Bollywood has produced some of the biggest romantic affairs of all time, be it Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jaynge, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, Veer Zaara and many more. But what distinguishes Manmarziyan from the rest is; it stays committed with its subject and does not try to lure the audience with unnecessary peppy songs, comic sequences and clap worthy over dramatic dialogues. Its content is not classy, yet the execution makes it niche.
Manmarziyan, originally titled as Husband Material has a very simple plot which has been seen in many Hindi movies in the past, the closest being Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam. But make no mistake, this is not a remake of any movie, even though there are a few similarities viewer may observe with many similar titles. The plot revolves around Rumi (Tapsee Panu) and Vicky (Vicky Kaushal) who are depicted as "madly in love" couple. The amount of energy these two bring on the screen is remarkable and the chemistry they share, the dialogues they exchange,makes the movie an interesting watch. The complexity of a typical relationship is portrayed well and it connects well with the audience, especially the youth. Things turn around when Rumi's family catches the two of them romancing and pressurize her to marry soon, for the honor of the family. Vicky being an enthusiastic lover, yet an irresponsible one,resists, which causes tiffs in their relationship and makes way for Robby(Abhishek Bachan),who plays a well settled NRI banker, looking for an Indian life partner.
The rest is an engaging love triangle, which has a perfect mix of light and dramatic moments.
The first half of the movie is entertaining, sets the premise neatly and introduces you to the characters around which the whole story revolves. There are some hilarious moments, involving Vicky and Rumi. Robby is introduced late and has very little to do in the first half. It is fair to say that the first half completely belongs to Vicky Kaushal and Tapsee Panu! Its fun to watch them fight and romance. The complexity of their relationship and their own vulnerabilities drive the story forward. The second half is where the movie starts to loose its steam, but surprisingly is lifted by a stellar performance from Abhishek Bachan. He underplays the part of the perfect husband with ease. Be it his calm tone, relaxed body language and simplistic approach, the character grows on you in no time.
He gets a very limited scope to showcase his talent and he nails it completely.
Speaking of the direction,this one is another feather in the cap for Anurag Kahyap, who is known for his violent dramas like Gangs of Wasseypur and Sacred Games; does justice to a simple romantic drama. The script is easy to narrate but a difficult one to direct. There are many layers to the characters which are exploited and showcased exquisitely on screen. However, one may get the feeling that he over did it in the second half. The drama gets overboard at times and there is not much happening on the screen to keep the viewer engaged. The screenplay could have been tighter. The movie could have benefited with a crisp editing towards the end. The music by Amit Trivedi is beautiful and thankfully, the songs dont act as a roadblock in the narration, rather play in the background and help the story go forward. Cinematography is spot on. The streets of Amritsar, the dhabas and the beauty of Kashmir is captured well.
On the whole, Manmarziyan works because of the strong performances of its cast who stay true to their individual characters.It is not an average popcorn flick, its for those who enjoy a complex yet intense drama.
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