Star Cast: Rajkummar Rao, Wamiqa Gabbi
Director: Karan Sharma
Bhool Chuk Maaf Movie Review Synopsis:
BHOOL CHUK MAAF is the story of a groom-to-be in trouble. Ranjan Tripathi (Rajkummar Rao) is based in Lucknow and lives with his mother (Seema Pahwa), father (Raghubir Yadav) and sister Keri (Pragati Mishra). He is in love with local resident Titli (Wamiqa Gabbi) and both want to get married. But Titli’s father (Zakir Hussain) is against this idea as Ranjan is unemployed. Titli is hell-bent on marrying him. Hence, the father insists that Ranjan should find a government job within two months. If he manages to do so, he’ll get his daughter married to him. Ranjan goes to insane lengths and finally bags a job in the irrigation department. He and Titli are all set to tie the knot on May 30. On May 29, Ranjan’s haldi ceremony is held. The next day, Ranjan wakes up only to see his family getting ready for the Haldi ceremony! He is bewildered, more so when his family members claim that the date is the 29th and not the 30th. Ranjan assumes that he dreamt the whole episode of Haldi. But the next day, he wakes up and realizes that the date still hasn’t changed to May 30! To add to his dilemma, no one around him is ready to believe him. What happens next forms the rest of the film.
Bhool Chuk Maaf Movie Story Review:
Karan Sharma’s story is novel. Karan Sharma’s screenplay (additional screenplay by Haider Rizvi) has its share of engaging and entertaining moments but the writing suffers in several scenes. Karan Sharma’s dialogues (additional dialogues by Haider Rizvi) are hilarious and sharp. However, so many toilet jokes could have been avoided.
Karan Sharma’s direction is decent, more so considering that it’s his debut flick. Despite such an unusual subject, he tries his best to make you believe that what’s happening with Ranjan is very much possible. A few scenes stand out like the madness at the police station and Titli trolling a potential match followed by Ranjan’s dramatic entry. Post-interval, the sequence where Ranjan decides to speak kind-heartedly to everyone will be loved. The finale is sweet.
Sadly, the film is not without its share of blemishes. The makers have ended up showing too much in the trailer. Hence, though the first half is lovely, it is largely predictable. It’s in the second half where the film finally goes into the unexpected zone. Even here, the film suffers as the narrative stagnates in between. A few developments are silly. It’s unconvincing that Ranjan took a while to realise what ‘nek kaarya’ is all about. He also takes a long time to convince Hamid Ansari (Akash Makhija). Anyone in Ranjan’s shoes would not have jumped into the waters so many times. He would have given his all to persuade Hamid so that he could get out of the mess. Lastly, the music is not upto the mark.
Bhool Chuk Maaf | Official Trailer | Rajkummar Rao | Wamiqa Gabbi | Dinesh Vijan | Karan Sharma
Bhool Chuk Maaf Movie Review Performances:
Rajkummar Rao rises above the script and delivers an entertaining as well as touching performance. Wamiqa Gabbi shines in her first major theatrical role. Her expressions, especially, are quite superb. Sanjay Mishra (Bhagwandas) leaves a huge mark in a small role. Ishtiyak Khan (Kishan) and Dheerendra Gautam (Hari) lend able support and raise laughs. Pragati Mishra manages to register her presence. Akash Makhija, Seema Pahwa, Raghubir Yadav, Zakir Hussain, Anubha Fatehpuria (Titli’s mother), Jay Thakkar (Sushil), Vineet Kumar (priest), Himanshu Kohli (Jija) and others are fine. Dhanashree Verma (Jugni) is sizzling in the item number.
Bhool Chuk Maaf movie music and other technical aspects:
Tanishk Bagchi’s music doesn’t have a shelf life. This is shocking since Maddock Films is known for hit music. ‘Chor Bazari Phir Se’ is the only one that is memorable. ‘Sawariya Tera’ and ‘Koi Naa’ work mainly due to their placement and picturization. The same goes for ‘Hutt Badmaash’. ‘Ting Ling Sajna’ is a forgettable item number and is forced. Ketan Sodha’s background score is quirky, just like the film’s theme.
Sudeep Chatterjee’s cinematography is satisfactory. Amit Ray and Subrata Chakraborty’s production design is classy and straight out of life. Sheetal Iqbal Sharma’s costumes are realistic. Manish Madan Pradhan’s editing could have been crisper.
Bhool Chuk Maaf Movie Review Conclusion:
On the whole, BHOOL CHUK MAAF rests on a novel idea and the entertaining performance of Rajkummar Rao. But the film suffers due to a predictable first half as well as weak and stagnant writing. At the box office, the film might face a tough time, especially due to its premiere on an OTT platform in just two weeks.