Whoever loved that loved not at first sight? Ranbir Kapoor diligently keeps to the spirit of this Elizabethan pick-up line in Luv Ranjan’s latest romcom — Tu Jhoothi Main Makkaar (TJMM) — as he turns his charms on Shradhha Kapoor. What ensues is a familiar but rollickingly enjoyable ride with a high dose of drama, flashy costumes, eye-soothing locales and witty monologues.
Written by Rahul Mody and Luv Ranjan, TJMM revolves around Mikki (Ranbir) and Tinni (Shraddha) who meet during the bachelor’s trip of their respective best friends. It’s love-at-first-sight for Mikki but Tinni stays non-committal. Mikki keeps pursuing her with all his heart, forcing her to give in to his charms. Soon Mikki introduces Tinni to his over-the-top joint family who takes the latter into their fold.
Things, however, start going downhill from here as Tinni finds her personal space shrinking. She decides to dump Mikki before matters go out of hand. Tinni hires an agency to engineer her break-up with Mikki. Remember R. Madhavan and Bipasha Basu’s 2012 comedy Jodi Breakers? Turns out the agency is one of Mikki’s side hustles. And from here the drama starts to unfold.
Luv Ranjan is known for portraying women in a negative light in his films. But unlike Neha (Nushrratt Bharuccha) of Pyaar Ka Punchnama (2011) and Sweety (also played by Nushrratt) of Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety (2018), Tinni of TJMM is not manipulative. She loves Mikki and wants their relationship to flourish but is wary of her personal freedom being sacrificed at the altar of marriage.
And in trademark Luv Ranjan film style, Mikki lets out a barrage of monologues venting his frustration towards the opposite sex when he finds out about Tinni’s intention to dump him.
In a heart-to-heart conversation with Mikki before the climax, Tinni justifies her decision of breaking up with him and it is relatable.
Mikki is a role tailormade for Ranbir, who gets to flaunt his six-pack abs in the first half and exudes the boy-lover charm, much like his screen outings at the start of his career. The bachelor’s trip in Spain has a solid Bachna Ae Haseeno and Tamasha hangover. Post-intermission, Ranbir’s Mikki effortlessly slides into his spurned-in-love avatar in the manner of his character in Ae Dil Hai Mushkil. Shraddha shares a goofy chemistry with Ranbir and the duo are a riot on screen. But in the emotional scenes, the engagement sequence for example, Shraddha struggles to match up to Ranbir.
If there was a trophy for the most entertaining family, Mikki’s kin would win it hands down. As the film approaches its climax and you start losing your patience because of the long runtime, the Aroras jump in to save the day, driving a car to the airport with the family members bickering and slapping each other. Kartik Aaryan and Nushrratt Bharuccha — who help Mikki in sabotaging Tinni’s break-up plans — knock the ball out of the park in wildly-funny guest appearances.
The soundtrack of TJMM, composed by Pritam, also adds to the refreshingly youthful feel of the movie. Tere Pyaar Mein in Arijit Singh & Nikhita Gandhi’s voice — as Mikki and Tinni fall in love — is a catchy tune that takes us through the beautiful locales of Spain. Show Me The Thumka is another celebratory song that brings a much-needed relief after a high dose of post-break-up drama. Arijit Singh’s O Bedardeya, with Amitabh Bhattacharya’s piercing lyrics, depicts the pain of separation and heartbreak.
