When was the last time you watched an Anurag Kashyap film that did not integrally feature gore – tangible, intangible or indeed verbal? Your mind might jump to Dev D. And that’s not the only thing it shares with Kashyap’s latest offering Manmarziyaan.Just like Dev D was a modern take on Devdas, Manmarziyaan is a 2018 edition of the-age old Bollywood fodder that the love triangle has been. And the rendition is quite obviously straight from the heart of not just the director, but the writer Kanika Dhillon as well, with powerhouse performances rounding off a refreshing offering.
Rumi (Taapsee Pannu) is a vibrant young girl with 21st century values and an accordingly upbeat zeal for life. Vicky (Vicky Kaushal) is a budding musician whosedynamism complements Rumi’s energy, as the two fall deeply in love.
The relationship is full of fire and the two constantly sneak around for a regular dose of physical intimacy. One day they’re caught by Rumi’s family and therefore pressure ensues on her to get married.
Vicky isn’t ready and Rumi is – or has to be – and the resulting uncertainty forces her to eventually agree to an arranged marriage. Robbie (Abhishek Bachchan), a UK-based businessman, is that third corner of the triangle, which is formed atop commitment-phobia, reluctance and failure of the lovebirds to incorporate practicalities into their fiery romance.
With an age-old problem at the heart of the storyline, the film offers new takes on love triangles, arranged marriages, relationships, through millennial eyes. It presents the current generation with all its flaws and promises to their predecessors, and underlines their desires and deficiencies in a way that Bollywood has mostly failed to do.
Set in Amritsar, Manmarziyaan not only has more than a tinge of Punjabi engulfing it, the relatively small town setting gives the storyline and the desired depiction further impetus to drive home its point – which comes in the second half after the first has been consumed to set the stage for a multi-layered narration.
Dhillon’s writing is top-drawer and brings out very human and very real emotions through the dialogues. The interactions are very natural and, for many among the millennial demographic, would be perfectly relatable.
Kashyap has indeed realised the strengths of his film and let the emotions take centre stage, and let the actors do the rest.
Similarly Amit Trivedi’s music ensures that it builds on the film’s foundation and adds to the sensitivity of the moments. Tracks like Sacchi Mohabbat, Dhyaanchand and Daryaa seamlessly blend in with the film’s narrative and take the overall feel up a few notches.
Even so, in a film about bonds, relationships and feelings, the performances were going to be the break of break. And that means that every single one of the trio had to be up for it for the film to work.
That’s precisely the case and then some. Vicky Kaushal stars as your stereotypical carefree guy whose knows as much about how absolutely in love he is as he knows about how unready he is to take it to the next level.
Abhishek Bachchan is sublime in his depiction of the man inadvertently arriving at the centre of a passionate romance, all the while figuring out his own feelings, their expression and channelisation, given what is happening around him.
But the star of the show is Taapsee Pannu who absolutely nails her character to the tee, and breathes life to the film through Rumi. The actor will only go from strength to strength from here, but Manmarziyaan without a shadow of a doubt is the latest in a string of impressive performances by TaapseePannu.
Manmarziyaan is a winner, wherever you might look. And if you’re looking for a romantic movie that borders on reality, you should definitely give it a watch.