Suraj Pe Mangal Bhari Movie Review: Diljit Dosanjh pe Manoj Bajpayee bhari
Suraj Pe Mangal Bhari offers some genuine laughs and some equally genuine performances by a stellar cast, says our review.
HIGHLIGHTS
- Suraj Pe Mangal Bhari's strength lies in its perfect casting.
- For us, Annu Kapoor is the biggest takeaway from the film.
- In the climax, a recreation of Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge's train sequence was just outstanding.
Suraj Singh Dhillon (Diljit Dosanjh) is looking for a bride - sundar, susheel, sanskari. Mind you, he is an eligible bachelor himself. A Punjabi munda who now handles his Pappaji's doodh ka binness, and occasionally 'throws' new milk products in the market in order to grow the milk-dom. He is flawless - arrange marriage market ke liye. But he is a bit too perfect. Because in 1995, girls want bad boys. Madhu Mangal Rane (Manoj Bajpayee), on the other hand, has taken it upon himself to ensure no woman is married to a galat ladka as a wedding detective who does background checks on prospective grooms, and rules them out if they are found drinking or frequenting a dance bar. Of course, professionally. In the cosmic reality of this film, therefore, this Suraj and Mangal should have never clashed. But they do. And in Bollywood's first theatre release post pandemic, that's what awaits us.
Watch the trailer of Suraj Pe Mangal Bhari here:
Suraj, after several rejections, realises good boys go nowhere and therefore decides to turn on the elusive bad boy charm. In a hilarious turn of events, Suraj and Madhu face off, with Madhu's sister Tulsi (Fatima Sana Shaikh) at the centre. Now, Suraj is torn - badla or pyaar? Thus starts a tug-of-war laced with one comedy sequence after another, that leave the audience in splits.
Abhishek Sharma's Suraj Pe Mangal Bhari is the perfect family entertainer for the season. Actually, it could have been. If not let down by certain actors. In a film that boasts of a stellar ensemble cast - as well as lead cast - that's just mangal ki dasha. No, the film doesn't disappoint. Just makes you go tch every now and then.
What works in favour of Suraj Pe Mangal Bhari is its casting. Abhishek Sharma and Shruti Mahajan (casting director) have handpicked the perfect actors suited for every character they've written into this comedy. An endearing Diljit always has your vote. Supriya Pilgaonkar as Madhu and Tulsi's mother (don't bother about the age difference between her and Manoj) is astounding, especially when she taunts her ageing son about budhapa which is just 2 years away for him anyway. Seema and Manoj Pahwa as Suraj's parents do exactly what their roles demanded. Fatima, too, gets a thumbs up in a film driven by its two male leads and some brilliant character actors. But it is Annu Kapoor who steals the show. So much so, that he eclipses Manoj Bajpayee in parts, even though he had limited screen time compared to the other. For us, Annu Kapoor is the biggest takeaway.
Set in 1995, Suraj Pe Mangal Bhari immediately draws on a nostalgia factor that we all wear on our sleeves. Not that the 90s were better in terms of content or wokeness, but we all suffer from that woh-bhi-kya-din-thay syndrome that makes us overlook problematic elements that the era had in abundance. Elements that we've all consciously, and with great effort, rectified in 2020. Or at least tried to. In Suraj Pe Mangal Bhari, those elements are highlighted, even celebrated. Enter blatant sexist jokes, one after another. At one point, the film refers to a character (Vijay Raaz, in a cameo) with clinical OCD as 'ajeeb'. The good 'ol 90s, right?
So the question is, should you watch Suraj Pe Mangal Bhari? Yes, you should. The film may have some really problematic portions that later make you feel guilty about chuckling at when you judge from the sensibility of 2020. But it still offers some genuine laughs. In the climax, an outstanding recreation of Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge's train sequence made us want to whistle from our seats. But should buy that ticket or wait for it to drop on an OTT platform. That, we leave to you.
In one scene, a pandit says his part-time job of match-making pays his bills, as opposed to his full-time job of a journalist. Just a scene that stuck with us.
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