Director: Anand L Rai

Producers: Color Yellow Pictures and Eros International

Writer: Himanshu Sharma

Cast: Kangana Ranaut, R Madhavan, Deepak Dobrial, Jimmy Shergill, Mohammad Zeeshan Ayub

Music: Krsna Solo and Tanishk-Vayu

Genre: Drama/ Comedy

Release Date: May 22, 2015

Rating: * * * ½

Review By: Keyur Seta

There has been a craze for sequels in Bollywood since five years or so. But strangely, there has hardly been a sequel that has matched up to the first film of the franchise, leave along being better than it. Apart from Lage Raho Munna Bhai and Jannat 2, I can’t think of any worthy names.

Anand L Rai’s Tanu Weds Manu Returns enters this rare list as it not only matches to the first film, it even surpasses it as far as entertainment is concerned. It presents an old pickle in new bottle in the most hilarious way.

Coming to the story, Tanu (Kangana Ranaut) gets married to Manu (R Madhavan) at the end of the first film. But in a span of for years, their marriage crumbles. They return to their hometown and apply for a divorce, much to the agony of their respective parents.

Completely out of the blue, Manu comes across a college student Kusum (Kangana Ranaut), who is a lookalike of Tanu and falls for her. On the other hand, Tanu flirts around with her family’s Paying Guest (Mohammad Zeeshan Ayub), a law student, and her old flame Raja Awasthi (Jimmy Shergill). Is this the end of the journey for Tanu and Manu?

First things first – it is difficult to recall the last time you laughed uncontrollably as much as you do in Tanu Weds Manu Returns. The film is a complete laugh riot that gets you out of your seat after almost every few seconds, even during serious moments. Comedy gets better when it is unpredictable, both in terms of the type of jokes and situations. This is the case here.

Apart from the one-liners, writer Himanshu Sharma should also be lauded for using specific character traits of characters to induce humor. He has maintained a fine balance between modernism and desi-ness. Out of all characters, Kusum deserves special mention. Don’t be surprised if people gain sudden interesting in learning Hariyanvi (I am already in the list).

But amidst such goodness, the film has a big negative area. Almost every important story development lacks conviction. For example, Manu suddenly falling in love with Kusum in such a short period and that too when he is going through such a painful divorce is difficult to believe. The same is the case with other important points. On top of that, the climax is predictable and clichéd. However, the high doses of entertainment won’t let you fret over these points.

The music also plays its part. ‘Banno Tera’ is the best of the lot. The song has become an instant rage. Chirantan Das’ camerawork with vibrant visuals goes well with the theme. The film is well edited, especially during the very last frame.

Kangana Ranaut gained a lot of fame after her performance in Queen. Now, with this marvelous act, she has become one of the top actresses to come from Bollywood. She manages the difficult task of playing two hugely opposite characters with ease and a lot of passion. You will specially fall in love with Kusum. R Madhavan’s character sketch isn’t that exciting but he manages well.

Apart from Kangana, Deepak Dobrial is the star of the film. He is a fine artist and he shows it here while playing Manu’s best friend. Jimmy Shergill and Mohammad Zeeshan Ayub too aren’t far behind. Rajesh Sharma, as Kusum’s brother, displays his talent yet again. The film is well-supported by Swara Bhaskar, Ejaz Khan, K K Raina, Rajendra Gupta and others.

Overall: Tanu Weds Manu Returns is a non-stop laugh riot. The film’s goodness will be reflected in its positive box office collections.