"Tanu Weds Manu" is Fun, But Only in Parts

I find it particularly sad when a movie that starts off really well turns into somewhat of a bore later on. You can neither hate that movie completely, nor love it absolutely. “Tanu Weds Manu”, starring Kangna Ranaut and R Madhavan, is a unique movie: in a lot of ways.

TWM starts off with very life-like characters, be it from the thin alleys of Kanpur, or posh localities of Delhi. What makes these characters even better is the strong performance that the actors put into them. The movie begins really well, with a series of unpredictable and hilarious situations that these characters fall into. The comedy is really genuine, unique, and rare, and thus establishes TWM as an out-of-the-box, fun-filled romantic comedy. That moment onwards, the expectations are set, and the audience is intrigued by the characters and their amusing interactions. You realize that this isn’t a movie with a unique script, but a unique representation of things. Be it Kangana Ranaut as the abusive, rebellious and too-frank Delhi University graduate, R Madhavan as the simple and innocent yet naughty NRI doctor, Deepak Dobriyal as the loving and empathetic side-kick, or the family and friends of both the lead characters, every character is fun to watch, and more so are their weird and funny conversations and interactions. And the first half of the movie does great justice to these expectations that it sets right in the beginning.

The primary point of concern is that TWM doesn’t really live-up to the expectations in its second half. Here, the director goes a step too ahead to justify it as a “romantic” movie, and thus takes it from being a fun-filled romantic comedy to a slow-moving sentimental melodrama. Post-intermission, the movie focuses completely on the emotional conflicts of the lead characters- the kind of melodrama that has been seen hundreds of times in Indian cinema. What makes it worse is that there is no uniqueness here, and there is hardly any empathy that you may feel towards any of the characters. This part of the movie is rid of any kind of amusement, and its slow pace turns it into much of a bore, which finally ends with a ridiculous and disappointing climax. In the end, you wish you would have left after the intermission.

Coming back to the strengths of the movie, there is no doubt that every single actor has done extremely well, even the friends and family of the two leads, especially Tanu’s friend from Bihar and Manu’s friend from Punjab. Kangana has proven here mettle in yet another genre of movies by portraying the most endearing character of this movie. Madhavan’s role is not too challenging, and he does it with great ease. The shining star however, is Deepak Dobriyal as Pappi, who unfortunately, does not get much to do in the second half. The music is rocking, and “Jugni” and “Sadi Galli” are some of the most enthralling tracks I have heard this year. And last but definitely not the least; the dialogues are one of the most applause-deserving features of this film.

To conclude, “Tanu Weds Manu” is different. But when it ends, you know it could have been much better. My suggestion is- watch it when the DVD arrives.