Films like Tumhari Sulu restore your faith in humanity, cinema and even in your own sanity. This film has all the ingredients of being a hit since it doesn’t show the supposedly bad face of the society but the good face that is hidden from the public. Here, every character talks to the audience and shows to you that the world has nice people in it.

Vidya Balan’s latest features her in the role of a housewife belonging to a middle-class family who wants to win everything she participates in. She wins a lemon-on-the-spoon race, a quiz on radio and has a list of hobbies that can make one either proud or the butt of everyone’s jokes. Manav Kaul plays her dedicated husband and the two are shown to be an ideal couple when things go sideways as Sulouchana becomes Sulu and goes on air. Her elder twin sisters are furious, her father is angry but her husband stands by her and so does her kid, eventually making her realise that there is more to life than being a housewife. There is also a story regarding her husband and his new boss that results in his changing attitude, and both Manav Kaul and Vidya Balan must be credited for their powerful performances. Some of the camera angles filming them are surprisingly good and instead of going for edits, they show that creatively, anything can be done in a better manner.

The best thing about Tumhari Sulu is the fact that it is made within a limited budget, has a script that you can’t ignore and caters to all kinds of public. There are no lavish sets or highly-paid actors here, but characters and real-life locations that remind you of Hrishikesh Mukherjee and Basu Chatterjee brand of cinema. Vidya Balan is on top of her game as the housewife-turned-RJ who talks to all those who call her on her radio show and get responses even when they don’t expect. Manav Kaul who has so far been playing the bad guy in films comes out as a versatile actor who can play a weak husband and a weaker employee at the same time. Neha Dhupia wins the audience back with her comeback role and same goes for the rest of the cast who look the characters they play, not actors playing those characters. Suresh Triveni’s screenplay and direction are also top-notch except for the climax where he falters, but when 90 per cent of the film is too good, you can forget the odd 10 per cent. Right? •

VERDICT

This film has all the ingredients of being a hit since it doesn’t show the supposedly bad face of the society, but the good face that is hidden from the public.