'Tanu Weds Manu Returns' Movie Review: Kangana Ranaut is the Star of the Show

IBTimes India Rating: 4.5

To make a sequel better than its prequel is a tough challenge, but director Aanand L Rai aces it.

"Tanu Weds Manu Returns" is about how a near-broken marriage almost breaks as the individuals in it decide to move on, only to realise they still love each other.

Crazy-haired Tanuja Trivedi (Kangana Ranaut) is home-bound after getting rid of bickering husband, Manu Sharma, at a London mental asylum. On returning, she enquires with his friend, Pappi (Deepak Dobriyal), if Manu has been released by the authorities yet.

Life changes for both, when Manu, in an uncontrollable fit of rage, sends a preliminary divorce notice, more like a warning, to the wife. Clearly, it pushed all the wrong buttons. Unleashing the forgotten wild-child, Tanu roams the streets of Kanpur with tenant Chintu (Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub) introducing him to the men in her life, Raja Awasthi (Jimmy Shergill) being one of them.

Focus shifts to Manu, who is now at a Delhi University college delivering a lecture on 'heart' and the complications the vital organ comes with. Cut to, he (literally) bumps into Kusum Kumari Sangwan aka datto, a Haryanvi state-level athlete (in track pants and a tee) with a face strikingly similar to the almost ex-wife.

As an audience, we were convinced the 'boycut' girl was a classic rebound case for Manu, but lover boy's heart took over logic. Having pursued her with determination for long, he finally lands at Datto's house with his 'rishta' only to learn that he was, once again, entering Raja's territory.

What unfolds next is a series of events leading to the big wedding, at which Tanu wilfully serves, vowing to see through all of it to the end.

Kangana is the star of the show. Unmistaken accent, perfect gait and subtle expressions, the leading lady's portrayal of Datto and Tanu is praiseworthy. Madhavan lays low with this befuddled, disillusioned Manu, while Pappi lights up the screen with his wise-cracks. The supporting cast is strong and adds to the story.

Apart from the stellar performances, Himanshu Sharma's screenplay and dialogues are two aspects which make the film more enjoyable. The director treats love differently. He intentionally puts it through sticky and difficult times to let it emerge stronger in the end.

The background score and music are never an overkill supporting the narrative well.

In a nutshell, it's a film worth your time and money.