Tanu Weds Manu

Cast: R. Madhavan, Kangna Ranaut, Jimmy Shergill, Ravi Kishan, Ejaaz Khan, Rajendra Gupta, K. K. Raina

Director: Aanand Rai

Why should you watch “Tanu Weds Manu”? For R. Madhavan who will win you heart as a sweet lovable NRI doctor Manu who has the misfortune of falling in love with a Kanpur-girl Tanu (Kangana Ranaut) who not only rejects him as a suitor but also uses him to elope with her ruffian boyfriend. Hiding his heartbreak and disappointment behind a smile, Madhavan fits into the role of a goody goody NRI like a glove. He is hopelessly in love with Tanuja who doesn’t miss a single opportunity to hurt him. Rules, they say, are meant to be broken and that’s what Tanu’s agenda in life is to break all rules that a middle class family swears by. Well, an NRI coming home to find a suitable bride for him is very common in Indian society and director Anand Rai’s comedy opens with the same. He tries to be as close to reality as possible from the backdrop, to clothes, to character artists all bring out the element of a middle class setup perfectly. With a marriage in the background providing a perfect place for Tanu’s second chance meeting with Manu, the movie traces the relationship between the girl and the NRI. Surely, perfect material for sentimental romances with ‘comedy ka tadka’. But there is something missing to make it a perfect romantic comedy. First, the script is punctured, then their is no chemistry between Madhavan and Kangana and if that was not enough, the narrative doesn’t flow at the desired pace it’s slower than it should be.

Though the director picked up an interesting subject, he has not succeeded in executing his story effectively on screen there are not enough laughs in the film. Whatever funny scenes are there, credit goes to the chemistry between Madhavan and Deepak Dobriyal who plays his friend Pappi. Kangana’s dialogue delivery puts you off and she lacks the spunk and spark to play the free bird that she is in the movie. In fact, Swara Bhaskar, who plays her friend Payal, holds the fort as the Bihari girl who is marrying a sardarji (Eijaz Khan) who also happens to be Manu’s best friend. Payal is impressed with Manu and even tries to drill some sense into Tanu’s head but Tanu, a rebel, doesn’t want to admit her feelings for the man who is picked by her parents. Critics won’t appreciate the plot but Madhavan fans would find enough material to enjoy the film. Music plays an important role in a wedding based romantic comedy and the director could have got it right if he had opted for fast-paced peppy numbers.

In the performance department, full marks go to Madhavan, Deepak and Swara. The supporting cast of K.K. Raina, Rajendra Gupta and Navni Parihar don’t have much to do, but whatever role they have, they carry it well. Jimmy Shergill as Kangana’s ruffian boyfriend is wasted, so is Ravi Kishen as his sidekick. If you are looking for a great romantic comedy, this is not the one, but watch it for Madhavan and his chemistry with Deepak.The season of marriages is not over yet and Tanu Weds Manu makes it just in time. Of course it is a love story. And like every other love story this has its clichéd moments. Plenty of them actually! But then you really can't help it considering love stories are bound to be predictable. After all it is about a guy and girl falling in love. Tanu Weds Manu could hence remind you of films such Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayena and Jab We Met. TWM is about two people both extremes in attitude and them accepting each other in love. Manu (Madhavan) is a London based doctor who comes to India, on insistence of his parents, to get married. Contrary to regular stereotypes of NRIs Manu is docile, a Mohd. Rahi lover and quite rooted in Indian values. Manu, along with his parents and friend Pappi, reaches Kanpur to meet Tanu. He approves the bride only to realize soon after that she never intended to marry him. And that Tanu is a complete reverse of whatever Manu is. While Manu would go by what is conventionally right, Tanu is rebellious. She hates the concept of arranged marriage. Rather she intends to elope. Anything that is rejected by her parents is just what she wants to do. She makes Manu back out of the marriage. But as fate could have it the two bumps into each other again within days at their friends' marriage. There is a twist in the tale too as Tanu plans to get married to her boyfriend.

Tanu Weds Manu starts well. The director does not lose any time in establishing characters and settings. The characters and settings are in fact the highlights of this story. The story takes us through UP and Punjab and you have delightfully colorful personalities everywhere. And these characters are brought to life with some very lively dialogues and scenes. The settings are explored best by the Chirantas Das's cinematography. The music too fits the settings. The song 'Kajra Mohabbat Wala' is blended very well into the scene. Thanks to the characters the first half works beautifully. But then, like most other filmmakers, Aanand L Rai loses his way in the second half! He falls prey to desire to create tense dramatic moments to keep up the interest. He does create drama but this time it does not heighten your experience but exhaust the audience. Performances, except Kangna, are top class. Madhavan and Jimmy Sheirgill show their potential as actors. Deepak Dobriyal is delightfully spontaneous. Eijaz Khan fits right into the character. Swara Bhaskar is dynamic and leaves a mark. Kangna however is a complete misfit. She is clearly uncomfortable in dialogue delivery when it comes to comedies and we saw that in No Problem too. But she does get her expressions right.

Overall TWM turns out to be an average film because of the weak second half. It has a feel good factor to it, which should work with some part of the audience. And then there are some dialogues which just stay with you. A few weeks back came 'Yeh Saali Zindagi' which had it's lead protagonist Irrfan Khan valiantly in love with Chitrangda Singh who instead loved someone else. Now comes 'Tanu Weds Manu' with the difference being that while 'Yeh Saali Zindagi' had violence and black humour at the core of it, this Madhavan-Kangna starrer doesn't even feature a slap in it. Also, it is the two hours that lead to the culmination of this plot that make them stand out as distinct affairs. And for that, one must hand it over to director Aanand L Rai for making it possible and keeping the narrative engaging for most part of it. For Madhavan life is quite simple. Someone who is an introvert, isn't quite assertive when it comes to his own marriage, falls in love with the first girl whom he meets and isn't left with much choice but to give in to the need of the situation as it arises, he is someone who can be easily lost in the crowd.

On the other hand Kangna's character is that of a crowd puller. A girl who can't celebrate without a couple of pegs down, needs an occasion to make her presence felt and is a rebel just because she wants to break the shackles of small town mentality, she even goes on to break the heart of the only guy who actually loved her for what she was rather than 'customising her' (as beautifully put by her at one point in the film).

Around such distinct protagonists, Aanand Rai spins a tale which not just takes a rollicking start but maintains a momentum right through the first half of the film. First ever meeting of Madhavan and Kangna, their conversation a day later in the train, the twist that happens too early in the tale all of it brings audience to a point where you want to know the journey that these characters will take. Of course the best is reserved for the point in the film when all characters assemble in Punjab. Really, one doesn't have any complaints whatsoever by this time as you are totally immersed in the proceedings. For that, credit must also go to supporting actors like Deepak Dobriyal, Eijaz Khan and Swara Bhaskar who are actually pretty integral to the film's movement instead of being just some mandatory add ons. With the twist in the tale at the interval point making you all excited about what's going to unfold next, the story surprisingly starts stagnating a little. The scenes do not turn out to be as impacting as one would have expected with the narrative becoming slow. This is also due to the fact that while the first half was totally breezy, the second half becomes a core love story with not much element of humour. Not that the going-ons become totally boring around this time. The scene at the court, Kangna's predicament that follows, Jimmy's short but powerful outburst - all of this does keep the audience's interest in the film. And of course the climax is the highpoint again with Madhavan-Jimmy confrontation refusing to get totally filmy (though finding itself in the same zone).

Madhavan, who has always delivered goods whenever given a meaty role to enact, walks a thin rope and comes up trumps. He had to strike a balance between being quiet while refraining from being meek and he succeeds in getting that persona right. Kangna is quite good in the first half as a rebel and audience does get to see some fresh expressions from her. However (and surprisingly) she is just decent in the second half when emotions take over. Jimmy gives a good account for himself yet again and is in a role which is much more than just a special appearance or a cameo. He is terrific in his confrontation scene with Kangna and then dominates the film's climax. Swara Bhaskar, who was quite good earlier as well in a lesser known film called 'Madholal Keep Walking' (2010) is very confident and has a similar persona as that of Shahana Goswami. Eijaz Khan brings life in the proceedings while Deepak Dobriyal shines in each and every scene that he gets. Krsna's music has a soul and that is reflective in the way (most of) it is smartly integrated in the background score.

Where Aanand scores is getting the small town setting as well as 'desi' characterisation right which is the biggest win of 'Tanu Weds Manu'. He may have consciously chosen the path of balancing fun and dramatic quotient (though one would have preferred more of the former) and he succeeds to a good extent as well. 'Tanu Weds Manu' may not lead the pack of being one of the best romcoms in the contemporary times but it has a definite sense and sensibility to it.Tanu Weds Manu, according to critics, has a cliched storyline, but has some unconventional and unpredictable situations. The narration of the story is slow according to some critics. "There is something missing to make it a perfect romantic comedy. First, the script is punctured, then their is no chemistry between Madhavan and Kangana and if that was not enough, the narrative doesn't flow at the desired pace it's slower than it should be," writes IANS. "Been there, done that? Yes, the first thing that strikes you about Tanu Weds Manu is a striking sense of familiarity. It wasn't long before you saw Shahid Kapoor playing a similar sacrificial lover to Kareena Kapoor in Jab We Met. And like poor Kareena, who tries too sort out her confused emotions against the backdrop of the big fat Punjabi wedding, Tanu too must decide who is better husband material, first amidst the hustle bustle of her best friend's boisterous going balle balle baraat and then at her chaotic Kanpuria community haveli," says Nikhat Kazmi, The Times of India. "Like his directorial debut Strangers, director Aanand L Rai opts for unconventional and unpredictable situations in Tanu Weds Manu. Of course, the fact that Tanu and Manu would tie the knot sooner or later is at the back of your mind, even before the reels have begun to unfold, but you want to experience their journey their voyage from strangers to lovers," says Taran Adarsh, Bollywood Hungama.

Performances "Kangana's dialogue delivery puts you off and she lacks the spunk and spark to play the free bird that she is in the movie. In fact, Swara Bhaskar, who plays her friend Payal, holds the fort as the Bihari girl who is marrying a sardarji (Eijaz Khan) who also happens to be Manu's best friend," says IANS. Not all are critical of Kangna's performace though. "But the star is undoubtedly Kangna Ranaut, who cusses, drinks Old Monk neat, smokes grass, and gets her boyfriend's name tattooed on her chest. Her expressive face is always way ahead of her alarming diction but few films have done as much justice to girl power as Tanu Weds Manu. "Why make pacemakers," she says at one point to the hapless Madhavan, "when I serve that purpose?" Indeed as she dances to Kajra Mohabbat Wala, rides a motorbike, utters Amitabh Bachchan-worthy dialogues (darti to main apne baap se bhi nahin hoon), she shows why she's her very own Jhansi ki Rani and her very own Sarojini Naidu, says Kaveree Bamzai, India Today.

"Even though Madhavan enacts the role of an NRI, he doesn't come across as a stereotypical phoren returned desi. He is real, restrained, yet forceful. To essay a character in such an understated manner is a challenge for any actor and he does it with complete understanding of the character. Unlike her past films, Kangna plays a part that has a zest for life and is bold and fun-loving at the same time. She's audacious, but lovable. Nonetheless, she needs to work on her pronunciation/diction, which sounds so peculiar," writes Taran Adarsh, Bollywood Hungama Verdict "Why should you watch Tanu Weds Manu? For R. Madhavan who will win you heart as a sweet lovable NRI doctor Manu who has the misfortune of falling in love with a Kanpur-girl Tanu (Kangana Ranaut) who not only rejects him as a suitor but also uses him to elope with her ruffian boyfriend,"