'Tu Jhoothi Main Makkaar' review: Bollywood's rom-com drought ends
What's the story
For a while now, Bollywood was missing out on having a good romantic comedy. The dry spell of this genre ends successfully with the release of Ranbir Kapoor and Shraddha Kapoor-led Tu Jhoothi Main Makkaar. It is a fresh take on modern-day romance that blends perfectly with Indian family values. Also, a film that brings back the Ranbir we have all dearly missed!
Plot
A modern-day take on relationships and heartbreaks
Micky (Ranbir) belongs to a rich family that has multiple businesses. However, he runs a secret side business with his best friend Dabbas (Anubhav Singh Bassi) where they make a couple break up without suffering from heartbreak. Tinni (Shraddha) doesn't believe in holiday love stories, unlike Mickey, but they fall in love during their Spanish vacation while celebrating their best friends' bachelor party.
The shining star
Ranbir is the poster boy of rom-com
Last year, Ranbir had two releases - Shamshera and Brahmastra. While Brahmastra did make a lot of money, watching Ranbir at his best was still a missing piece. Though he earlier said TJMM will probably be his last rom-com, the genre truly is his ace game. Be it the flirting or those expressive eyes of a lover, he's in his best element and how!
Performance
Does Shraddha beat her girl-next-door image?
Shraddha has often been seen in girl-next-door characters. She did try to break from that image with TJMM but somehow, she continues to play the same bubbly and loving girlfriend role. Her smile is sharp and so is her screen presence. But we've only one complaint- the scene where she breaks down in front of Ranbir could have been performed better.
Flavors and elements
Romance, friendship, and breakups - The Luv Ranjan elements!
Luv Ranjan has a knack for making films about today's relationships and breakups. He continues to have these flavors in TJMM too - there's flirting, love, breakup, and heartbreak. Every element is something that the young audience will connect with. And it is exactly what Ranjan's films are about. Not to forget, he got the family values packed into the movie as well.
Cameos
What's a Luv Ranjan film without his favorites Kartik-Nushrratt?
Ranjan gained popularity with Pyaar Ka Punchnama, Pyaar Ka Punchanama 2, and Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety. These films had two things in common - the lead actors, Kartik Aaryan and Nushrratt Bharuccha. With TJMM, he made sure to bring his favorite stars in hilarious cameos. No points for guessing whether their roles have a connection with their previous films or not.
Direction
Ranjan wins hearts with some filmy references
One of my favorite scenes is the one where Shraddha and Ranbir lay their heads on the bar top. The scene's shot from a top angle and it instantly reminds one of Ranbir's Tamasha where he had a similar scene with Deepika Padukone. The reference to "RaLia" is also hilarious, and so is when Bharuccha and Aaryan give PKP and SKTKS references.
Cast
A well-picked ensemble cast
TJMM also features Dimple Kapadia, Boney Kapoor, Hasleen Kaur, Inayat Verma, among others. Kapadia wins the heart as the progressive mother, reminding us of Cocktail; Boney barely gets dialogues. Bassi's a perfect pick for the role but it's child actor Verma who will leave you in splits. In all, Ranjan has succeeded in picking his perfect ensemble cast.
What didn't work
Screen time could have been trimmed by a few minutes
Within the first 40 minutes, the makers have shown three songs while the rest come in the second half. So many songs could've been avoided. Although TJMM will leave you laughing on many occasions, the screen time could have been shortened by 10 minutes or so, at least for the emotionally heavy scenes between Ranbir and Shraddha where the film gives a dragging feeling.
Verdict
A movie you should watch in the theaters
The last rom-com from Bollywood was probably Love Aaj Kal 2, Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui. After a string of not-so-good rom-coms, TJMM can be the start of another phase of rom-coms. The trio of Ranjan, Shraddha, and Ranbir has done a good job which should earn big bucks. It gets a 3.5 out of 5 stars from us for taking us back to such films.