In his latest outing, while Luv Ranjan has kind of branched out from his usual “anti-feminist” stands and gone for a more universal familial touch towards the end of his latest rom-com movie Tu Jhoothi Main Makkaar, starring Ranbir Kapoor, Shraddha Kapoor, Dimple Kapadia, and others, it remains to be seen whether this “almost perfect” love story can strike the right chord with audiences and become a rage in the usual “Luv“ style, or fail to meet the mark and fizzle out. With a couple of foot-tapping, peppy numbers by Pritam, the music is decent and Ranbir and Shraddha manage to take this otherwise somewhat frail plot forward with their amazing performances and sizzling chemistry on screen.
So, a rom-com after long, my lovelies, and well, I couldn’t be happier! I mean, I am so bored with so much action, drama, and South Indian blockbusters (hey, hey, I don’t have it against them, huh!, just a bit mortified for my Bollywood being unable to perform, ya!). So, I went to catch up on a Ranbir Kapoor movie after long, guys.
Your usual girl-meets-boy and a too-good-to-be-true kind of scenario, getting betrothed to each other, all set to be married, towards a happy end. But a happy one per se’? Well, not really, since what follows is a rigmarole that makes you feel, um, “been there, done that, wasn’t this also a part of Tamaasha or Bachnaa Ae Haseeno kinds of philosophies?
Ranbir, who plays Mickey, is a breakup specialist consultant working alongside his best friend Dabbas (Anubhav Basai). When Mickey goes for Dabbas’ bachelor party abroad, he encounters his fiancee’ Kinchi’s( Monica Chaudhary) best friend Tinni (Shraddha Kapoor), falling head over heels in love with her. When she accepts his proposal, it’s all rosy and lovey-dovey, with things looking completely like a KJo romantic going on. “Tere pyaar mein” a song celebrating their love, is something sure to be on the charts for a while, BTW.
Things get complicated when it becomes clear that after getting betrothed, the perfect bride-to-be Tinni doesn’t seem to want to give a successful closure to this “happily ever after” relationship because of… What? Now for that, you’ve got to catch it on a screen near you, right? Whether they get married or not is something I am not going to be giving away here, huh?
Another Failed Attempt from Ranbir Kapoor
Coming to performances, Ranbir Kapoor is at his usual splendid best, whilst Shraddha Kapoor too manages to look cute, be hot, and do the perfect “classic career-oriented lass playing the victim” act. Anubhav, who plays Ranbir’s bestie, is great in his debut, and so is Dimple Kapadia as Ranbir’s mom, who is effortlessly cool and adorable. It was refreshing to see her after ages on the silver screen. Hey, did I mention Boney Kapoor was a part of this one as well? Regarding Ranbir’s father, he was okayish and forgettable, to be honest. The climax, which is surely one of the high points of the movie, tends to fizzle out after it becomes kind of predictable.
What actually seemed a misfit, for me at least, was the fact that Luv has tried to make an attempt to scatter a spray of a family drama on his usual trademark rom-com genre. The result is actually baffling since it did little wonder and did not seem to work either way for me in the end. The unflinchingly outspoken way in which Luv usually depicts his female characters seemed somewhat marred by his overpowering urge to whitewash this whole thing into a familial flavour. From appealing, it graduated to cheesy and almost pitiable in the end, when I actually was quizzing myself on the biggest blooper of the plot-How is it that Ranbir, who is supposed to be such an over-practical, Love Guru sort of shrewd character, be such an antithesis when it came to his own self and be so deeply attached to familial values and emotions? It sort of felt as if Luv wanted to bring back “Sonu” from the movie Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety in spirit here but unfortunately missed the mark. And yes, there are a couple of interesting cameos here, but, as I said, you’ve got to go and watch it to know more.
All in all, a good rom-com with a familial touch, Ranbir and Shraddha’s outstanding performances, and unfortunately a wafer-thin plot (it had deep, thought-provoking hind sights though), I so wish Luv had not deviated from his signature trademark and delivered instead of choosing to experiment in this confusing fashion. Nevertheless, a good attempt. Not a blockbuster movie though. Whether it climbs higher than expectations or simply flattens in the coming weeks, well, that depends, I’d say. You never know with our Bollywood audiences and box office performances. Time passing is often put on “high pedestals” here, right?
So, I hope you guys liked my thoughts on A Potential Blockbuster Movie or a Predictable Flop: Tu Jhoothi Main Makkaar.
Adios Amigos!