Watch reviewBoy meets girl, sparks fly and then hearts break only to reconcile at airports. No matter how many times we have watched the formulaic template unfurling in the same way in the same linear pattern, it gives us immense joy to indulge in the familiar. And that’s why many romantic comedies, popularly known as rom-coms, have stood the test of time. But as of 2023, film connoisseurs all across the globe would agree that they have witnessed a sad death. There’s no greater joy than watching Katherine Heigl, Julia Roberts, Sandra Bullock, Meg Ryan, Jennifer Aniston and Kate Hudson, over and over again, as they fall in love, suffer heartaches and reunite with their favourite men. Back home, we miss Saif Ali Khan serenading his lady love in coming-of-age rom-coms. And Imran Khan… well, we can only remember the good times he gave us with stories that provided comfort like soul food after a long, arduous day at work.
Ranbir Kapoor, the blue-eyed Kapoor boy, might have just touched his forties but we fondly recount his chocolate boy avatar in Bachna Ae Haseeno (2008), Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani (2009) and Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani (2013). And ten years after impressing almost everyone as Bunny, he is back to his lover boy image, this time as Mickey in Tu Jhoothi Main Makkaar. Luv Ranjan’s latest directorial outing fills up the vacuum left by the dearth of rom-coms in Bollywood. Sometimes, it’s sheer delight to stop exercising the grey matter trying to crack whodunits and demystifying psychological thrillers, and rather indulging in a tub of vanilla ice-cream under a warm, fuzzy duvet. Tu Jhoothi Main Makkaar is just that.
The film opens with 30-year-old Mickey working on his next assignment, which involves initiating a breakup between a couple. He is a break-up consultant but calls himself a ‘therapist’. He also juggles several other business ventures. He is charismatic, funny and has an impish charm. Along with his best friend, Dabas (played by stand-up comic Abubhav Singh Bassi), he flies to Spain for the latter’s bachelor party. There he meets the beautiful Tinni (essayed by Shraddha Kapoor), 25, and gets infatuated with her, rather instantaneously. After spending a night with her, he decides to turn the fling into a serious relationship but Tinni is reluctant. After much persuasion, he wins her over. But trouble begins when she is introduced to his liberal and warm but cantankerous Punjabi family back in Delhi.
Luv, who has carved a niche for himself, with the Pyaar Ka Punchnama series and Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety (2018) has often grabbed the attention of critics, who believes that his writing rides high on misogyny and anti-feminism. He has also often been derided and rebuked for portraying his women as manipulative, shrewd and even demonic characters. In Tu Jhoothi Main Makkaar, he treads a fine line. Shraddha Kapoor’s Tinni might seem like a rebel without a cause on the surface but she has her own reasons, reasons that will resonate with the Gen-Z women of today trying to balance work and love and questioning the importance of one over the other.
Luv also makes sure that there are ample spill-overs from his previous works in this rom-com. So, needless to say, Tu Jhoothi Main Makkaar is high on the bromance quotient. The camaraderie and banter between Mickey and Dabas cracks you up and more importantly, hits home. The film also features two cameos, which might make you wonder if after Dinesh Vijan’s horror-comedy universe, Rohit Shetty’s cop universe and Aditya Chopra’s spy universe, Luv is planning to come up with his own universe.
Family dramas were the secret to a blockbuster back in the day. So, while Tu Jhoothi Main Makkaar takes us back to the meet-cute era, it also makes us realise how much we have missed the verbose melodrama revolving around familial units with a resolute matriarch. Kudos to the writing duo – Luv and Rahul Mody – for weaving a narrative that is not completely flawless but genuinely tickles your funny bone. The one-liners will make your burst out into peals of laughter. But what remains a high point in the film is the melodramatic dialogues sprinkled with generous doses of Urdu-ised Hindi, which makes it an ode to the Bollywood dramas of the yesteryear.
Music is yet another strong point of the film. The colourful sets coupled with the extravagant song-and-dance sequences are a treat to watch. Pyaar Hota Kayi Baar Hai and Tere Pyaar Mein will remain with you long after the film is over. Kapoor’s suave avatar in Pyaar Hota Kayi Baar Hai might even take you back to Badtameez Dil.
A weak link in the film is its 2 hours 39 minutes’ run-time. Tu Jhoothi Main Makkaar might be hilarious and keep you hooked in most parts but there are moments both in the first and the second part that make the story stretched-out. While it is billed as a rom-com with a twist, Tu Jhoothi Main Makkaar rides high on the Yeh Jawaani hai Deewani hangover in bits and parts. In fact, there is a direct or indirect reference to Kapoor’s Tamasha (2015) too.
What lifts Tu Jhoothi Main Makkaar is its cast. Ranbir as Mickey is in top form. Not only does he make the film look extremely good but he delivers a performance that makes you realise that nobody but only this Kapoor boy could pull it off with such finesse, earnestness and ease. There might not be much scope for a heavy-duty performance in a rom-com but that’s where the irony lies. Kapoor is so in his own skin that you hardly feel that he putting up a show. He’s funny and sassy and hits the ball out of the park in the emotional scenes too. Once again, he steals the show with his brooding eyes (barring the washboard abs, of course). And a special mention to his comic timing too! It would be rather sad and even unfair to his audiences if he stops doing rom-coms going ahead.
Shraddha returns to the big screen exactly after three years with Tu Jhoothi Main Makkaar. She looks stunning in every frame. She delivers an impressive act in the lighter scenes but comes across a force to reckon with in the emotionally heavier scenes too. Her confrontation scenes with Ranbir are to look out for her. The duo share a sizzling and palpable chemistry – a highlight in the film - and songs like Tere Pyaar Mein and Show Me The Thumka cement that. What helps her play to the gallery is her well-written character and she seems to be enjoying playing with the arcs and emotional graphs.
Anubhav is effortless in his big-screen debut and grabs attention in his scenes with Ranbir. Miss India contestant Hasleen Kaur plays Mickey’s sister and is equally good. Boney Kapoor, who marks his acting debut with Tu Jhoothi Main Makkaar, doesn’t have much meat to chew. Child actor Inayat Verma, who shot to fame with Ludo (2020), has some of the best scenes in the film. She provides a stiff competition to other actors and the cheekiness she brings to the table as a child obsessed with deriving profits from a business is incredible. Another artist who is sure to capture the imagination of the audience is Dimple Kapadia. She’s in her element and her loud, gregarious and unabashed vibe makes her stand out. It seems like an extension of her character in Cocktail (2012) but we aren’t complaining. And if there’s a perfect word to describe her, it would be cool.
Tu Jhoothi Main Makkaar might be a good-looking, shining and sanitised story about love, heartbreak and family ties in an urban and plush setting, but Luv doesn’t shy away from digging deep into the messiness, nuances and complexities of modern day relationships. It might not be risky, novel and experimental but it is fun, frothy and unpretentious in its appeal, and smells of formula in all its glory. Go for it because sometimes, regular can be better than gourmet and comfort and honesty maybe more sublime than sublimity itself.
Read all the Latest Movies News here
