Suraj Pe Mangal Bhari review :
The first theatrical release post lockdown; Suraj Pe Mangal Bhari got simultaneously released yesterday on paid platform Zee Plex where I saw it in the comfort and safety of my drawing room.
An okey dokey rom com directed by Abhishek Sharma who had made the horrendous Zoya Factor (2019) before this; Suraj (Diljit Dosanjh) and Mangal (Manoj Bajpayee) are two warring characters with Tulshi (Fatima Sana Shaikh) being their focal point. Marathi mulgaa Mangal is Tulshi's protective brother cum wedding detective who spies on prospective grooms and destroys their marriage. His latest victim is Punjabi munda Suraj whose beer guzzling photos land up at his hone wale in-laws place.
Next, Suraj falls for Tulshi who reciprocates his advances and its only a few minutes of screen time until Detective Mangal gets to know..
The screenplay is filled with illogical situations like a brother spoiling his sisters marriage just to get even with someone looks unconvincing, to say the least!! The humour element is intermittently spread across the narrative but dont expect too many lol moments here.
Of the cast, Manoj Bajpayee struggles to get the Marathi accent right which mars his overall performance. The various get-ups he dons to investigate his cases havent been utilized optimally. Diljit Dosanjh fits in to the Sardarji character perfectly and is completely natural as Suraj. The pretty Fatima Sana Shaikh pitches in a decent act as the Marathi girl who aspires to be India's first DJ. Her performance is much better than Thugs of Hindostan (2018) where she was lost in the crowd but again, not as effective as her debut Dangal (2016).
On the tech front, the production values are akin to a TV serial and the sets appear fake even for a 1995 era. There are two songs and both are enjoyable - I preferred the Karishma Tanna item number right at the beginning of the film.
To sum up, Suraj Pe Mangal Bhari is an average fare better suited for an OTT viewing. Glad I didnt risk the theatres!!
Regards,
Sumeet Nadkarni.
