By Omair Alavi In an era when social films get a bigger audience, Tumhari Sulu comes out as a breath of fresh air and it takes the audience into the world of happiness and love, where things get better every time after a bad turn; where nothing is impossible and where even middle-aged women can…
SAMAA | Omair Alavi – Posted: Nov 24, 2017 | Last Updated: 4 years ago
By Omair Alavi
In an era when social films get a bigger audience, Tumhari Sulu comes out as a breath of fresh air and it takes the audience into the world of happiness and love, where things get better every time after a bad turn; where nothing is impossible and where even middle-aged women can have a life. Vidya Balan’s latest is perhaps the best film of the year and one of the best in the last 10 years. She surely is as big as the Khans in Bollywood because she believes in Main Kar Sakti Hai!
The Plot
Tumhari Sulu revolves around the life of Sulochana (Vidya Balan) who is good at everything she does except picking a right husband and accepting defeat while talking to her twin sisters. When the opportunity knocks on her door (or she knocks on the door of opportunity), she happily embraces it and becomes one of the most listened RJs in the city. Her journey from a housewife to an RJ not only makes her popular but also creates a rift in her family. How she manages to bring back normalcy to her life is what Tumhari Sulu is all about.
The Good
The film heralds back the era of working-class films that depict the neither-rich-nor-poor people perfectly. It takes a page from the Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s films and incorporates it in the modern era and voila, you have a film that goes against the norms and makes you realize that strong content can do wonders. All the characters in the film, be it that of Sulu, her hubby (Manav Kaul), her boss (Neha Dhupia) and son don’t act but live their roles so much so that you want to be a part of their lives. Suresh Triveni should get full marks for his observation skills that made every character important even when they were not being themselves. And yes, it was good to see Vidya Balan back in the game, especially when she danced on Hawa Hawaii!
The Bad
The film falters when the story shifts a gear without realizing that the road ahead didn’t want it to shift. The irritating family members are irritating yes but they shouldn’t have gotten that much of screen time. The end only appeals to those who are associated with the media industry otherwise the ones who aren’t were left wondering what hit them. The director could have shown the end to someone not from the industry for a second opinion but who needs that when your lead actress is Vidya Balan, right?
The Verdict 4/5
Tumhari Sulu is an all-and-all Vidya Balan movie where Manav Kaul impresses as her husband, Neha Dhupia as the boss and the audience as her fans. She might have played an RJ a dozen years back with Lage Raho Munna Bhai but here late night has replaced morning and an upcoming Vidya has been replaced by the Vidya Balan. This film reminds you of motivational movies like 3 Idiots and shows to the world that no matter what, Main Kar Sakti Hai!
