Tumhari Sulu movie review: All heart with added bouts of melodrama

Directed By: Suresh Triveni
Produced By: Bhushan Kumar, Tanuj Garg, Atul Kasbekar, Shanti Sivaram Maini
Cast: Vidya Balan, Manav Kaul, Neha Dhupia, RJ Malishka
Duration: 2 hour 20 minutes
Bollywood Bubble Rating: 3/5

She has dreams sky-high, with bouts of amusement that could even make a dejected soul burst into peals of laughter. She has the magic to turn around things in her fate so effortlessly that you would just sit and gaze at her antics. She is Sulochana Dubey, a housewife who finds happiness in even the tiniest of things. So what makes her journey so worthwhile? Let’s discover in the review of ‘Tumhari Sulu’, no wait ‘Hamari Sulu’ here.

In the suburbs of Virar, resides a lower-middle class Dubey family, comprising of an extremely patient and composed man named Ashok Dubey, his ebullient and ambitious wife Sulochana, and a 11-year-old child Pranav. Vidya Balan as Sulochana has a huge list of hobbies that could very well occupy two pages, rightly said so by her sisters who are frequent visitors at her house and her truest critics, constantly nagging and poking her for being a 12th fail, while they are bankers in their own right. That doesn’t bog down Sulu’s spirit as she experiences happiness in even the smallest of things. Be it a lemon and spoon race, anchoring in society programmes and so on. A prize from the radio station lands her at their office to collect her gift and her eyes gleam with happiness as she discovers that the radio station is looking for RJs. And as one would rightly assume, she lands a job as an RJ for a late night show called ‘Tumhari Sulu’. So much for being entertaining and bindaas.

The show is headed by Mariam (Neha Dhupia) while Pankaj (Vijay Maurya) becomes her trainer who easily metamorphoses her into the sensuous and sexy Sulu, who could easily give the men sleepless nights. And there kickstarts ‘Tumhari Sulu’, a late night show for men in need of a ‘saathi’. She very easily wins the hearts of her co-workers, but things are no more the same for her back home. You ask why? Because the society rules don’t ask for a housewife with a kid to anchor such a gratifying show in the night slot. There begins the tough task for a woman to choose between her desires and her responsibilities.

While we write this, there is nothing novel or unique that makes us sit back and say ‘Woah! This was different.’ Her struggles may seek a connection with housewives in particular, but the story-line doesn’t evoke distinctiveness. But yes, what sticks with us are the heartwarming performances. Vidya has time and again proved her prowess over acting and she once again manages to make us laugh out loud and cry at the same time. Manav Kaul as Ashoke Dubey, a man severely troubled at the hands of a young boss in his garment factory seemed quite effortless and natural. He managed to effectively bring about a sense of calmness with tinges of angst in his performance. Neha Dhupia as Mariam Mam seemed pleasant and a perfect fit for the suave and happening boss. Vijay Mourya as Pankaj was too funny and endearing to see. Ahh yes, how could we forget RJ Malishka! Her role was confined to what she does best, RJying, and she managed to do a decent job. Not to forget the special cameo by Ayushmann Khurrana which adds enough glamour quotient to this slightly melodramatic plot.

Talking of the music, Tanishk Bagchi and Guru Randhawa’s ‘Ban Ja Tu Meri Rani’ is romantic and pleasing to the ears, while ‘Manva Likes To Fly’ is a hummable track. The recreated version of ‘Hawa Hawai 2.0’ is a peppy, crowd-puller. In its entirety, the songs blend well with the plot. However, there is no depth or a concrete way to convey the message of the story effectively. As much as we laughed our hearts out in the first half, the second half only made the wait tedious. A bit too stretched second half with unwanted doses of melodrama and predictability seemed as a letdown for us. So, if you want to enjoy a sweet yet melodramatic entertainer with your family, you can definitely give this one a try.

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