“Manmarziyaan” REVIEW: A layered love story where the past meets the present.

As times progress, things change. Our perspective towards love and relationships change. However, there is one thing that keeps trying to push us back. Tradition. This film is like a tug of war between the changing ways in which we perceive love, and the traditional outlook towards love and relationships. Anurag Kashyap, with this story, manages to bring a point across wonderfully. What we also see here is a different side of Anurag Kashyap which we haven’t seen yet. As a filmmaker, Anurag Kashyaps seems like an explorer. Most of his films are dark and unhinging, and then we had Mukkabaaz which had love with a touch of roughness, and now we have Manmarziyan, which is colorful yet real. It’s like an Anurag Kashyap and Karan Johar type of cinema mixed in a blender. It works like magic!

The story is largely conventional, yet the treatment and the layers (with a modern twist) is what makes this film fresh. The plot is simple: Rumi and Vicky are in love and they can’t stay out of the bedroom. When they’re caught red handed by Rumi’s family, pressure builds up to get them married. But Vicky has cold feet and keeps avoiding Rumi’s request to bring his parents over and ask her hand in marriage. Eventually, she gives up on him and agrees to an arranged marriage. That’s when Robbie, a businessman, enters the proverbial love triangle. What happens next, forms the crux of the story. No no prizes for guessing, but Rumi gets married to Robbie and this is when her journey of self-reflection actually begins. Who does she actually love? Can a marriage of compromise ever turn into something beautiful? All these questions are answered wonderfully.

One can argue that the characters are slightly clichéd and ‘caricaturish’. The DJ had to be a Punjabi Munda, and Abhishek Bacchan just had to be such an over the top great human being. But that’s fine I suppose, because you are made to believe it and it flows perfectly with the narrative. The screenplay is so well written that the characters seem rooted in reality and you can connect with the situations. That is the strength of the writing and direction. While this film has all the friend requests and tinder conversations, it also has the soul of an old-school love story. It’s a nice blend. This is also Anurag Kashyaps most subtle and restrained film where he doesn’t lose focus. The dialogues are natural, just like how people speak in real life.  From a visual standpoint, everything looks great. Amit Trivedi’s music adds to the emotion of the scenes. It has a more ambient feel to it. The editing is crisp.

Now to the acting. Everyone is top notch in this film, however it is Tapsee Pannu and Abhishek Bacchan who take center stage! Tapsee’s character is what makes her performance so adhering. We can relate to her. As for Abhishek Bacchan, he is back at it again! After a long time, he gives a wonderful performance! Meanwhile Vicky Kaushal is Vicky Kaushal. He has performed perfectly, however his character is the least complex.

Overall, Manmarziyan is a film worth watching for those who miss good love stories. It’s been a while since we’ve seen something like this from Bollywood, and to expect such a film from Anurag Kashyap is a pleasant surprise.

Rating: 3.5 Stars