And it's a wow for the full team of TWMR - the actors, the director, the music director(s), the producer(s), the editor, the art director(s) and even the costume designer - these guys have created sheer magic on screen! More on that later.
Let us talk of weaknesses/ disappointments first. No - unlike most other great reviewers here and elsewhere, I have absolutely no problem with the climax - in my view, like any good Shakespearean comedy, the movie is about the events and human behavior that lead to the climax rather than the climax itself. And I absolutely loved the second half of the movie. In fact, two of my favorite scenes from the movie are the one where Tanu wanders out with a song by Geeta Dutt in her drunk head and gets a short-hair wig attached, and the one where she dances to "Ghani Bawri" like a crazy lady in distress. It is in the first half that I have my biggest discomforts with the movie - I found that half way too hurried. No doubt the first half has very clever scenes and sharp dialogs, but its racy pace fails to explain certain situations in the movie. How does Kusum Sangwan fall in love with a married man twice her age, which appears to happen in a single song? - perhaps love is blind and crazy and all that, but I feel that needed a bit more support from the screenplay. One of my favorite scenes from the first half is Tanu and Manu's face-off before the psychiatric panel - the dialogs and acting in that scene are mind-blowing - however, a single outburst of anger is not enough to imprison someone for aggressive behavior - that also needed a bit more support from the screenplay. Basically the movie's structure reminded me of Benigni's "La vita è bella" - hilarious in the first half and somber in the second. Yes, I can understand that such a structure makes the emotional impact of the second half more forceful but the first half needed a little bit (not a lot) of extension to put everything perfect. For the sake of completeness here, I should mention that another amazingly witty scene in the first half is where Manu's mom continues a monologue about electricity while her husband and son are conversing in another room - what a talent of extracting comedy from simple and realistic situations and characters!
Now the good (other than what's already above). Everything is good and some things are outstanding. The movie is one of the most entertaining I have seen in years - across Bollywood and Hollywood.
Screen-play (story and dialog) is superb, just superb. Make no mistake - as the title says, this still is Tanu and Manu's story - all others are side characters - a reviewer from "The Hindu" said very correctly - the movie can be given the subhead "The taming of Tanu". It is a Shakespearesque comedy with twists, some of them not so believable owing to lack of support from the play, but highly entertaining. This movie is an example of how excellent performances easily conceal the flaws of the play. The dialogs in the movie are however mind-blowing - one cannot but appreciate the sense of humor of the writer.
Music is wow. I cannot imagine any other background score or songs could have supported the screen-play so well. My favorites are "Ghani Bawri" and "Move On". Having heard the songs earlier on, I was looking forward to "O Saathi mere" but it was missing from the version I watched (in USA).
Regarding acting, Madhavan is outstanding. His stolid facial muscles, expressions and eyes say it all. Swara Bhaskar is excellent in her role and so are Jimmy Shergill and Deepak Dobariyal. I do not know the name of the actor who plays Tanu's new lover in this sequel but he is outstanding. And of course, Kangana owns the movie. By now, most people appreciate what a performer she is - this is her best so far - easily reminds one of Meryl Streep. The characters in order of my liking of the performances: 1. Tanu, 2. Kusum, 3. Manu, 4. Tanu's new lover, 5. Tanu's dad, 6. Tanu's friend, 7. Raja, 8. Pappiji, 9. Manu's mom, 10. Tanu's mom.
I do not know who other than Rai could have directed this movie - while at the helm such an outstanding ensemble cast, he paints such a beautiful but totally realistic tapestry of north Indian life - be it UP, Punjab or Haryana, and this one has a little mix of Gujarat also thrown in. Sounds and visuals in the background, the small banal activities, the chaos, public behavior and attitude - it is all there to a T. The direction of the movie reminds one of Hrishikesh Mukherjee, but Rai has his own style. Kangana has been given enough space to show her talents. Madhavan has been asked to provide a restrained performance. Their odd chemistry sparks on screen. I felt in my heart the loss of Tanu and Manu splitting, thanks in part to the second half of the movie having been given time and space for emotions to develop. When a prominent character in the movie stated on screen that "nobody" is happy from Manu's second marriage, that "nobody" included me.
This movie is a grand mix of old and new styles of Hindi cinema, not meaning that it does not have its own unique style. It is an absolute must-watch. Do not over-analyze - just enjoy!
Let us talk of weaknesses/ disappointments first. No - unlike most other great reviewers here and elsewhere, I have absolutely no problem with the climax - in my view, like any good Shakespearean comedy, the movie is about the events and human behavior that lead to the climax rather than the climax itself. And I absolutely loved the second half of the movie. In fact, two of my favorite scenes from the movie are the one where Tanu wanders out with a song by Geeta Dutt in her drunk head and gets a short-hair wig attached, and the one where she dances to "Ghani Bawri" like a crazy lady in distress. It is in the first half that I have my biggest discomforts with the movie - I found that half way too hurried. No doubt the first half has very clever scenes and sharp dialogs, but its racy pace fails to explain certain situations in the movie. How does Kusum Sangwan fall in love with a married man twice her age, which appears to happen in a single song? - perhaps love is blind and crazy and all that, but I feel that needed a bit more support from the screenplay. One of my favorite scenes from the first half is Tanu and Manu's face-off before the psychiatric panel - the dialogs and acting in that scene are mind-blowing - however, a single outburst of anger is not enough to imprison someone for aggressive behavior - that also needed a bit more support from the screenplay. Basically the movie's structure reminded me of Benigni's "La vita è bella" - hilarious in the first half and somber in the second. Yes, I can understand that such a structure makes the emotional impact of the second half more forceful but the first half needed a little bit (not a lot) of extension to put everything perfect. For the sake of completeness here, I should mention that another amazingly witty scene in the first half is where Manu's mom continues a monologue about electricity while her husband and son are conversing in another room - what a talent of extracting comedy from simple and realistic situations and characters!
Now the good (other than what's already above). Everything is good and some things are outstanding. The movie is one of the most entertaining I have seen in years - across Bollywood and Hollywood.
Screen-play (story and dialog) is superb, just superb. Make no mistake - as the title says, this still is Tanu and Manu's story - all others are side characters - a reviewer from "The Hindu" said very correctly - the movie can be given the subhead "The taming of Tanu". It is a Shakespearesque comedy with twists, some of them not so believable owing to lack of support from the play, but highly entertaining. This movie is an example of how excellent performances easily conceal the flaws of the play. The dialogs in the movie are however mind-blowing - one cannot but appreciate the sense of humor of the writer.
Music is wow. I cannot imagine any other background score or songs could have supported the screen-play so well. My favorites are "Ghani Bawri" and "Move On". Having heard the songs earlier on, I was looking forward to "O Saathi mere" but it was missing from the version I watched (in USA).
Regarding acting, Madhavan is outstanding. His stolid facial muscles, expressions and eyes say it all. Swara Bhaskar is excellent in her role and so are Jimmy Shergill and Deepak Dobariyal. I do not know the name of the actor who plays Tanu's new lover in this sequel but he is outstanding. And of course, Kangana owns the movie. By now, most people appreciate what a performer she is - this is her best so far - easily reminds one of Meryl Streep. The characters in order of my liking of the performances: 1. Tanu, 2. Kusum, 3. Manu, 4. Tanu's new lover, 5. Tanu's dad, 6. Tanu's friend, 7. Raja, 8. Pappiji, 9. Manu's mom, 10. Tanu's mom.
I do not know who other than Rai could have directed this movie - while at the helm such an outstanding ensemble cast, he paints such a beautiful but totally realistic tapestry of north Indian life - be it UP, Punjab or Haryana, and this one has a little mix of Gujarat also thrown in. Sounds and visuals in the background, the small banal activities, the chaos, public behavior and attitude - it is all there to a T. The direction of the movie reminds one of Hrishikesh Mukherjee, but Rai has his own style. Kangana has been given enough space to show her talents. Madhavan has been asked to provide a restrained performance. Their odd chemistry sparks on screen. I felt in my heart the loss of Tanu and Manu splitting, thanks in part to the second half of the movie having been given time and space for emotions to develop. When a prominent character in the movie stated on screen that "nobody" is happy from Manu's second marriage, that "nobody" included me.
This movie is a grand mix of old and new styles of Hindi cinema, not meaning that it does not have its own unique style. It is an absolute must-watch. Do not over-analyze - just enjoy!