Tanu Weds Manu Returns

Whoever would have thought a sequel can be made of a romance that had the typical "and they lived happily ever after" ending?  Why spoil that feel-good factor of a movie that united two very real but diametrically opposite characters? But Anand Rai thinks there's life beyond fairy tale endings and that such a blessed life can actually crack and crumble after four years of living together under the same roof as husband and wife! In our generation it was called the seven year itch, but what with life on the fast track, instant-everything, realtime problems instantly communicated to the world through the www.com route, with instant solutions  it is now reduced to a four year itch, if not less! Whatever happened to motherly advise: " give it time, beta, it will sort itself out"!  It's not possible anymore because before you know it you have travelled so far away from each other that even you believe there's no turning back! At least in Tanu Weds Manu Returns the love story has grown so sour that the couple land up before an asylum Board where the husband is found to be loony and hence incarcerated in the asylum! 

Tanu returns home to small town Kanpur and before you can say Jack Robinson, she is back to being her old self! Old flames emerge from their moth-balled packaging and she thinks nothing about hugging the rickshaw wallah or hunting out the ex, the Dulha who almost got her in the part 1! It's rollicking fun for her, bathing towel and Vodka bottles intact! A new male interest is easily available, in the form of a tenant who refuses to vacate her room and soon becomes her Mobike escort! The husband,  once out of the asylum, returns to Delhi to express his hatred for her. But while busy lamenting and indulging in self-pity, and adding some more nodes to his "gingerliness" he ends up falling in love with her look alike,  Datto! 

The story moves beautifully, interspersed with great dialogues and acting craft displayed by almost everyone; even those who had two bit roles! Madhavan, Dobriyal, Shergill are all brilliant as is Swara! Kangana as Tanu and Kangana as Datto are two opposite ends of the spectrum! But this beautiful lady portrays both the characters with such ease and conviction, you are left wondering how she does it! The Haryanvi is authentic;  the dress sense, mannerism, buck teeth- all aid in building up the Jaat persona! Her pixie cut and swagger is so typical of Sports Quota types, (who often times get typecast as members of LGBT community) that you are caught gaping at the screen, mouth open and head shaking in disbelief! 

Rarely has a movie been made which starts with a laugh riot and continues almost unabated till the end. The opening scene is probably the best comic scene in recent times; the asylum haranguing match between the husband and wife has you falling off the seats, while one part of you is noticing the super glam thinness and Chantilly lace sari of Kangana! Then you have the Haryanvi Datto, whose diction is difficult to follow but whose ferocity and independence capture your heart as few characters have in recent memory! The Haryanvi bride's collared shirt and dark lipstick make the film real and add to the film's small town rustic charm! In the end it's a strange love story, which falters a bit towards the middle, but so impactful is the overall narrative, that small lapses can be forgiven and forgotten! 

The music is great and Banno's swagger is actually sexy!  The English song, with attempted American accent, sung probably in Raag Bhairavi is fascinating! Kangana brings a lot of emotion in her roles and this is out and out her movie! I don't know how to say this, without sounding like a smitten teenager, but I am sticking my neck out to say she is probably the best female actor Hindi film screen has ever had! Hats off Kangana, way to go baby!