There are the box-office behemoths like ‘Bahubali’ and ‘Bajirao Mastani’ with mind boggling budgets and ever escalating expectations. We live in times where a passport size picture of a superstar out on bail has been released as the ‘first look’ of his next release and has gone viral. That’s star power and the frenzy of fans. Then, there are the small, content driven films with modest budgets raking it in like ‘Dum Laga Ke Haisha’, ‘36 Vayadhinile’, ‘Piku’ and the most recent, ‘Tanu Weds Manu Returns’. These films are bigger hits than any of the blockbusters starring the Khans simply because they collect at least five times more than the money spent. They also have strong, independent female characters and have managed to woo back family audiences, in droves.
The female protagonist has never had it so good. She’s no longer obsequious or just arm candy gyrating seductively and flashing flesh. Films have reluctantly started reflecting the changing dynamics in the man woman equation much to the delight of female viewers. It’s no longer about equality. It’s about being assertive. If Bhumi Pednekar(Dum Lagake Aisha) was endearing as the plump wife who makes her husband accept her for what she is, there’s Jyotika(36 Vayadhinile) goaded by a childhood friend to rediscover her inherent strengths. Then there’s the free spirited Kangana in ‘Tanu Weds Manu Returns’.
A Mumbai newspaper revised the rating of ‘Tanu Weds Manu Returns’ based on feedback and research which differed from their film critics. The review is still up on their site with the content unchanged. Only the number of stars has increased. Was it the top brass who disagreed with the critics views or were they coerced by the big Production Company? Either way it’s not only an insult to the critic but the fact that they have buckled, shows they have shot themselves in the foot. “When vendors decide what the editorial will be, the downfall is not of the people. When the vendor is allowed to decide, the newspaper is gone.” Kamal told me this more than a decade ago and it’s ringing true now. The context was different but the end result is the same. Believe me, when stars are doled out to rate a film, very few read the written words. Critics can’t be ambivalent. It’s an individual’s view, biased but based on how he responded to the film. You either agree with him/her or disagree after watching the film and stop reading their subsequent reviews. Has the re-rating helped the box-office returns of ‘TWMR’? The film had already been declared a hit. I’m left wondering what kind of research helped re-rate the film!
‘Tanu Weds Manu’ was a bearably entertaining film about a mild mannered doctor falling for a wild child from a small town. She seeks excitement while he looks for stability. They’re miserably mismatched and in the end you know if they get married they’re doomed. The sequel starts disastrously. You first wonder how they tolerated each other for four years. In an embarrassingly puerile scene, the discontent couple go to a mental asylum instead of a counsellor. The husband is admitted merely for getting angry. The unrepentant wife returns to her roots in glee, as if unshackled. The husband too returns to Delhi. He decides to split but there has to be a reason for the predictable reconciliation so a lookalike of the heroine is introduced. It’s with the writing of individual scenes that the director triumphs along with some brilliant one-liners. On her return Tanu takes a cycle rickshaw driven by an old flame, now married. “Do you miss me sometimes?” she asks. When he answers positively she embarrasses him by asking “When? Tell me when?” The film is a cauldron of the character’s conflicting emotions but it’s the delightful banter that saves the film’s contrived content. “Reebok nahi tho Rebook hi sahi,” taunts Tanu when confronted with her competitor. Finally it’s a performance driven film, the screen littered with delightful characters. The small town milieu is convincingly recreated. The acting is first rate be it Swara Bhasker, Jimmy Shergill, Deepak Dobriyal or Zeeshan Ayyub to name a few. Madhavan is the modern Rishi Kapoor, holding his own, never intimidated by gifted performers be it Kamal or Kangana. His is a finely nuanced performance. Ultimately, you cannot miss the film purely because of the magical Kangana Ranaut. She’s riveting, consuming the screen with her presence. If she mesmerises as the alluring but elusive Tanu she stuns you as Kusum with buck tooth, a slight lisp and the body language of an athlete. She will definitely not be on the wish list of the reigning Khans for a co-star because of her intimidating presence. She doesn’t need them.
How do I rate ‘TWMR’? Well, watch it and feel free to disagree.
sshivu@yahoo.com
