Tumhari Sulu Review - Veni Vidi Vidya!

The above line means that I came, I saw, I stayed for Vidya (pardon my Latin). Tumhari Sulu is a film based entirely around the idea of desire. Leading lady Vidya’s Balan’s desire for perfection and Sulu, her character’s desire to be more than a vegetable cutting homemaker. It’s a simple idea that has been used in many female centric films and isn’t new. However, debutante director Suresh Triveni places the traditional idea of a housewife looking to break rules in the exciting world of radio jockeys.

His film plays out beautifully over 2 hours and 20 minutes. Tumhari Sulu works because of the concept of juxtaposition. So as Sulu’s husband, Ashok (played by the consistently good Manav Kaul) struggles at his job with a new over-bearing, rude and loud boss, Sulu finds her greatest success at her work of being a radio jockey. As Sulu kisses her husband to wake up, she takes a pillow and forces her son out of bed. Then, as children giggle over Sunny Leone singing Baby Doll, through a phone they’ve snuck into school, a watchguard makes uncomfortable verbal sexual statements about Sulu. Suresh tries to show with this scene that an Indian boy or an Indian man – both are exposed to the same idea that women are objects.These scenes are well placed together by editor Shivkumar Panicker to add maximum effect.

The first sails along effervescently, adding laughs and jokes throughout. It never dabbles in uncomfortable things. But when Suresh and his writers to explore more than what we’re expecting, they threaten to derail the film ENTIRELY. So, somewhere in the second half where pornography and explicit content consumed by children is a problem that Suresh tries to divert our attention to, he loses the grip on the film and the viewers. The main problem here is that there were so many better ways to address this obvious Indian obsession with objectifying women. The main being Sulu, the titular character, whose radio show is made to be ‘sexy’ with her voice.

As long as the film stays with the masterful Vidya Balan, the film stays fresh. But the moment that we go to Ashok’s nagging boss or their son, Pranav’s comically Christian headmaster, Suresh loses us. Luckily, filling in these gaps in this bumpy road is Balan as the hardworking Sulu. She especially glosses over the stretchy second half with her finesse and talent. So, when there are obvious problems in the consistency of the script, the actress shines even brighter. The other problem with Tumhari Sulu is inconsistency. Her entire household is against her while her entire office is with her. So her two made-to-be-as-annoying-as-possible twin sisters and her father join her husband in their disapproval of her job, subtly comparing it to that of a call girl. But in her office, Maria Madam (played by a surprisingly in-form Neha Dhupia, after the deplorable Qarib Qarib Singlle) and her other co-workers, including Albeli are all on her side.

Yet, Vidya stands tall above it all. She knows in her head the inconsistencies of the script, but doesn’t let that faze her. She acts, cries, sings, dances and laughs like her life depends on it. So, in the final act, as Sulu and Ashok go through some badly-crafted drama, I cried with her. This is a testament to Vidya Balan. If she gets good stories that may not have the best scripts, she will run with them. Balan’s view towards acting is like that of her character Sulu’s tactics in the first scene of the film. It’s a lemon spoon race. Everybody can be miles ahead of me, but I will steady the lemon before I start. Balan ensures perfection in every frame and that is something of credit. Tumhari Sulu is not without flaw, but it’s more than enough to keep you going. I’m going with 3.5 stars out of 5.