Filmmaker Anurag Kashyap, who is mostly known for his dark and edgy crime films, tackles a love story ages after Dev D with Manmarziyaan starring Abhishek Bachchan, Taapsee Pannu and Vicky Kaushal.
Set in Punjab, the film revolves around Rumi (Taapsee), who is in a passionate relationship with Vicky Sandhu (Vicky Kaushal), a man-child who is the exact opposite of the mature and dignified Robbie Bhatia (Abhishek), the guy Rumi’s parents want her to marry. When Vicky doesn’t show up at Rumi’s house to ask for her hand in marriage despite being told by Rumi to do so, she ends her relationship with him in a fit of anger and decides to tie the knot with Robbie.
However, the story doesn’t end there because Rumi and Vicky are still obsessed with each other while Robbie has fallen heels over head in love with Rumi. Who finally ends up with Rumi? The maverick Vicky or the stable Robbie? Watch the film to find out…
Vicky Kaushal, who made an impressive debut with ‘Masaan’, is in top form as Vicky and comes across as endearing even when he is infuriatingly immature. Vicky is one actor who has been impressing me with his each and every performance over the years and it is a sheer delight to watch him in the film. Taapsee, who shot to fame overnight after Pink, too puts in superb performance as Rumi, who can’t seem to make up her mind between the two men in her lives. Abhishek Bachchan, who makes a comeback to Bollywood after a period of two years, has played Robbie with impressive dignity and maturity, though his character seems like a cross between Madhavan from Tanu Weds Manu and Ajay Devgn from Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam.
As for the story, Manmarziyaan is a fare which is as entertaining as it is sensitive about the complicated ‘funda’ of love. The film will make you smile, it will make you wince and it will bring a lump to your throat because while you will empathize with the characters, you will also feel like shaking them by their shoulders and drumming some sense into their heads.
The dialogues and situations are relatable and the characters have been written with much thought… another thing worth mentioning about the film is its music, which is definitely one of the highlights of the film. If you ever thought that Kashyap was incapable of making anything other than dark cinema, you should definitely watch ‘Manmarziyaan’.