Film: Tanu Weds Manu Returns
Cast: Kangana Ranaut, R. Madhavan, Jimmy Sheirgill, Deepak Dobriyal, Eijaz Khan, Swara Bhaskar, …
Director: Anand L. Rai
Very rarely do sequels create an impact as the original, but in the case of Tanu Weds Manu Returns, the intensity is as forceful or more than the original. Once again packed with sharp and witty dialogues, fine performances and a feel-good factor, Tanu Weds Manu Returns excels as a scaled-up family entertainer.
This sequel takes off from where it left in the previous edition in 2011 and returns with the lead pair after four years of jaded bliss. Their marriage is now on the rocks. Tanuja Trivedi aka Tanu is as moody as she was and he, Manoj Sharma aka Manu is at the end of his tether.
Still in London, their divorce is inevitable after Tanu manages to ensure that Manu is kept back in St. Benedict Mental Hospital in Twickenham in Britain. She returns to Kanpur to her family.
Manu too returns forlorn to India where he lands up meeting Kusum Sangwan, who is Tanu’s lookalike. Seemingly in love with Kusum, he decides to remarry.
With well-etched but flawed characters, the performance of each actor is noteworthy. Kangana steals the show with the dual role she essays. In both her characters, she is distinct in her sartorial style, speech and mannerisms. As Tanu, she is an extension of herself as portrayed in the earlier edition. But as Kusum Sangwan, a Haryanvi athlete, she brings out a sharp contrast, exhibiting her prowess as an actress. Kusum’s simplicity and sincerity get you emotionally attached to her.
R. Madhavan complements her with his overall subtle and restrained performance. He plays the traumatised husband to the hilt. But he also hits the right high-pitched notes convincingly as the harassed husband at the mental hospital.
Of the rest of the supporting cast, Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub as advocate Arun Kumar Singh is vibrant. With his casual, yet evocative performance, he displays sparks of brilliance. Deepak Dobriyal as Pappi, Manu’s confidante is over-the-top. He is repetitive and after a while, is jarring in the narration.
Jimmy Sheirgill as Raja Awasthi has a few scenes where he makes his presence felt as the unlucky man-in-love. Swara Bhaskar as Payal along with Eijaz Khan as Jassi, make a fine pair and are fairly noticeable.
Director Anand L.Rai’s plot is punctuated with moments of family tension and spiced with great rustic colloquial one-liners that sparkle. The dialogues keep you in splits.
His screenplay is frothy and he takes a lazy approach in certain scenes. Though scene after scene you roll with laughter, they falter at times with forced humour. This is evident in the seminar scene, where Manu is invited to give a medical speech.
The graph of the narration too, is inconsistent. The first half though flighty, is engaging. The second half digresses with lengthy unwarranted scenes; especially the scene which has Geeta Dutt’s song “Ja, ja, ja bewafa” as the background score and Tanu wandering aimlessly on the streets.
The rest of the songs merge well into the narration. The English jazz number, “So What if I am an old school girl” takes you by surprise.
It stands out as an odd piece, but one that settles well into the overlay. It is well-picturised too.
The background score is loud and excessive, but suits the overall design of the film.
Conceived as a realistic film, the production quality is apt and cinematographer Chirantan Das’s frames are atmospheric. They capture the small town ambience perfectly.
Kangana’s performance unarguably ups the viewing quotient of the film. So watch this film for her and Himanshu Sharma’s razor-sharp dialogues. (IANS)
Film: Tomorrowland
Cast: George Clooney, Hugh Laurie, Raffey Cassidy, Brittany Robertson, Thomas Robinson …
Director: Brad Bird
Disney’s Tomorrow-land is a typical sci-fi, blockbuster adventure film, a perfect offering for teenagers this summer.
Narrated in a non-linear, he-said, she-said manner, the film is initially confusing, but gradually settles down as the exposition gets clear.
The film begins with middle-aged George Clooney, as Frank Walker, telling us: “This is the story about the future and the future can be scary.” He goes on to give reasons for his belief and then states: “When I was a kid, the future was different.”
His version is then followed by Cassey’s.
Frank’s version starts way back in 1964 at the New York World Fair, where, as a teenage inventor, he enthusiastically goes to present his creation, a “jet pack”. His creation is half-baked, but nevertheless he manages to impress Athena, a young girl, about his age, who offers him a shiny badge marked with the letter ‘T’. This pin leads him to a futuristic place called Tomorrowland.
Over the years, Frank is exiled from Tomorrowland and he now leads a secluded life.
On the other hand, Cassey, an optimistic enthusiast, daughter of an ex-NASA scientist, is unwittingly introduced to Tomorrowland by Athena. Her quest to learn more about the place leads her to Frank and then their journey begins to save the world, doomed by wars and environmental disasters.
It is their story. Packed with life’s lessons and fantasy effects that include soft-lens-clear images of a beautiful world, Tomorrowland is a dreamer’s paradise. Some of the lessons of optimism are: “The tiniest of action can change the future” and how “In every moment there are possibilities of a better future”. The film belongs to the brilliant children; Brittany Robertson plays Cassey Newton, Raffey Cassidy essays Athena the machine girl “designed to find dreamers”, Pierce Gagnon plays Cassey’s young brother Nate Newton and Thomas Robinson, the ever-charming young Frank. They steal your heart with their performances.
George Clooney as the grumpy genius Frank Walker along with Hugh Laurie as the ruler of Tomorrowland offer nothing exceptional. Unlike other films that speak about dystopian societies, “Tomorrowland” has a very positive and optimistic approach. Visually, the film is bright and cheerful thanks to cinematographer Claudio Miranda’s brilliant camera work, production designer Scott Chambliss’s fine production output and music composer Michael Giacchino’s elevating background score. (IANS)