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Manmarziyaan: A Spirited Romantic Tale - Movie Review

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2 MIN READ 1504 VIEWS

If you are wondering what can be fresh about a Bollywood love triangle set in Punjab, Manmarziyaan makes you believe otherwise.

This Anurag Kashyap film's narrative is layered, complex, at times chaotic but free from idealization and exalted depiction of love. The story by Kanika Dhillon feels real, relatable to a large extent and flows seamlessly, especially in the brilliant first half. The star of the show, however, is the talented, Taapsee Pannu, who makes the movie feel fun and warm and full of energy.

The neela kukkad Vicky (Vicky Kaushal) a.k.a DJ Sandzzz and laal pari Rumi (Taapsee Pannu) swap right on each other's fyaar quotient and the first scene shows Vicky jumping off rooftops to make his way to Rumi's bedroom. Rumi is the uninhibited hockey player who is content with the superficiality of their relationship. However, trouble strikes paradise when Rumi's family catches them in bed and demands their marriage. Vicky's commitment phobia leads Rumi to lose her patience and she agrees to settle down with a London-based investment banker, Robbie (Abhishek Bachchan). While Rumi's feelings for Vicky remain strong even after marriage to Robbie, the second half deals with Rumi making a decision for herself, choosing her own man, on her own terms.

Vicky Kaushal fits impeccably into the skin of Vicky and his uncontained chemistry with Rumi takes the viewers on a wild ride across Amritsar. He is edgy yet vulnerable, but above all, he is the ultimate whimsical womanizer. Abhishek Bachchan as Robbie is charming but feels too good to be true. Robbie is the stark opposite of both Vicky and Rumi and becomes the perfect foil to their exuberance. His tender dialogue exchanges with Rumi tug at the heart, especially in the climax. Between these two men is Rumi, brought to life by Taapsee Pannu's chameleonic portrayal. Rumi remains unresolved between Robbie's Facebook friendship and Vicky's Tinder fyaar throughout the film and the viewers can't help but feel she deserves better than either of the men.

Anurag Kashyap is indulgent as a director and Amit Trivedi's infectious numbers do a remarkable job of holding the narrative together. Use of dancers Poonam and Priyanka Shah to illustrate the emotional mayhem of the three leads is genius. Manmarziyaan is a celebration of imperfections of people and love in all its shades. It leaves the viewers with a warm, fuzzy feeling, despite the stretched second half.