Tanu Weds Manu: Listless Band Baaja And Two Baraats!

Tanu Weds Manu tries hard to ensnare you in its ’small town charm’ and ’shaadi waadi ka DDLJ type drama’ but the end result is a stale, odourless fare with a tame ending that will make you go yaaaaaaawwwwnnn. Director Anand L Rai starts off well and keeps it Real throughout. But beyond a point he loses the plot and it seems he himself didn’t know what he wants to do with a story that criss-crosses its way towards boredom.

Kangna Ranaut attempts an expletive-endowed version of Kareena ’Geet’ Kapoor (Jab We Met). The end result is 50-50. Sometimes-surprisngly-sprightly, baaki time ’Ainvayin’. She flirts luxuriously, shamelessly gulps neat Old Monk, dances uninhibitedly and unfurls the tattoo of his boyfriend’s name inked for ever on her bosom. Madhavan is a London returned Doctor who loves Kangna despite being rejected and how the twain of their love story gradually starts coming together. Where did we hear this story before? And yes, Madhavan is Manu and Kangna is Tanu. Whatever...

In fact, Madhavan’s too-foolish-to-be-true act, automatically qualifies him as a perfect brand ambassador for Sugar Free ’Natural’. He lived in London for 12 years. Had no close friends (read girl friends), led a boring life, parents wanted him married and he falls in love with the first girl he meets. What a story! The lack of story is the biggest downer in Tanu Weds Manu. The director somewhat compensates for it by showing the mischievously endearing bylanes of North India, some crackling dialogues and a couple of fun, boisterous numbers in Jugni and Sadi Gali.

The support cast is impressive. Deepak Dobriyal as Madhavan’s friend Pappi is superb. The subtlety in his body language and dialogue delivery is very impressive. He brings in some genuinely fun moments in the film. Swara Bhaskar as Kangna’s best friend Payal is an absolute natural. When she says "Ek lappad marenge abhi"....its a perfect intonation of someone from Bihar. The camaraderie-scenes between Kangna-Swara are highly watchable. Yes, girls do smoke and one shouldn’t cringe or pass judgments. Jimmy Sheirgill has a few notable dialogues while Ejaz Khan plays the Punjabi card with effervescence.

Writer Himanshu Sharma has penned sparsely-fine-dialogues and a few catchy scenes but you’ve seen most of them in the promos itself. Nothing much happens in the film that you haven’t seen before in earlier love stories. The ’surprises’ are not surprising enough. There’s hardly any feeling of wonderment. On the other hand you end up asking, why is Kangna shown so fickle and overtly expressive while Madhavan doesn’t seem real at all. Why are Madhavan and his family so desperate to accept a girl who drinks, smokes and has a string of boyfriends? Love-is-blind and all that jazz...but still...the audience isn’t blind not to notice gaping holes in the hackneyed screenplay.

If you have a lot of free time and half cooked cinematic masala is palatable for you as a moviegoer, then maybe you can give Tanu Weds Manu a shot. But I’d suggest not to waste your hard earned money on this mostly-listless Band, Baaja and two Baraats! Enjoy the cricket world cup instead.

Star Rating: **