Tum Bin 2 movie review: An unwise follow-up

Cast: Neha Sharma, Aashim Gulati, Aditya Seal, Kanwaljit Singh

Director: Anubhav Sinha

Out of the 1,000 odd films made in India, there are films that are more satisfying as a movie going experience than a particularly compelling story: either it’s the stars/actors, or it’s a roller coaster ride that promises to take you through attractive eye-catching locations, or some lilting foot tapping music that lifts your spirits. And then, there are the sentimental clichéd dramas which are either so saccharine that you start loathing them. Of course, there are some great poignant stories told most heartrendingly that you always cherish and love revisiting.

Somewhere in between lies the relentlessly repetitive tale of two-men-one-woman or the two-women-one-man sagas that would never go out of fashion, it seems. Tum Bin 2 is a sequel that gets delivered after 13 years, but retains the same plot. And, just like many of the best sentimental dramas on film are closely linked to the theme of love, this one too, has a young girl, Taran (Neha Sharma) and her love Amar (Aashim Gulati) whose display of undying love in the opening scenes predictably spell doom: Amar is presumed dead in a skiing accident. Had it not been her protective family of two sisters, a brother-in-law and Amar’s father (Kanwaljit Singh) Taran would have remained distraught all her life. She just doesn’t know how to move on. Life springs many surprises every now and then, and some six months later an affable young man Shekhar (Aditya Seal) comes into her life breezily. He is someone who spreads happiness, and reassures Taran that every good moment in one’s life needs to be cherished, even when one keeps pining for the loved ones.

But to carry the story forward, there has to be a strange quirk of fate that must throw life out of gear. And so, it’s time for Amar’s return. As it turns out Amar got saved in the nick of time by some do-gooders who even perform therapy and bring him back to his feet. At this point, one almost hears a yawn in the theatre. In other words, this inept manipulation to add some drama or some meat to a facile plot looks too forced for us to consume. Amar’s return from eight months of coma obviously is bound to create a dilemma in Taran’s life who gets torn between her new found love Shekhar and Amar. By the way, Taran is liberated enough to be going out and having fun with men, but she is too traditional to go the whole hog. No prizes for guessing why her reservations don’t allow this Indian values-wali girl to make out with this attractive young man, although she does succumb to the temptation of a smooch. Merrily at one point, both men become an integral part of her life, and her days and nights seem to revolve around the various oscillations that make her swing between the two.

The earlier film Tum Bin wowed audiences with its subtle understated emotional content, and turned out to be one of the sleeper hits that made both the critics and moviegoers sit up and take note of its freshness. This time around, producer, writer and director Anubhav Sinha wanted to capitalise on the same points. No, he is not even half as successful as he was the last time: a too stretched, banal story spells doom here.

The real problem is the script, which is so loaded down with artifice that it never has a chance to stay afloat, let alone soar. The film stands accused of getting the least imaginable mileage out of an idea that could be spun into an intriguing, emotionally satisfying narrative. Instead of complementing a clever way to instil some lively moments into a sentimental plot, the filmmaker tries to complicate a thin one-line story into a screenplay by an improbable moment: the sudden death of a lead character and its reappearance. What follows are not many moments of dramatic tension but stereotyped, less compelling minutes of a mindless perverse exploration of a relationship.  

To be fair to the screenplay, besides the time-worn account there are no attempts to artificially rev up a theme that has a thin premise. And thank God for small mercies. There isn’t any invasion in the form of an unwanted subplot too. Also, there are some endearing performances — particularly Kanwaljit’s — and some easy convincing images of a happy family and credible dialogues. The lead actors get restricted in a script that makes them too narrowed. Aditya Seal who debuted as a teen actor opposite Manisha Koirala in Ek Chhoti Si Prem Kahani uses his boyish charm but would do well if also learned the methods of acting better.

There’s also a bit of India-Pakistan banter that uncovers a few myths about our neighbouring country’s affiliations. The earlier version had good music that topped the popularity charts; this one has hardly any hummable tune.