Tu Jhoothi Main Makkaar Review

Just when you were thinking that the romcom genre was flatlining in Hindi cinema, comes a movie that utilises the same old tropes that we have been seeing for the past decade. Lying through its teeth about how "modern" and "progressive" it is, this movie has its title really check out.

Director Luv Ranjan, who once again sticks to his comfort zone of romantic comedies, tries to provide something fresh for the millennial audience. To his credit, we definitely see the attempts being made - which would have almost elevated the film to being a recommendation in our books, IF it were not 2 hours and 46 minutes long.

Rohan "Mickey" Arora (Ranbir Kapoor) is a wastrel from an affluent family who supposedly manages his family businesses while also moonlighting as a "break-up" consultant with his similarly rich best friend, Manu Dabbas (Anubhav Singh Bassi). During the bachelor party of Manu and his fiancée Kinchi (Monica Chaudhary) - yes, she accompanies the duo - Mickey is introduced to her friend, Nisha "Tinni" Malhotra (Shraddha Kapoor), and is instantly smitten.

Cue introductions to their respective families, multiple dates that somehow end up including family members, and the quickfire holiday romance is becoming all too real, all too quick. Unfortunately, unbeknownst to the oblivious Mickey, their relationship is progressing at a pace that seems to be altogether too hasty for Tinni, and everything goes downhill. Or does it?

Tu Jhoothi Main Makkar is a film that really, really makes an attempt to keep up with the times. Mickey's family is very progressive (by Bollywood standards, at least) - his grandma jokes with his girlfriend about wearing bikinis, his mother actually apologises for knocking on the door of the room the (unmarried, mind you) couple is in, and his sister schedules an appointment for Tinni with her gynaecologist without batting an eyelid or asking many intrusive questions. Ironically, though, it is this showy setting that makes us more perceptive about the film's real message - which is again the same old "family over individuals" and "manipulative guy is actually loving and caring if you look deep enough".

Unironically, there is zero need to look deep enough. Everything is pushed in your face - the main characters, their relationship, their families (especially Mickey's) and said families' quirks (dear Lord, how grating is the token "quirky child's" incessant harping about wanting to safeguard her share of the property), their conflicts, the hero's attempt to acknowledge (and simultaneously sabotage) his girlfriend's actions, and the obnoxiously loud climax. Despite having more than two and a half hours to work with, the film barely gives the audience any time to reflect upon the protagonists' situations, thanks to scene after scene full of misdirected yet frenetic energy, and slowly becomes a tiring watch, especially as it nears the end.

Speaking of tiring watches, what is this recent obsession with overly vibrant palettes? Why do a lot of recent movies feel (looking at you, Cirkus) like they have turned saturation up the wazoo during post-processing? Despite having neatly crafted sets and capable cinematography, this odd decision adds to the visual fatigue. And Pritam is generally considered to be a safe pair of hands to entrust a film's music to, but Tu Jhoothi Main Makkar's soundtrack is average at best.

Ranbir Kapoor, for all mentions of his talents, seems to have settled into comfortable roles at this point. Shraddha Kapoor is definitely capable of more, but she seems to be saddled with roles where the chief objective is "look pretty, oh, and sometimes sad". The supporting cast do what is asked of them, no complaints there, but leave us with nothing exceptional to point to, either.

Tu Jhoothi Main Makkar would actually have been a decent watch had it been edited down to a running time of 90 to 100 minutes, tops. If you are a Ranbir/Shraddha Kapoor fan and/or really enjoy romantic comedies, maybe this one's for you. For everyone else, wait for it to be out on Netflix or skip it - you're not missing out on much.