Bollywood is full of surprises– and of late, a little movie with little-known actors, Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety (SkTkS)has become the second highest grossing movie of 2018, overtaking Akshay Kumar’s Padman and just lagging behind the hugely successful Padmavaat. Even though I had no intention of watching it, I am so glad I did this weekend.

Directed by Luv Ranjan, SkTkS comes after the successful outings by Ranjan with Pyar ka Punchnama and its sequel. Relying on the same actors from these two movies, the director has done a great job with his latest movie.

Sonu (Kartik Aryaan) and Titu (Sunny Singh) are two best friends. We are told several times they’ve been together since “nursery grade” and are “brothers from another mother!” They are there for each other, literally through thick and thin. Titu is coming out of a heartbreak and is unable to deal with his emotions– so in steps Sonu, who refreshes Titu’s mind how his ex-girlfriend Pihu was using and abusing his kind nature. In short, she was a control freak who took over his Titu’s life, leaving him with no freedom.

To overcome his heartbreak, Titu jumps at the chance of marrying the first girl his parents suggest– Sweety Sharma (Nushrat Bharucha). Sweety is a sweet girl…or so it seems. Once Titu and Sweety begin their courtship, Sonu begins to develop separation anxiety. He wants to be there alongside his bestie to ensure the next girl is the right one for him. Sweety doesn’t want Sonu to interfere in her relationship with Titu.

However, Sonu and Sweety don’t see each other eye to eye– he doubts her intention and pictures her to be a gold digger because after all, the family sweet business is minting money like anything. Sweety, on the other hand, wants to prove to Sonu that Titu is doing the right thing by marrying her and he will eventually choose his wife over his best friend.

So who does Titu choose? Does he show his loyalty to his bestie, or does he falls in love with his fiancee? What about the ego war that is played out between Sonu and Sweety? How about the two uncles, who are convinced that Sweety is playing games and is doing this with some ulterior motive? These and several other questions are resolved by the end of the movie in a rather satisfying kind of way that doesn’t insult the intelligence of the audience.

The Pros.

All three actors do a fine job. They are all likable and watchable, and surprise surprise can act too! They have excellent comic timing, can dance and deliver intense dialogues with passion. We care for them and we feel for them. Along with these there main characters, the side characters also play a major and effective role and are not merely relegated to the background. The matriarch of the house, the two uncles, the ex-girlfriend, all shine through their respective roles.

The script is a winner. Except for some minor plot holes (how do they get visas for Amsterdam overnight? What is Sonu’s motive for being so aggresively against Sweety?), the script is solid and grounded. There are no outlandish scenarios, for the most part, the scenarios are believable and plausible. The family is a super rich family, so they have convertibles and posh luxury apartments, which explains away their lavish lifestyles. This movie proves that if you have a great script, acted out by decent actors, you will have a winner on your hands.

The comedy is bearable– it doesn’t resort to cheap humor as seen in other comedies that spew out below the belt kind of humor.

The Cons.

The songs were a bit excessive, and none of the songs stay with you after the movie ends.

The running time is a little lengthy— the ending could have been edited for brevity.

However, the glaring thematic element of misogyny is blatant– all women are manipulators, scheming and conniving is what we get out of the movie. Though it’s a comedy movie, and it should be taken that way, in this day and age of political correctness, this attitude towards women does seem a little off guard. Some will definitely say the movie is sexist as women are merely treated as mentioned above.

The movie, although a light-hearted comedy, does bring in some serious thematic issues that revolve around best friends, marriage, and the importance of extended family members playing their role- whether negative or positive. In one scene, the family is seen checking out the potential future wife/ daughter in law by screening her Facebook profile, which is very much common in our culture- whether one denies it or not!

Having said that, at the end of the day, the movie is an element of its own: youthful, comedic and relatable to the current generation (the characters evens speak like what the youth speak like today!)

All in all, SkTkS is a fun, light-hearted comedy that will warm your hearts and will make you so engrossed in the lives of these three people that by the end of it, you are sitting on the edge of your seat– who wins out: bromance or romance?

3.5 out 5

 

Director: Luv Ranjan

Cast: Kartik Aryan, Sunny Singh, Nushrat Bharucha

Genre: Comedy, Drama

Synopsis: Sonu and Titu are brothers from another mother. Their friendship is tested when Sweety is engaged to Titu, setting off a battle of the sexes between Sonu- the best friend- and Sweety- the fiancee. Who wins: bromance or romance?

Running Time: 138 mins

Rating: 60% Rotten Tomatoes

Seen: Vogue Towers, MM Alam Road, Lahore