‘TUESDAYS & FRIDAYS’ | 19 February, 2021

Click https://bit.ly/komal291 if the above video does not autoplay.

Super Cassettes Industries Pvt. Ltd., Bhansali Productions and Hi-Hat Productions’ Tuesdays & Fridays (UA) is a love story of an author and a lawyer.

Varun (Anmol Thakeria Dhillon) is a bestselling author, young and smart. Sia (Jhataleka) is an entertainment lawyer, also young and smart. The two meet for professional reasons but soon develop feelings for one another. Varun is commitment-phobic and believes that love stories invariably end up in break-ups. Sia’s legal brain comes up with a suggestion: the two will meet as boyfriend-girlfriend on Tuesdays and Fridays only. On the other days of the week, they will not be a lovey-dovey couple. As their bi-weekly dating progresses, they fall in love with one another. Or do they? There’s also a track of Sia’s single mother, Dr. Radhika Malhotra (Niki Walia), and another track of Varun’s single mother, Nimmi (Anooradha Patel). 

Taranveer Singh has penned the script which is weak in all aspects. The very concept of bi-weekly romance is weird and while it may be understood by the city audience, it will be mocked at by the audience of towns and smaller places. Also, there is no warmth in the love story of Varun and Sia, because of which the viewers don’t root for the two love birds. Actually, it is so necessary for love stories, especially those starring newcomers, to be heartwarming but this one lacks that. In fact, it would not be wrong to say that the love story does not have a single heartwarming moment. The tracks of the two single mothers look forced into the drama. Therefore, the climax fails to have any impact whatsoever. Besides, the story leaves a bad taste in the mouth since the families of both, Varun and Sia, are dysfunctional. All in all, the story is dull. Taranveer Singh’s screenplay is equally weak. Nothing really touches the heart. Rather, several scenes make the audience wonder whether such things can happen in real life. The screenplay tends to bore the viewers rather than entertaining them. Taranveer Singh’s dialogues are barely ordinary.

Anmol Thakeria Dhillon makes an ordinary debut. He has screen presence but his acting is not too impressive. The blame for his lacklustre debut would also lie with the script and the director. Jhataleka is a confident actress and makes a convincing debut but she, too, does not really win the hearts despite her free acting. Both the debut-making actors have several scenes which needed subtle acting but what they deliver in most of those scenes is over-the-top acting. Niki Walia is average as Dr. Radhika Malhotra. She has not looked very good. Zoa Morani does a fine job as Kajal. Nayan Shukla leaves a lovely mark as Pats. Kamini Khanna irritates as Khala. Eklavey Kashyap hardly impresses in the role of Nabeel. Reem Shaikh stands her own as Sia’s half-sister, Tanya. Anooradha Patel hardly gets scope to make much of an impression as Nimmi. Parvin Dabas is so-so as Nishant. Neha Kakkar plays herself and adds star value. Parmeet Sethi is so-so in a special appearance. Aashim Gulati (as Jatin Singh), Ibraheem Chaudhary (as Shawn), Neeraj Khetrapal (as Sia’s boss) and the rest lend routine support.

Taranveer Singh’s direction is below the mark. Neither is his narration good enough to hold the viewers’ interest nor has he extracted memorable performances from out of his actors. Tony Kakkar’s music is ordinary. Young love stories need to have hit songs but this film does not have a single such number. In fact, there is an excess of songs in the film. Lyrics (Kumaar and Tony Kakkar) of most of the songs are not upto the mark. Kruti Mahesh’s choreography is average. Background music (by Sanchit Balhara and Ankit Balhara) is too loud and jarring. Ewan Mulligan’s camerawork is okay. Production designing (Mandar Nandgaonkar) and art direction (Timmy Ayers) are fair. Rajesh Pandey’s editing should’ve been sharper.

On the whole, Tuesdays & Fridays is a poor fare and will meet with a disastrous fate at the box-office.

Released on 19-2-’21 at Metro Inox (daily 3 shows) and other cinemas of Bombay thru AA Films. Publicity: shockingly, almost non-existent. Opening: terribly poor. …….Also released all over. Opening was horrifyingly weak everywhere.