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Tanu Weds Manu: Returns backdrop

Tanu Weds Manu: Returns

out of 10
Recommendedmost critics liked it
Monk Score · 32 scored reviews · 11 not rated

Kangana's dual turn powers a fun, if narratively wobbly, sequel worth watching.

Verdict tier Recommended, most critics liked it, on a scale of Unfavorable, Mixed, Recommended, Exceptional.

  • Praised: Kangana Ranaut's dual performance
  • Criticised: Incoherent second half and climax

Audience

User score 7.1 out of 10 from 49 ratings, Recommended
Read 15 audience reviews ↓

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Critic consensus

What 40 critics are saying

Critical reception for 'Tanu Weds Manu Returns' is largely positive, with the majority of reviewers finding it an entertaining and often superior follow-up to the original. Kangana Ranaut's dual performance is the most consistently highlighted achievement, with critics across the board describing her as carrying the film largely on her own talent. The sharp, colloquial North Indian dialogue and writing by Himanshu Sharma also drew frequent praise. The most common criticisms center on a weak or illogical second-half narrative, reliance on coincidences, and an overextended or unsatisfying climax, with a minority of critics arguing the film leans too heavily on Ranaut to paper over structural weaknesses.

How the 32 scores spread

11 not-rated reviews aren't plotted

Positive / mixed / negative reviews

Positive = 6.5/10 and up · negative = below 5/10

AI-generated summary of 40 critic reviews · may contain errors

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From the papers

Critic reviews (43)

Top critics first, then by score · not-rated last · updated

  1. Top critic

    Hindustan Times

    Film review ·

    The strong writing is complimented by equally strong performances. Deepak Dobriyal is wonderful as the hapless, permanently rejected Pappi. However, Tanu Weds Manu Returns rests on Kangana's shoulders and she carries it with her Herculean talent. Parts of the film are over-stretched and clunky — especially the climax. But if you can get past the over-blown drama, this film is a treat. I left the theatre thinking about Kusum. She is so terrific that she overshadows the bumps in the film.
  2. Top critic

    IBNLive

    Film review ·

    ...flat-out delightful 'Tanu Weds Manu Returns'. I haven't laughed this hard during any film recently. Watch it for Kangana Ranaut, who's at the top of her game.
  3. Top critic

    NDTV

    Film review ·

    ...is as entertaining and engaging a film as any that Bollywood has delivered this year. Do not miss it.
  4. Top critic

    Indian Express

    Film review ·

    ...a film that is enjoyable despite its occasional slides into message-y territory...Kangana Ranaut plays Tanu beautifully mixing up the familiar with the new.
  5. Top critic

    Firstpost

    Film review ·

    As of now, Tanu Weds Manu Returns is half a good movie, and half a dunderhead. If you consider both halves of this movie like a couple, then one of them surely needed to give some love and affection to the other before the fuse blew.
  6. Glamsham

    Film review ·

    Anand L. Rai had other plans. He returns with a sequel that is rip-roaring, hits a raw nerve and is entertaining, entertaining, entertaining! So are there any flaws. Of course, but this is one film where overall brilliance overshadows these flaws.
  7. Times Of India

    Film review ·

    Tanu Weds Manu Returns with double fun - and philosophy. It's hard to love happily. Yet, so easy. Aanand L. Rai merits applause for his masterful direction of Himanshu Sharma's rich, riotous story. Evoking a new-age Hrishikesh Mukherjee, Rai keeps things tight, light, yet layered - and handles two leading ladies, one of whom deserves an extra half-star.
  8. Bollywood Life

    Film review ·

    Tanu has returned with Manu this Friday and this time, everyone is making sure you don't leave the theatre without a big smile on your face. Hoots and claps are the order of the day! Catch up with Tanu once more or you will miss all the fun this weekend!
  9. Hindustan Times

    Film review ·

    Watch Tanu Weds Manu Returns if you love Bollywood. watch it if you follow Bollywood. and if you look down upon Bollywood, watch the movie to see how entertaining the industry can be. For people outside north India, the film is an authentic portrayal of middle-class small town India. And it is funny as hell! We'd say this is a must watch.
  10. India Glitz

    Film review ·

    ...is b-town best sequel that notches much ahead of its predecessor Kangana is a sheer wonder in this 120 minutes uninterrupted fun. Go.. you are invited for a nonstop dose of entertainment. Do not miss.
  11. Masala

    Film review ·

    Watch Tanu & Manu for the comic love triangle, the amazing cast that includes friends and family, the vibrant colours of Kanpur, Delhi and Jhajjar, the melodious songs that complement every frame. Watch it for the fun and laughter, the anger and the pain.
  12. Rediff

    Film review ·

    Tanu Weds Manu Returns is not merely superior to its predecessor but the flamboyance and fun it provides is an implication we're not quite done with this mad duo and their quirky universe yet.
  13. SKJBollywoodNews

    Film review ·

    TanuWeds Manu Returns sparkles and dazzles with its delectable synthesis of the scintillating and the sassy.With his third winner in a hat-trick of triumphant films(after Tanu Weds Manu and Raanjhanaa)Aanand Rai asserts his place among the most astute original and culturally sensitized filmmakers we have today.
  14. The Navhind Times

    Film review ·

    ...the show belongs to Kangana Ranaut who steals the thunder, lightning, rain and sunshine. She slips so effortlessly into both those characters that you have to marvel, what a gifted actress she is.
  15. The W14

    Film review ·

    The authenticity in the writing (Himanshu Sharma) is perhaps the reason practically all the actors in the film (most notably Deepak Dobriyal) leave a mark. The wit and repartee is absolutely top class. Is this film about post-marriage issues a mainstream escapist fantasy still? Oh yes. It's a complete mad-cap, rom-com romp. Manu starts off being diagnosed as clinically insane.
  16. Yahoo

    Film review ·

    Aanand L Rai is sure commanding mastery over stories emanating from the North Indian heartland – the dialect, the nuances and the humour. Watch 'Tanu Weds Manu Returns', it will definitely make you laugh out loud for the most part. This is one sexy swagger by Kangana.
  17. APotpourriOfVestiges

    Film review ·

    Tanu Weds Manu Returns has its share of flaws and it relies heavily on time-tested gimmicks but that doesn't stop it from serving its purpose, that of entertaining the masses. Recommended!
  18. DNA India

    Film review ·

    The problem with TWMR is in its sheer dishonesty. If this were an Anees Bazmee brainless comedy, it would still be understandable and acceptable...Despite all its flaws, watch it for the one-woman-show of Kangana Ranaut.
  19. FilmiBeat

    Film review ·

    Tanu Weds Manu Returns is a must watch movie, it surpasses the entertainment value of the original even. Go book your tickets asap.

From our readers

Audience reviews (15)

49 ratings · user score 7.1

  1. Tejas NairMay 2015
    2/10

    I take movie titles very seriously. While RGV got away with the title of his Sholay remake few years ago, I won't let Mr Rai get away with this absurd title of his. How obnoxious does Tanu Weds Manu: Returns sound? Essentially, the film picks up where it left off in the prequel i.e. start of the matrimony of the protagonists - Manu (Madhavan) and Tanu (Ranaut). However, after four years of an apparently torturous marriage, Tanu pushes Manu into a mental asylum and flies back to India to the comfort of her maternal home. What follows is a ridiculous and dramatic play where these central characters fool around just because they couldn't keep their issues with themselves. One will empathize with Manu, but audiences in their right minds will never support Tanu and her mercuric attitude which sums up to two words that Manu so efficiently describes her using, earlier in the film - bipolar disorder. The film started quite well and I had jotted down few good points like clever humor and good dialogs, but I am going to deny Mr Rai the pleasure. The reason that no insight is provided into why Tanu does what she does is horrendous. And it is the biggest problem the film faces. Madhavan has nothing much to do here other than flexing his expressive face muscles, and it is Ranaut really who runs the show with her double role and ample cleavage. Dobriyal and Shergill also deliver great performances. There is also a dash of a stark social reality in the plot that may have earned few brownie points if the film had something more and new and inventive to tell. All said and done and having lauded Ranaut's (who is definitely thanking her stars right now) high-standard performance, for a film that is so bad, she only works as a rope that is used to send a convict down the gallows, here the convict being the film itself. I just hope the makers don't come up with another sequel, with a suitable title like "Tanu Weds Manu: Returns: 2." BOTTOM LINE: Tanu Weds Manu: Returns is a film that you won't hate, but will just come to disagree with. RATING: 2 stars out of 10 - avoid. Tanu Weds Manu (2011) was 2/10, as well. Can be watched with a typical Indian family? YES

  2. 8/10

    Tanu Weds Manu Returns, a sequel to hit Romantic Comedy firm of 2011 - Tanu Weds Manu. There is always tremendous amount of expectations from a sequel of a successful film, and it is interesting to see, how Director Anand L Rai has shaped up this movie. When I had watched Tanu weds Manu, I had always wondered how Tanu and Manu's marriage life would shape up - two diametrically opposite individuals. If Manu had a very subtle and polite attitude, Tanu had rebellious attitude. The earlier version had its own quirks and twists, which has not changed in this movie also. The sequel is titled as Tanu Weds Manu Returns, and indeed the return is even more quirky. The tone of the movie is unapologetic, non-judgmental, and unconventional. As was the case with the predecessor, the plot grows beyond dualism, right/wrong. The characters have not changed at all, the eccentricities continue in full form in Tanu Weds Manu Returns as well. It captures the various aspects of marriage- what happens when monotony slips into marriage, when the spark misses from the relationship, how one is not able to understand the emotional challenges faced by the other, how the couple is bored in relationship and finds reasons to blame each other, set of expectations followed by disappointments with each other etc. The best part is, humour is there throughout the movie, no emotional baggage is there, no villain in the movie. Set in four locations - London, Delhi, Kanpur and a Haryana village Jhajjar, the screenplay free flows magically in absolutely entertaining manner. Movie begins from where its predecessor stopped. Tanu is getting married to Manu. Their wedding scenes are there on screen with the background score 'Sun Saiban Sun, Pyar ki Dhun…'. Does 'Happily lived thereafter' become true for Tanu and Manu? This movie captures their lives 'Four Years later' after their much loud and dramatic marriage. Tanu (Kangana Ranaut) and Manu (Madhavan) are at the doctors' desk discussing their frustration with one another. Hilarious scenes. If Tanu has complaints about Manu not showing any spark / enthusiasm in relationship; Manu's logic is from where to bring spark (is he a lighter) and how many times or ways he should be telling the same three words –'I love you'. Kangana complaints about monotony in relationship. Manu interprets Tanu's moodiness, emotional ups and downs as her having bipolar disorder and the doctor very politely puts it across to him, if that is the case, then every female on this earth might be having bipolar disorders. Both of them had a long list of blames and accusations against each other. The whole drama and conflicts makes Manu land in mental asylum and Tanu decides to come back to Kanpur. Her uneasiness of leaving Manu in mental asylum is handled in her own eccentric manner. She informs Pappi (Deepak Dobriyal, friend of Manu) in a very effortless tone regarding Manu being in mental asylum and asks him to get him out. Pappi is in his usual witty self, prefers to do the sight-seeing in London rather than directly going to the asylum. On getting Tanu's reminder, he brings Manu out of the asylum. Both of them fly back to Delhi. Another hilarious scene is the conversation between father and the son. Manu talks to his father about his desire for giving divorce to Tanu. During their conversation, Manu's mother is cribbing in the background and father tells him that marriage is all about compromise and so Manu must continue with his marriage. When Manu retorts saying that he had to bear the torture for four years, father says he is bearing since last 40 years. Two school of thoughts here (without any preachy dialogues). Twist to the story happens when Manu goes to University to deliver a lecture, where he sees Tanu's look alike Kusum Datto Sangwan, an athlete. Plot moves to show how he chases Kusum. Parallelly, frames are shown about Tanu being at her usual best - eccentric, unapologetic, unpredictable and rebellious. She deals with her heartbreaks in her own unique fashion. What happens, when Tanu comes to know regarding Kusum? How is Raja Awasthi in this sequel, is he the same old Raja? Do we get to hear the bullet shots from Raja? How and when does the paths of Tanu, Manu, Kusum, Raja cross one another? Whom does Manu choose at the end – Tanu or Kusum?

  3. famusMay 2015
    10/10

    Tanu and Manu both are married and after 4 years of their marriage...they are not happy. Tanu thinks Manu is a boring husband and Manu finds Tanu insane personality with wild mood swings. Above all they hate each other and will think about divorce. Meanwhile they will search for an alternative partner. Will they get divorce or Will they get married to their new partners? Watch the movie for an exciting emotional journey. Kangana back with another award winning performance. this movie is very good and don't miss this movie Rating: Excellent Movie

  4. Omkar JoshiMay 2015
    8/10

    Review:- Tanu Weds Manu: Returns. It's a Perfectly made Sequel. STORY: The TWMR starts exactly where TWM has finished, at the marriage of Tanu and Manu. At that point of time we had expected that they lived happily ever after, but they both have moved to London and next scene is the separation between two of them over the typical daily Husband-Wife issues. Here exactly starts the magic of Kangana as she is explaining "The Situation" to Doctors in a mental asylum where Manu has brought Tanu for psychology treatment. Here she gives glimpses of her acting excellence which results into emotional breakdown of Manu and eventually he turns up into that Asylum for treatment. Tanu then comes back to India and tries to "Move On" as she meet people from her "good past". At the other end Manu finds a look-a-like of Tanu and finds out she is Kusum aka "Datto". Slowly falls in love with her, meets her brother (Rajesh Sharma) to ask permission to marry Datto. But her brother tells them that her marriage is been fixed with another guy, shows his photo to Manu, revealing that he is Raja Awasthi (Jimmy Shergill) the same guy from who was a fiancé of Tanu in first movie.The movie ends with epic climax scene in predictive way. The story in a synopsis point of view is linear, plain and simple. But the way it is written (by Himanshu Sharma) and dialogued will literally blow your mind. Direction by Anand L Rai is the best thing viewers will take home with them after getting out of theatres. Congrats to Anand Rai for his HAT-TRICK. It will make you jump in your chairs with a chappar-tod laughter. It will make you cry when Madhavan and Kangana cries. It make you applause when every-time (literally every-time) Deepak Dobriyal (as Pappi) comes and acts on screen he deserves Best Supporting Actor Awards this year. CAST: Madhavan and Kangana steals the show. But Kangana (TWO of her!) wins over Madhavan and draws with herself by playing Tanu and Datto. Due to her performance we can say that TWMR has became one of the best Double role movies in entire history of Indian Cinema. Supporting Cast:- Apart from lead roles, all the Supporting roles are amazingly magical. Jimmy Shergill as Raja Awasthi manages to create the same chemistry and masala in the story as it served in first movie. Deepak Dobriyal as Pappi, proved him again (after Maqbool, Omkara, Gulaal, TWM ) that he is one of the finest actor bollywood has got. Eijaz Khan as Jassi (Manu's friend) and Swara Bhaskar as Payal (Tanu's friend) also gave enough magic for their enough screen presence duration. Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub as Chintu a new character who was not in first movie plays Tanu's lawyer in a movie plays sarcastic role till the end. Definitely, TWMR is better than its first instalment. In Bollywood usually we have seen that the sequel becomes unsuccessful to surpass the magic given by its prequel, of course there are some exceptions like GOW2, Rakta Charitra2, Sarkar Raj, etc. And definitely we can add TWMR in that list of exceptions because of over the-top and engaging screenplay writing and well written dialogues. Last but not the least; songs are used at the appropriate places. They didn't slowed the pace of the story. In short, it is a perfectly written and executed sequel definitely worth to watch!

  5. SaurabhMay 2015
    8/10

    I was eagerly waiting for the movie since the time it has been announced. Tanu weds Manu Returns exactly where Tanu Weds Manu end. Marriage of Tanu & Manu with song sun sahiba sun set the tempo and show what exactly happens in Indian Marriages.After 4 years in London Tanu needs spark in Life and Manu is still the same. They Wanted to prove each other Insane and Manu was admitted to Mental Hospital.. Tanu Returns to India leaving Manu back in hospital and inform Pappi (Deepak Dobrial) about Manu. Pappi Bring Back Manu to India. Here Manu Meets Sports Manu look a like Athlete Kusum(Datto)…Rest you watch the movie to enjoy the most. I can just say it's a best sequel till date In Bollywood. Director has his full command on movie storytelling and characters. Anand L Rai is surely one of the finest directors who know how to hold the audience on seat. Every Character & actor in movie are played by its original cast of Tanu weds Manu . Kangana steals the show once again in her both the roles in movie I just say she is far ahead of al leading actress in industry today. Madhavan Is good as Always. Deepak Dobrial also did wonders with his comedy and dialogues. Jimmy Shergill is fantastic in what is given to him. & there is one character Chintu (Mohd Zeeshan Ayub) did his role with great ease and did full justice to his role. Dialogue of the movie is just too good and catches flavour of movie. Songs are also good and go with the movie. I say it's a Wholesome family entertainer, must watch if you wanted entertain your self.

  6. RohitMay 2015
    8/10

    A thoroughly entertaining movie. Kangana Ranaut steals the show. Go for it definately.

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