Tanu Weds Manu Review, Rating : Cute Fun

Marriages are made in heaven. Opposites attract. The NRI- desi cocktail rarely fails to woo the masses. Tanu Weds Manu simply aims at cocktailing those three time- tested Bollywood clichés.

Look at the fun side. When you add the shaadi- naach- gaana masala to that threepoint formula and wrap it in a Great Indian Parivaar package, chances are you have readied paisa vasool stuff. Director Anand L. Rai did all of the above, and then perhaps realised others have already tried it before.

So, for a change, instead of flying out his unit to scenic foreign shores, he chooses to give the East- meets- West formula a solid desi backdrop. Here, the NRI hero arrives in India and the story unfolds in a fascinating smalltown milieu.

I went in for Tanu Weds Manu with some trepidation. Despite the glitzy promos, the fact was in the back of my mind that Rai is a director who earlier made the hugely botched- up Strangers. Chances are you can’t quite put a finger on what I’m talking about — Rai himself would perhaps

forgive you for forgetting his apologetic debut film, which was an attempted suspense drama. He deserves a few points therefore for showing marked improvement as a storyteller this time.

Rai’s biggest achievement in Tanu Weds Manu lies in getting his lead casting right. Madhavan is perfectly cast as the unassuming NRI doctor Manoj Sharma, or Manu.

He’s your nice guy with no airs, agrees with the idea of an arranged marriage, and moons over old Rafi hits. The match fixed for him is Kanpur ki Tanuja Trivedi, or Tanu (Kangna Ranaut). She is your typical smalltown girl — well, not quite. Tanu is an extrovert, smokes hard, boozes harder, and cusses freely. She has had her share of flings and is okay with the idea that there isn’t much of a difference between her and a monkey.

The script is linear, tracing Tanu and Manu’s perfect ( mis) match. The fun actually lies in the situational quirks that happen thanks to the film’s intriguing characters.

Kangna as Tanu gets her deserved break from the intense image she was lugging all along. Tanu, an interesting study of the new- age smalltown girl, gives her scope to relish in. In contrast, Madhavan has the safer role. He doesn’t have to try too hard to play the filmy good boy — it’s a role he has peddled smoothly for almost 10 years now.

This film lets him rehash the image in a believable way. Watch out for Deepak Dobriyal too, as Manu’s foxy neighbourhood buddy. One of Bollywood’s most underrated talents, Deepak proves once again his worth as a natural actor after Omkara , Shaurya and Gulaal . Tanu Weds Manu gives yin- yang relationship basics a cool twist in an engaging smalltown India milieu. The film clicks because it doesn’t take itself too seriously.

Rating - 3/5