Manmarziyaan Review: Taapsee is magnificent, depths of Anurag Kashyap’s versatility

Manmarziyaan

Starring: Vicky Kaushal, Abhishek Bachchan, Taapsee Pannu, Abdul Quadir Amin, Ashnoor Kaur

Directed by: Anurag Kashyap

Rating:***(3.5 stars)

“Manmarziyaan” explores other kinds of violence, like the sort of verbal and emotional wounds dealt to each other by young people in love. It also looks at the healing power of forgiveness—again, depths of Anurag Kashyap’s versatility not what one might think of as a Kashyap theme.

Taapsee Pannu (Rumi) is magnificent on silver screen with her ruthless and  relinquish character. It is the performance made on fire and completely devoid of filters. Vicky Kaushal’s(Vicky) man-child portrayal of an essentially self-absorbed good-for-nothing turns on the charm and shows why Rumi overlooks his follies like we do. The screen hasn’t witnessed such marvelous display of unself-conscious affection since Rishi Kapoor and Neetu Singh. Expressing them ever so magnificently unlike Rumi or Vicky. Abhishek  Bachchan(Robbie) is someone we are allowed to figure on our own. Just when you think he is a 40-something lonely guy with low self-worth agreeing to shabby treatment because of his deep belief in nice guys finish last, he surprises you.

This is a rare film built entirely on indecision, on characters second-guessing themselves, spinning their wheels.  Vikram Kocchar remains a natural scene-stealer (as in his sitcom “Sumit Sambhal Lega”) as Robbie’s elder brother, and his expressions and comments, especially on his parents, are a scream. Ashnoor Kaur as the quiet cousin is winsome, and both Neetu Kohli (Robbie’s mother) and the actress playing Rumi’s aunt are excellent.

Manmarziyan is co-produced by Aanand L Rai. Taapsee said the film “is a beautiful mix of the different worlds of filmmakers Aanand L Rai and Anurag Kashyap.” A film with Abhishek Bachchan, Vicky Kaushal and Taapsee Pannu speaks volumes about modern-day relationships and love-related complexities.