- Date of Release: 25 December 2025
- Genre: Adventure, Comedy, Romance
- Language: Hindi
- Watch On: Theatres Only
Tu Meri Main Tera Main Tera Tu Meri
Introduction
It is funny how the parallels that one can equate with the title of the new Hindi film Tu Meri Main Tera Main Tera Tu Meri is with regards to your ex that you don’t wish to recall. That ex of yours is complicated as hell, almost resembling a mathematical equation that asks you to find the value of ‘X’, even as you blankly stare on the answer paper for hours. That is exactly how I felt while staring at the screen for hours, lifeless and facepalming in equal measures even as I was introduced to the world of Ray (Kartik Aaryan), an annoying as f*ck man-child and the timid Rumi (Ananya Panday). It is kind of funny (also) on how both of them have fire and ice personalities that makes you want to believe in the bullsh*t that opposites attract.
In a scene, you literally see Ray offering Rumi some “Thepla” that makes the latter swoon over him – this while the single me made me question my “green-flag” tactics to woo that special someone (hold your horses, this ain’t about me). In another scene, you see Ray giving 4 stars as a review to a book written by Rumi – this before he gets to make out with her (and I am not making any of this up)! Talk about a samosa-critic….errrr Thepla-critic whose rating is published on the back-cover of the book. But I would say that it is a great metaphor for all the ‘real-life’ critics who will be rating this film 4 stars. Congratulations folks, you get to make-out…errrr I mean be featured on the film’s poster!
Story & Screenplay
Written by ChatGPT……apologies…..I mean Karan Shrikant Sharma, Tu Meri Main Tera Main Tera Tu Meri is a biopic of a palindrome sequence gone wrong, featuring a narcissist Ray who is literally a ‘chick magnet’ (I will be deliberately cringe with my words because the film wishes to be a cringe-fest too), wherein all the girls are literally swooning for him. Be it a bride at a wedding, or an air-hostess or even a lusty motherly figure – everyone is attracted to his looks and annoyance like fish to (poisoned) water. And that is established in a derivative of a derivative of a derivative kind of a template that sees it referencing films like K3G (2001), Pyaar Ishq Aur Mohabbat (2001) and Hadh Kar Di Aapne (2000) within the first 20 odd minutes. I mean it is Hadh Kar Di Aapne (ting ning ning ning ning, ting ning ning ning ning; why did you sing that though😂) if you still pass off a foreign location as Delhi in 2025 with a helicopter landing at an arena, in a place that has an AQI of 50. Yep, definitely not Delhi, I could tell!
And almost immediately, a chance encounter at the airport transitions into a holiday template film in the first hour for Ray and Rumi. Yes, you do get some gorgeous landscapes of Croatia that feel as beautiful and unreal as the cringe-chemistry that Ray and Rumi share with each other while having to share a yacht-cabin too. Ray is supremely successful in annoying the hell out of your senses – with a fake laughter and a fake smile, something for which he is rightly called out by Rumi, who inexplicitly falls for this walking red-flag of a guy. What could have been a fun vacation drama, turns out to be so drab and so dubious that my forehead once again went through the wrath of my hands, wailing at every impact in a facepalming marathon that just wouldn’t stop. In hindsight, that is something that did keep me awake.
Trust the derivative nature of the ‘ChatGPT’ writing to form a template of DDLJ (1995) while having traces of Gen-Z strands. So unlike Kal Ho Na Ho (2003), it isn’t Chhe Din Ladki In – it is 2025 ke Hookup culture mein 90s ka romance, or seven stages of romance, or whatever bullsh*t that meant. So after literally hooking up, the duo realise that they are in love but then, there is a Baghban problem at hand. Rumi stays in Agra (while flaunting her backless dresses because she is from Stephen’s Delhi; but then I digress) with her father Col Amar Wardhan Singh (Jackie Shroff) who is ill and has no one to take care of him after Rumi’s younger sister Jia (Chandni Bhabhda) wishes to get married. Ray is a momma’s boy like Rosesh Sarabhai, and stays with his mother Pinky (Neena Gupta) in the US, thus bringing about the C in the relationship for the duo (conflict), and C for the viewers (C****yaap). Pinky promise!
It is amazing how even ChatGPT began to hallucinate in the second hour wherein the drama goes into an overdrive mode of cringe, ofcourse in the derivative space. There are references to Band Baaja Baaraat (2010) and Hero No. 1 (1997) with the annoyance of Ray that completely hijacks the film. There are lusty exchanges between an elderly character and Ray, some fat-shaming jokes sprinkled in, a Kuch Kuch Hota Hai-esque wedding sequence wherein Ray inexplicitly chooses to play Aman (who is still single since Anjali left him for Rahul in Kuch Kuch Hota Hai), a Saat-Samandar fiasco that comes at the worst point possible, the competition of Ray who never really feels like a competition, a non-existing conflict that stretches and stretches like chewing gum with zero emotions in store, and a solution so simplistic that you wondered by the IQ of the characters didn’t turn up 2 hours ago. Perhaps, it was the AQI which is also affecting the AI? Good lord, it was a Saat Samandar fiasco (using this phrase twice because the song was played out twice too, or was it thrice?).
Dialogues, Music & Direction
The dialogues are cringe-personified while also being a derivative of a derivative. How else would you justify lines like Ray going – ‘ I am jokingggg’, or ‘Sach Aur Saahas Hai Jiske Mann Mein, Anth Mein Jeet Ussi Ki Hogi’. And the ‘ssup’ also felt so fake – it almost felt like Ray was from Agra and Rumi was from the US. Oh that is the uno reverse that the film title dwells on. Either that or my mind is foggy! *Sneeze* – Yep, I am allergic to bullsh*t. The music by Vishal-Shekhar isn’t great too, but atleast the randomly inserted songs provide some respite with some groovy beats barring the Saat Samandar fiasco (yes, it played out thrice). The cinematography beyond the beautiful frames of Croatia is faulty with the camera angles. In a scene, you legit find a camera placed at the ground level for one character, and a top view for another character – both in the same scene. The metaphor made no sense, even as the frames often disconnect you from the characters, while completing being negligent of the emotions in play (perhaps, until it is too late). The costumes also felt ridiculous at times – with the protagonists not being able to standout during dance numbers, almost merging with the background dancers. This, while not accounting for the origins of the characters (an Agra-based girl wearing a backless dress in Agra is unheard of).
The editing pattern is choppy with the first hour being just an amalgamation of scenes in Croatia, and the second hour being just an amalgamation of scenes in India. Only the place changed, the skillset didn’t. Director Sameer Vidwans hits a new low after his pretty impressive film Satyaprem Ki Katha. The director has no grip on the proceedings, almost allowing the personalities of his protagonists to drive the narrative, which wasn’t such a good idea. The world building and characterization is super weak, and the drama remains devoid of a strong emotional core for most parts of the narrative. Needless to say, the direction is really poor here.
Performances
The performances are hammy by the members of the cast. Pankhuri Gidwani as Tanya, Raghav Binani as Sunny, Lokesh Mittal as Mrs Bhatia, Grusha Kapoor as Mrs Bhatia, Afnan Fazli as Shoaib, Archi Mishra as Sana and Gaurav Pandey as Luv have hardly anything to do. Chandni Bhabhda as Jia is decent but found a little wanting in emotional scenes. Jackie Shroff as Col. Amar Wardhan Singh and Neena Gupta as Pinky lend creditable support although the writing lets them down tremendously.
Ananya Panday as Rumi delivers a subpar performance after a while, a small blip amidst her recent form. But having said that, she does show some resolve in atleast trying to make things work even when her co-star goes in overdrive mode. But her Agra-dialect was non-existential, pretty much sounding like a Sobo-version of Agra via the Bandra-worli sea-link. Kartik Aaryan hits a new low here as Ray. This is a character that demanded Kartik to be charming, but he is anything but that. Being a man-child and a momma’s boy is alright, but you just cannot come across as being annoying. At no point was I invested in his character or emotional journey, while mostly cringing on his smile that made Ray imminently punchable. It is funny how Ray is from US, but Kartik just doesn’t have the persona to pull it off.
Conclusion
Tu Meri Main Tera Main Tera Tu Meri is a ChatGPT-written film wherein GPT has left the Chat. I wondered why this film wasn’t named – ‘Cringe Cringe Hota Hai’, for this remained a film that would win Top Honours at the Cringe Film Festival. It is ‘Tera Cringe Mera Cringe Mera Cringe Tera Cringe’ on Ho Ho ‘Merry Christmas’ Day. Available in a theatre near you.