Tumse Na Ho Payega
Introduction
Onto the next release of this massive weekend, and I finished watching the new Hindi film Tumse Na Ho Payega which is now streaming on Hotstar. Entrepreneurship as a genre is upbeat and kicking, while still being in its nascent stage in the Hindi space. It all started with Rocket Singh : Salesman Of The Year in 2009 when the concept of startup wasn’t quite known to people around. Next came TVF’s Pitchers and suddenly everyone was talking about it. I had mentioned my little tale of not knowing what a startup is or even the basics of entrepreneurship while watching the first season of Pitchers. And here in 2023, our little baby Popcorn Reviewss is growing as we continue to nurture it while slogging in our daily lives. Off late, I have definitely taken a liking for this genre, particularly because I am in that mindset at the moment. And luckily, my job as a critic has allowed me to consume different content across the globe in the entrepreneurial space. While I didn’t know what to expect with Tumse Na Ho Payega, I definitely knew what I was signing up for after reading its premise. So then does Tumse Na Ho Payega manage to impress, lets find out.
Story & Screenplay
Based on a book titled ‘ How I Braved Anu Aunty And Co-Founded A Million Dollar Company’ by Varun Agarwal, Tumse Na Ho Payega follows the story of a young man freshly fired from his job, who decides to turn into an entrepreneur. The story here is essentially a situation that I find myself in(no, I am not fired yet), and hence, the story here is extremely relatable besides being light and breezy. The screenplay standing at about 130 odd minutes is uplifting in so many ways while being a breezy and crazy joyride with minor blips along the way.
The drama does open with the introduction of the protagonist who has just completed 5 years at his job. But it is evident from his body language that he is clearly a misfit in the corporate space and is barely going through the motion, day in and out, to make ends meet(effing relatable, he is me!!). The writers do a terrific job in incorporating the different vibes of the social media by skimming through different personalities in the life of the protagonist. Yet, he continues to have two close friends, one childhood crush and one nemesis in his otherwise mundane life. Things take a turn when one day, he is fired from his job in a hilarious turn of events. And that is when he decides to enter the entrepreneurial space against the odds of the pressures of the society, a nagging Anu Aunty and his beloved mother.
The proceedings are light and breezy with dollops of humour that had me cracking up and smiling right throughout. There is a genuine vibrancy to the proceedings of the film and I found myself uncannily invested in the journey of the protagonist. The events are barely skimmed through from an entrepreneurial perspective but I didn’t mind it at all as there was an attempt made to tell a human tale. The love story on the side is sweet and worked well too, but perhaps in the larger scheme of things, slowed down the proceedings a wee bit. But the vibe of the drama involving the protagonist and his best friend spearheading his business, lead to several heartwarming moments along the way. This is when the drama minutely stutters following a conflict that felt a little too dramatic for my liking.
The conflict in the drama is a genuine situation that startups find themselves in but with respect to the film, it was a slight tonal shift from the breezy undertones that the drama was following upto that point. Having said that, the drama doesn’t derail by any stretch of imagination with the series of events unfolding post that. And this had got to do with the warmth that the few characters did share with each other, thus resulting in several heartfelt moments. The final act though did bring back the original tone of the drama leading to a comforting finale, slightly cliched with quite warm, that had me smiling from ear to ear. It was uplifting and inspiring in many ways given that it is a true story, and the writers did well to get Varun Agarwal in a shot towards the end in a hilarious but warm classroom sequence. Overall, the screenplay is well written and makes for an enjoyable watch.
Dialogues, Music & Direction
The dialogues are very Gen Z and quite honestly one of the USPs of the drama. The one-liners filled with expletives adds a layer of vibrancy and authenticity to the drama while also doubling up the humour quotient of the film. The music is soothing, and the BGM compliments the drama in many ways. The cinematography is good and it captures the youthful vibe of the drama really well. But I also feel there was potential of capturing the vibe of Mumbai such that it would become a character by itself(like for instance in Wake Up Sid). The editing is quite sharp for most parts of the film.
The costume department deserves a huge round of applause for not only allowing the characters to imbibe the vibe of the drama but also to showcase their thoughts through the clothes that they donned on. For instance, in a scene the protagonist has to unwillingly lay off a ‘mother’ from his company, and his T-shirt reads ‘Dead Inside’. In another sequence towards the end, the T-Shirt of the protagonist reads ‘Shut Up'(from top to down) while he has a confrontation with Anu Aunty. Very thoughtful indeed and an innovative way of expressing the minds of the characters!
Director Abhishek Sinha does an incredible job by keeping things light and frothy with high doses of youthfulness and vibrancy for most parts of the film. The corporate culture is well captured(I can say that given that I work in a corporate too) and that adds authenticity to the drama. A minor stutter in the middle doesn’t discount the fact that the direction is indeed impressive here.
Performances
The performances are incredibly good here. Parmeet Sethi is good in the role of a sly investor. Farida Dadi is warm, Meghna Malik as Anu Aunty pulls off her part with a tinge of humour in what was a splendid job done, overall. Karan Potwani as Arjun(Saala, Kutta, Kamina…et al) is not a very likable character although the written material doesn’t vilify him completely. And it was his brilliantly measured act that made for a splendid viewing. Gurpreet Saini as Varghela is dependable and the foil between his other two onscreen friends.
Gaurav Pandey as Sharad aka Mal(Mal for Malhotra) is endearing and sincere besides being such a natural onscreen. He did share a warm vibe with the protagonist. Amala Akkineni as Pooja, the mother of the protagonist was such a warm character and she was simply wonderful to witness onscreen. Mahima Makwana as Devika looks pretty and has such a charming presence onscreen. She is excellent in her role and she manages to express her insecurities wonderfully well.
Ishwak Singh as Gaurav is absolutely brilliant to the core. It was refreshing to see him in a role that required him to speak the Gen Z lingo but there is an inherent ease with which he performs his act. He definitely is well restrained, and comes across as a pleasant personality with dollops of sincerity in yet another heartfelt act. It does seem like a personal victory when a talented actor continues to do well by accounting for all the opportunities along the way.
Conclusion
Tumse Na Ho Payega is an uplifting drama on entrepreneurship and its challenges that was so relatable and made for an enjoyable watch. Available on Hotstar.
