Tiku Weds Sheru review: Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Avneet Kaur caught in the web of so-called romance makes for a jarring watch

2/5

The two eccentric protagonists of the romance comedy Tiku Weds Sheru both have Bollywood aspirations. The violence and drugs of the criminal underworld are threatening their budding romance. Will they be able to keep their relationship going against all odds?

When the trailer for Tiku Weds Sheru came out, it instantly reminded me of Main Madhuri Dixit Banna Chahti Hoon! directed by Chandan Arora, starring Antara Mali and Rajpal Yadav in the lead roles. 20 years ago, we saw a girl named Chutki get into a marriage of convenience with Rajeshwar Singh, only to shift her base to Mumbai to become an actor. After struggling for a long time and trying hard to meet her ends, she eventually becomes an actor with a rocky debut.

However, with Tiku Weds Sheru having the film industry as a background, it focuses more on the possible bad sides of it. In one of the scenes, Kangana Ranaut, who is the producer of the film, makes a special appearance and walks past Tiku (Avneet Kaur) while she screams that she wants work as she is also an outsider like her. That sets the precedent that outsiders don't have it easy, but the struggles shown here are quite harsh. But that's the bad part; it's the overall execution from the beginning.

Nawazuddin Siddiqui, as Sheru, is a junior artist who also claims to be a film financier but is a pimp too. However, after deciding to get married, he only wants to do the "white" work to lead a peaceful life. On the other hand, Tiku wants to get out of her conservative household, and of course, she has a boyfriend in Mumbai; thus, she decides to marry Sheru so that she can get on with her life after escaping from her house.

The problem with the film is that it is sold as a romantic comedy, which ends within the first half of it. Like many typical Bollywood films, the second half takes a tragic turn and is equally sluggish, as it feels like there's no more left to show. The struggles don't end; there's no colourful painted picture, and you are left thinking, "Where is this even heading?"

Over the years, we have seen films showing the Bollywood industry as a backdrop, including Om Shanti Om, Luck By Chance, and more. Tiku Weds Sheru follows a similar path, but it's more about the negative side of it. When the film reaches midway, there's no curiosity left as to what's going to happen because, as predictable as it is, it's a happy ending, and the twist is a hiccup. However, the hiccup also gets a romantic twist out of nowhere and keeps you wondering, "How did we reach here?"

The idea of the film lacks depth, let alone execution. Either this could have been a dark, thrilling ride, or Mumbai is the city of dreamers, and with no assurance that the dream could be fulfilled, there would have been a safe play. But the film being neither a rom-com nor a thrilling ride makes it more sluggish while it goes at a snail's pace.

The romance lacks depth due to the lead actors. Nawazuddin's attempt to be a romantic hero fails at many levels. Even the kissing scene, which starts tenderly, ends up like a scene from Gangs of Wasseypur. Moreover, it's not a hunky-dory love story where they are respectful to each other. The film doesn't shy away from showing the onset of domestic violence as Sheru slaps Tiku in the middle of the road. However, the film takes a different route to show the dark times ahead.

Even an actor like Nawazuddin fails to keep the film engaging with his broken English and love-filled dialogues. There's a lack of chemistry, even though multiple attempts are made to show they are too much in love. The actor's prowess comes out better during the scenes where he is a pimp or even while dealing drugs. But we have seen him doing that best as Taimur in Talaash.

Talking about Avneet, Tiku Weds Sheru, can be called a brave debut as a leading lady for her. There are a few scenes where she can keep you hooked, including monologues and scenes where she is asking for work. However, a good performance in a bad film hardly works, and this falls into that category.

The theme of showing outsiders not having it easy in the film industry is quite jarring, and the motive behind it is also quite visible.

This is not the first time Sai Kabir has made a film with Bollywood as the backdrop. His directorial debut, Revolver Rani (2014), had Kangana Ranaut in the titular role and also received mixed reviews. However, that satirical attempt worked well for mixing Bollywood and politics; this does the same but is totally lost in translation.

The film has noted supporting actors including Zakir Hussain, Vipin Sharma, and Mukesh S Bhatt, who are all wasted with obnoxious characters taken straight from the 80s and 90s.

Fernando Gayesky, who has done the cinematography of Tiku Weds Sheru, manages to show the otherworld of Mumbai and capture the essence of the limited film sets and patli-gallis of the city. But Ballu Saluja's editing is a hotchpotch, making the film a tiresome watch altogether.

If it's romance, there has to be music! This film also has songs composed by Gaurav Chatterji and Sai Kabir that are all forgettable!

Tiku Weds Sheru is also on a similar path to becoming a forgettable film, but it has reminded me to revisit Main Madhuri Dixit Banna Chahti Hoon! after many years. I will get to it soon.

A film produced by Kangana Ranaut has to have the "outsiders" connect, but this takes a darker turn, which is uncomfortable, which is a good thing but also jarring to watch.