KRK’s take

Sparkling Vidya Balan makes Thumhari Sulu worth a watch

S ulochana (Sulu) is a suburban Mumbai housewife, who lives with her husband Ashok, and their 11-year-old son. Ashok works in a small company that sells uniforms and earns a modest salary. Sulu is, however, not bogged down by the difficulties of her mediocre life, instead, she fights it off with her happy-golucky attitude. She represents women who leave behind their dreams to fulfil their responsibilities as homemakers.

The chirpy Sulu entertains herself by listening to her favourite radio station and participating in every possible contest! One day, she wins a pressure cooker through a radio contest. She visits the radio station to claim her prize, but ends up taking part in an RJ hunt. And, in an unexpected turn of events, she lands a job as an RJ (radio jockey) after the radio station owner (Neha Dhupia) notices the potential in her.

Sulu becomes the anchor of a late night show Tumhari

Sulu where she engages in flirty chats. She is happy with her new-found fame until her life starts falling apart, as her family counters her seducing conversations with men on her show. Sulu’s life in the second half takes a drastic turn as her marriage is put to test while the constant complaints from her son’s school leaves her clueless.

Direction

Debutant director Suresh Triveni has put great effort into his film. However, he fails to charm the masses. Though the movie is said to be a comedy flick, it disappoints humourloving viewers immensely. The film reflects the director’s confused state of mind as he was probably unable to decide his target audience. The film does not fall into the family entertainer bracket. Though, there are few instances in the movie that manage to captivate the audience, it doesn’t make up for the whole movie. Tumhari

Sulu seems to be stretched and drags.

Screenplay

The screenplay, like the direction, falters. There are no striking scenes and locations in the movie to linger over, except when Sulu’s son goes missing and the panic-stricken parents frantically search for him. Dialogues and music

There are no dialogues that strike a chord with the audience. The movie talks about a middle-class homemaker and crisp dialogues could have possibly saved the film. The background score and music are also weak.

Acting

Effervescent Vidya Balan’s performance is effortless. She justifies the role of Sulu with her impeccable acting skills, and plays the role of a middleclass Mumbai housewife with aplomb. However, her fans might feel she has gone overboard with her bubbly character – seems a bit unreal for a 40-year-old woman, who has nothing exciting happening for her besides little wins in small contests! For a newbie, Manav Kaul has done a good job, but he gets overshadowed by Vidya. Again, it’s not so appealing to the eyes to see a fresh face paired with an experienced actor like Vidya.

Final Verdict

Tumhari Sulu has been stretched for over two hours with nothing entertaining to offer. The film seems to be hurriedly wound up in the second half. It’s confusing to fit the movie into any category – comedy, family entertainer or an adult flick. The film definitely does not entice the youth. And, the climax where Sulu surrenders to social pressures and resigns as an RJ, is seen taking up the job again in no time! The gap fails to create the required drama.

Cast: Vidya Balan, Manav Kaul, Neha Dhupia Director: Suresh Triveni Duration: 2 hours 20 minutes