Tumhari Sulu
Year: 2017
Director: Suresh Triveni
Cast: Vidya Balan, Manav Kaul, Neha Dhupia

Vidya Balan, one of the finest actresses in Hindi cinema, hasn’t had a smooth run in the recent past. With the exceptions of Te3n and Kahaani 2, most of her recent films haven’t managed to woo either the masses or the critics. Will she do better in her latest venture- Tumhari Sulu?

What’s the plot?

Sulu (Vidya Balan) is a spunky housewife happy in her domesticity, while dreaming to make it big in life. Her simple, loving husband (Manav Kaul) and her young school-going son are the only near ones supporting her flights of imagination. Otherwise her father and twin sisters constantly keep taunting her about lack of education, nagging her to find a decent job.

A chance opportunity to host a late night radio show turns Sulu’s world upside down. Her husky voice and the gift of the gab strike a chord with the listeners making her an unlikely radio star. Unfortunately the newfound success comes with a price to pay. With her blissful world unexpectedly crumbling around her, how will Sulu ever achieve her dreams?

What’s hot?

·        Director Suresh Triveni perceptively captures the multi-layered relationships in simple lives. He makes it a film of many hues- an ugly duckling turning into a beautiful swan, a housewife dreaming to get her own identity, a working woman facing myriad new challenges, a modern-day family trying to cope up with pressures and so on.

·        Manav Kaul, who had earlier impressed in his bit roles, gets a full-length lead role here and his portrayal of a sweet man, who is stuck in a dreary job, who dearly loves his family,  and who is unable to come to terms with his wife’s new identity, is simply superb!

·        Vidya Balan is the life and soul of the film. It is a tailor-made role which gives her a chance to show off her fantastic acting skills. Her Sulu is a remarkable woman- smart, funny, sensuous, confident, imaginative and yet, vulnerable and hurt!

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What’s not?

·        The housewife’s RJ transition, one of the key parts of the story, is not presented too convincingly. This part could have been written better.

·        The film is a bit too lengthy.

Verdict

Vidya Balan’s dazzling performance (with Manav Kaul’s fine supporting act!) makes Tumhari Sulu a fun to watch film with the right amount of sensitivity, realism amd positivity.

Rating

3 stars