My obsessions with Jab We.....

Tweet

Shaadi has been an oft-repeated theme in Bollywood and visibly a hot favorite (read: get rich quick) these days. A litter-glitter love story in the backdrop of some band, baaja, baraat [Be it a big fat Sainik Farm wedding or a low-budget 'Tanu weds Manu,' plus a foot-thumping Punjabi number to top it all ;)] seems to be THE theme luring audiences.
But all this, not as simple as it sounds. The recently released Tanu weds Manu (TWM) seems like a drabby remake of Jab we Met (JWM). [Even the initials couldn't have gotten closer ;] It's got to taste good (atleast as much, if not better) when dishing up the same old recipe.

While Tanu (Kangana) is a close cousin of the bouyant and much-loved Geet, Sharma Ji (R Madhavan) is a caricatured Aditya Kashyap (Shahid). (And the profanities. Mind you! Tanu takes it to a different level altogether).
Not like Jab we Met did a first. It's only a twisted version of umpteem love stories we've seen before - Pyar toh Hona hi Tha 1998), Hum Dil de Chuke Sanam (1999) ... and many more. It's the seasoning that makes all the difference, I guess. And eventually you've got to strike a chord with the audiences. Couldn't agree more with Dolce. It's hard to do another Jab We.... :)

Mujhe shaadi karne ka bada shaunk hai by God... I can still recall Kareena's expressions as she spoke those lines. Twice on the theatre, umpteen times on the DVD and still counting! :-)

Tanu weds Manu (2011) - movie review

Tweet

Another Band Baaja Baraat? Certainly not. Despite the misleading trailers. It seemed like trying too hard to impress by throwing in a little bit of everything -  

Great music (which it delivered, but it's too heavy to match the light mood of the film). My favorite Saddi Galli came and went all too quickly ;(

Boy-likes-girl, girl-rejects-but-eventually-accepts angle Awww, how sweet! But how many more times do we still have to see it? Ok, being a sucker for romantic films, I don't even mind watching it over and over but I'm sure something more original and engaging would have been lot more fun.

Profanities Used all too liberally and unncessarily. I'm sure Kangana as the bold and gutsy Tanuja Trivedi urf Tanu would have convinced as much, while sparing a few C***s. [Looks can be deceptive. This, wrt the pic below ;]

Realistic characters But despite all attempts to make them appear beliavable, they seem an absolute misfit in a climax as high-decibel drama as this one. 

Comedy That bit I agree was bang on. Deepak Dobriyal as Manu's phrennd gives a paisa-vasool performance. (He's as good in comic roles as sombre and restrained ones like in Gulaal).

While I enjoyed the film in bits and parts, some tight editing would have helped. All in all, TWM has its moments but lacks a soul. Go for it, if you really want to. The rest, wait for the DVD :-)