tanu ups and leaves London to go back to her mother’s home in Kanpur. She gets back to flirting with her old boyfriends.

Chintu (Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub) has taken Tanu’s old room on rent. He is on his way to becoming a lawyer and has been living there without paying rent for many months. Tanu finds him a useful buddy – to drink with and to offer transport around town on his two-wheeler.

In the meanwhile, at Tanu’s instigation, Manu’s best friend Pappi (Deepak Dobriyal) goes to London to rescue his friend from the mental asylum. Manu decides to file for divorce. What happens when he sees Datto (Kangana Ranaut), an exact replica of Tanu, and gets attracted to her? Then there is Raja Awasthi (Jimmy Shergill), the local goonda. This time round, he is engaged to Datto. Will he let this fiancĂ©e go as easily as he did the first one?

MY PERCEPTION

Kangana has performed brilliantly as both Tanu and Datto. R. Madhavan makes a perfect partner in his inimitable style.

Deepak Dobriyal as Pappi has a chunky role and was excellent – very natural. Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub has been consistently good in many films. I have seen his performances in Mere Brother Ki Dulhan and Raanjhanaa and both were really good. He’s splendid in this film too. Swara Bhaskar is also good.

Having done away with the good parts, let me get to why the film is so bad:

The producer and director have tried to ride on Kangana Ranaut’s popularity and created a faltu film that makes no sense. To begin with, why would a marriage counsellor sit like a judge; speak Hindi; in a mental asylum of all places; that too in London? How the hell did the director miss this glaring error? If a guy is unable to adjust in his marriage of four years, on what basis would they declare him mentally unstable? And over and above that the psychiatrist-counsellor-whatever addresses Manu as Mr. Sharma. Isn’t Manu Sharma a doctor? Amazing!

Manu Sharma is 40. He fell in love with Tanu four years back for the very qualities (or so it seemed) that she has now. Fair enough that “familiarity breeds contempt” and their marriage is falling apart. Fair enough that he wants to divorce her. But, a big BUT here, what the hell does he see in Datto? She’s half his age, going to university on sports quota, is from a small village, and looks ugly. How can a suave, 40-year-old married doctor from London fall for her? And is he in love or in lust or what the hell? I couldn’t understand the logic.

It’s Tanu’s character that stays true to form. She is exactly what she is. And Manu had bloody well accept that. Jimmy Shergill has been wasted. Even his character has no zing, his being a goonda and all that.

And where does that moral lecture by Datto’s brother (Rajesh Sharma) fit in? Datto’s father treats her badly because she’s a girl-child. But that sudden lecture, out of the blue, grates. The villagers stand around doing nothing. I thought our film-makers have moved way beyond that.

Then the “saat phere” – Manu is determined to get married to Datto till the end. Why? How? I can understand his wanting to divorce Tanu. But why this desperation to tie the knot? It doesn’t fit with Manu’s character at all.

Then there is the episode of bride-kidnapping. She says she’s not interested in Pappi. He thinks he knows better and kidnaps her. What happens to her otherwise? Were the director and editor sleeping?

VERDICT: If you can leave your brain at home and watch the film for some of the actors’ performances, then maybe you should watch it.



*Silly
**Shaky
***Smart
****Snazzy
*****Super

16 comments:

  1. I was actually thinking of watching this one. Thank you for saving me from this mayhem! And as always, a great review, Sundari!

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    1. Thank you Adite! I wish I would have listened to people when they said that the film was not up to expectations :(

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  2. Sundari, I only recently came across your movie reviews and I must say - I really like them. They're concise, smart and helps you make up your mind quickly. Loved the Piku one too.

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    1. Thank you for stopping by "iwrotethose" and posting a comment. I am glad you find my film reviews useful :)

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  3. Great review of the movie and I echo your sentiments. Thank god I have not watched it, reviews did it for me.
    Thanks Sundari

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  4. I absolutely loved the movie, mostly because of the dialogue and Kangana. I think Mannu fell in love with Datto for exactly the same reason he fell for Tanu- she was just as crazy, as down to earth and just as courageous.I actually loved her more than Tanu :D

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    1. HI Rajlakshmi, yeah, there has been extreme reviews about this one. I think the actors had performed very well. Only the story had too many holes :)

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  5. Some stories are for entertainment only Sundari. The loopholes are there in all stories .. even DDLJ had so many. This movie I loved. Actually if we have to analyse this movie.. there is a very strong feminist quality about this movie. There is also a thing or two about girl not praised or appreciated when they achieve something and there is also a lesson about test tube babies.. the time it takes a man to accept his 'faults'. The best part about the movie was.. I laughed. Tension free laughter is needed sometimes. No?

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    1. Then it was worth the watch for sure. :D
      One thing though - having loopholes in story and having only a loophole for a story - there is a difference right?
      I also laughed quite a bit. I truly admired Kangana's characters - Tanu and Datto - the contrast has been too well portrayed

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    2. But just for a loophole not to watch the movie is a bit too much. As writers we know every story has a loophole but on the whole the package was wonderful. It gave viewers what movies should.. entertainment, entertainment, entertainment. How many movies does it nowadays?

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    3. Now I am feeling jealous that you enjoyed the film while I didn't :D

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    4. Tell me I sold a ticked ! :D Paanch ka das Paanch ka das :D hahhahaah

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  6. You echo my thoughts completely. Such a letdown this one. I can't understand what the rave is about.

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