Film: Suraj Pe Mangal Bhari
Director: Abhishek Sharma
Cast: Manoj Bajpayee, Diljit Dosanjh, Fatima Sana Shaikh, Supriya Pilgaonkar, Manoj Pahwa, Seema Pahwa, Nehha Pendse, Abhishek Banerjee, Annu Kapoor, Manuj Sharma, Neeraj Sood, Rohan Shankar
Duration: 2 hours 14 minutes
Rating: 2.5 Moons
After eight months of lockdown, theatres have reopened. The first film to release in cinema halls amid the pandemic is Abhishek Sharma’s comedy Suraj Pe Mangal Bhari. Starring Manoj Bajpayee, Diljit Dosanjh and Fatima Sana Shaikh in the lead, the film is set in Mumbai in the ‘90s.
Suraj Pe Mangal Bhari orbits around Suraj Singh Dhillon (Diljit Dosanjh), a 28-year-old man hailing from a well-to-do family. Suraj is the most eligible bachelor in town but alas, potential brides fail to consider him so. Desperate to get married, Suraj seeks his friend’s help who advises him to become the quintessential ‘bad boy’. Complying with his suggestion, Suraj pretends to be a drunkard, lawbreaker and much more. However, this lands him in trouble. The parents of a potential bride hire a detective named Mangal Rane (Manoj Bajpayee) who sets out to dig out details about Suraj. His bad-boy behaviour makes Mangal believe that Suraj isn’t up to the mark. Suraj is in Mangal’s bad books.
As the chaos surrounding Suraj’s marriage continues, he falls in love with Tulsi Rane (Fatima Sana Shaikh), the sister of Mangal. Love is in the air for Tulsi and Suraj but Mangal infects it with his hatred for his sister’s partner. Tulsi and Suraj decide to take their relationship forward and Mangal is adamant that he won’t let his sister marry a ‘bad boy’. At their engagement, Mangal turns the table and gives all a shock. He tweaks a voice recording and accuses Suraj’s father of dowry demands. This leads to Tulsi’s and Suraj’s separation. What follows next is a big mess.
Director Abhishek Sharma roped in brilliant actors to lead the film but doesn’t do justice to their talents. His direction is mediocre but Suraj Pe Mangal Bhari is bogged down by an annoying narrative that seems overstretched and unexciting. There are certain scenes that just add to the screen time but serve no purpose. With a cliched storyline, Suraj Pe Mangal Bhari is a tasteless product. Writer Shokhi Banerjee clearly disappoints with her illogical writing.
The pillars of Suraj Pe Mangal Bhari are the actors. Manoj Bajpayee, like always, is the backbone of the film. The ace actor has carried multiple looks in the film with elan. Alas, his charismatic presence can’t help the ship from sinking. Diljit Dosanjh does a tight rope walk with Manoj between the unbearable and are-we-expected-to-watch-this category. The actors are the silver lining in Suraj Pe Mangal Bhari. Fatima performs well and fits well into the role of Tulsi. The supporting cast including Seema Pahwa, Manoj Pahwa, Supriya Pilgaonkar, Nehha Pendse and Annu Kapoor do their jobs well.
Cinematographer Anshuman Mahaley captures Mumbai beautifully. Editor Rameshwar S. Bhagat gives Suraj Pe Mangal Bhari a slow pace. With unnecessary scenes, the editing looks shoddy and doesn’t engage and excite.
Suraj Pe Mangal Bhari is a hotchpotch. Despite decent performances, the film fails to rise above cliches and a done-to-death concept. A mixture of illogical story, poor writing with an unexciting way of presentation, we can’t promise about Mangal and Suraj, but your head will surely be bhari due to boredom. Watch at your own risk!
PeepingMoon gives Suraj Pe Mangal Bhari 2.5 Moons
