Tumhari Sulu Movie Review: Vidya Balan, unsurprisingly, cracks this part

Tumhari SuluU ComedyDramaDirector Suresh TriveniCast Vidya Balan Manav KaulRating This thoroughly sweet Mumbai middleclass sliceoflife film starts off with an unsliced lemon balancing on a spoon as Sulochana in short Sulu runs trying to beat off competition to hit the finishing line in whats called the spoonrace whose existence most of us wouldve forgotten since primary schoolmuch like the sack or threelegged raceVirar resident Sulu is essentially an enthucutlet serial contestant She enrolls in various neighbourhood type sareetying Latas sad song competitions to bring home mixer grinder toaster etc theres much product placement in this picNow I dont know if this is a phenomenon of sorts But you should carefully observe singlekid families sometimes I have on occasion especially when the child is old enough to engage in adult conversations These families you will notice turn into an ageagnostic inseparably tight unit thick as a brick that practically lives and parties together Sulus family is a prime case studySo is this film where all the main charactersthe husband Manav Kaul superbly subtle housewife and the little boyare so gently empathetic to each other that while they face lifes several especially financial issues they rarely get overtly confrontational remaining real about everything still As it is with most normal families Firsttime filmmaker up here Suresh Triveni does a fine job of getting this sense of proportion rightWhat could possibly upset this organic applecart Nothing really until you also begin to see each as a separate individual with their own aspirations Selfless Sulu much like Sridevis character in English Vinglish 2012 is exactly the sort of person youd look through in a traditional Indian home Because shes basically built herself to serve her family firsther own identity comfortably seated in the background outoffocus at bestThis film focuses on that very backdrop Sulu wants to be a radio jockey were not sure of what kind I guess the filmmakers may have initially thought of a housewife who does live sexchats This is a little lamer I guess shes on a mainstream radio station being the love guru perhapsThe plot catches your eye for sure even if the film takes far too long to get to it or meander around it Weve progressively begun to watch more and more mainstream movies on the Everywoman This might appear progressive only to someone whos unable to appreciate that thats frickin half the world anyway What this film gets equally right is the ensemble walkon castthe cabbie the child the callers To be fair they consist of the whole world after allAt the centre of it is Sulu the midclass homemaker Vidya Balan unsurprisingly cracks this part Honestly I like the idea of Vidya which is the opposite of showbiz vanity Its impossible to think of a Bollywood leading ladyan educated upper middleclass outsider herselfwhod consciously script a resume so stunningly eclectic that you can host an incredible international retrospective alreadyWhether the films light up the boxoffice or not as The Dirty Picture 2011 or Kahaani 2012 did paving the way for a whole set of womenled mainstream cinema her characters of a detective in Bobby Jasoos or whehouse owner in Begum Jaan inevitably draw you in This film where Vidya shows up as a vivacious fat Virar aunty embodying all the compassions and contradictions within a modern desi woman is not an exception by any means It is really as good as it getsWatch Tumhari Sulu Trailer