TU HAI MERA SUNDAY | 7 October, 2017

Love And Faith Films’ Tu Hai Mera Sunday (UA) is a slice-of-life film. It is about five friends who find respite in the game of football.

Arjun (Barun Sobti), Rashid (Avi­nash Tiwary), Dominic (Vishal Malhotra), Mehernosh (Nakul Bhalla) and Jayesh (Jai Upadhyay) are five friends who love their game of football every Sunday at Juhu Beach as it helps them give vent to their frustrations. One day, a senile old man (Shiv Subrahmanyam) joins them in their game. He kicks the ball into the head of an influential person as a result of which there is soon a blanket ban on the sport of football on the beach.

The story now unfolds in the everyday lives of the five friends and the new entrant. Arjun meets Kavi (Shahana Goswami), the daughter of the senile old man. He baby-sits the old man to impress Kavi. Why, he even regularly takes the old man to play football with the rest of the team. Rashid meets a new neighbour, Tasneem (Rasika Duggal), and falls in love with the divorcee and her two disabled kids while himself taking tips on cleanliness from her. Dominic, bogged down by a domineering mother (Rama Joshi), also has to now face his insufferable brother, Dennis (Suhaas Ahuja), but the brother’s girlfriend, Vinta (Maanvi Gagroo), is a sweetheart. Mehernosh has a crush on his office colleague, Peppy (Pallavi Batra), and he takes such drastic steps for her that he loses his job. Jayesh is a share broker who is fed up of his large extended family which doesn’t let him live in peace.

All the abovenamed persons come together to tell a story of hope, love, happiness and friendship.

Milind Dhaimade has penned a story which is very real, with real characters. The story unravels the lives of the five friends and people around them, and this happens in a light and humorous manner. The characters in the story are all so relatable that the audience enjoys watching them and their journeys. Milind Dhaimade’s screenplay moves at an easy pace but never gets boring or preachy. In fact, the thread of humour that runs through his screenplay often evokes laughter and keeps the audience entertained and engaged throughout. Since the problems, frustrations and typicalities of each character are diffe­rent from those of the rest, the screenplay unfolds as a mix of varying emotions, all laced with humour and comedy. Perhaps, the only negative point is that there is sadness in the lives of all the characters. Milind Dhaimade’s dialogues are lovely.

Barun Sobti shines in the role of Arjun. He acts with the ease of a seasoned performer. Shahana Goswami is so brilliantly natural that it’s fun to watch her perform. She is absolutely awe-inspiring. Avinash Tiwary is very good in the role of Rashid. Vishal Malhotra delivers a wonderful performance in the role of Dominic. He is extremely realistic. Nakul Bhalla is excellent, especially in scenes of frustration. Jai Upadhyay’s acting is good, making him endearing. Shiv Subrahmanyam leaves a mark as the senile old man. Rasika Duggal is an extraordinary actress and leaves a lovely mark as Tasneem. Rama Joshi lends superb support as Dominic’s mother. Suhaas Ahuja (as Dennis), Maanvi Gagroo (as Vinta), Pallavi Batra (as Peppy), Meher Acharya Dar (as Arjun’s sister, Shruti), Sandip Sikand (as Arjun’s brother-in-law, Dr. Prashant Govil), and baby Jia Vaidya (as Arjun’s niece, Kshipra Govil) lend very fine support.

Milind Dhaimade’s direction is first-rate. Amartya Rahut’s music is enjoyable but the songs aren’t too popular. Lyrics (Milind Dhaimade) are okay. Amartya Rahut’s background music is quite nice. Harendra Singh’s cinematography is good. Shashank Tere’s production designing is of a fine standard. Shyam Salgaonkar’s editing is sharp.

On the whole, Tu Hai Mera Sunday is an entertaining film with a good dose of humour. It deserves to do well but it will not be able to realise even a quarter of its potential at the box-office because of its limited promotion, and the many oppositions (new releases and old films).

Released on 6-10-’17 at Inox (daily 1 show) and other cinemas of Bombay thru Runaway-Luminosity Distribution. Publicity & opening: dull. …….Also released all over. Opening was weak everywhere.