Tumhari Sulu: Hamari, tumhari, sabki Sullu

Casting: Vidya Balan, Neha Dhupia, Manav Kaul

Rated: 7/10

Sullu is you, she is me too but with an added zing for life peppered with small ambitions and housewifely attributes that make for a happy home with husband and child.

Another matter though that our Sullu is baravifail and bullied by her better-placed elder twin sister and father. She fights it all with a rare verve which never takes away her positivity.

Our Sullu is also totally unapologetic about being plump, middle ageish and totally without make-up, making do with dollops of body cream applications at bedtime and only a bindi for daytime. She snoozes after a heavy duty morning shift of packing off her husband and son to office and school, respectively. She has won all the housewife competitions in her colony, is an engaging mimic and carries a yen for singing Balasubramanian’s famous Batata vada song with all the depth and voice modulations. She also has a very supportive husband in a well-played role by the somewhat unsung Manav Kaul.

It is the brilliance of Vidya Balan which makes this small everyday family film becoming an endearing winner so much so that the laxities and niggles of a stretched storyline with two overlapping themes pulls you away from ennui.

Landing a chance job as an RJ for a late night show, Sullu wins over the crowd not just with her sexy voice tending to naughty males but also by her earnest simplicity. Famous in her office as the saree wali Savita bhabhi, Vidya Balan shines as the star she is and carries the film on her shoulders with elan.

As the usual creeps in, what with husband not liking her late night shifts and sleazy talk around her show, Balan dazzles you with her unusual responses to the situations. She plays naturally with a gamut of emotions like simmering anger, hesitance, simple joys, tantrums and the undying desire to keep performing.

A lovely film around a lovely dame. 

Source: Sunday Pioneer, 19 November, 2017