Sonu Tane Mara Par Bharoso Nai Ke review: Malhar Thakar's film is at par with Bollywood dramas

3.5/5

Story:

Kartik (Malhar Thakar) ends up breaking the old TV in his house co-incidentally. His family members, who are excited to watch Anupamaa, end up in tears. That is when Kartik suggests buying a new TV at a cheap price. Little do they know, things are about to change drastically in their household once the TV enters.

Review:

As soon as you enter the world of Sonu Tane Mara Par Bharoso Nai Ke (Translated: Don't you trust me Sonu), Hum Toh Thehre Pardesi famed Altaf Raja's music is the first thing that will catch your attention. The never-ending credits are also second to his music.

The film actually begins in a funny and regular scene in Gujarati households. The women and men are eager to watch Anupamaa when they don't want to spend on either repairing the TV or getting a new one. Adding a comedy element to that is like an icing on the already tastebud friendly cake.

Malhar Thakar, as always, is impressive from the first frame. His is an entry you have been waiting for and the scene justifies the wait. In the role of Kartik, this actor is a great watch even otherwise.

Nijal Modi as Raanu is fairly impressive. The forced Punjabi, though, is not impressive.

Ragi Jani, Kalpana Gagdekar, Nilesh Pandya and Meghna Solanki who are also a part of the introduction scene, are too good in their part. Ragi and Nilesh, obviously, are the more memorable characters because a male is often build better than a woman in an Indian household.

Jayesh More steals the show but only to a bit. He brings a little edge to his middle class man-turned-gangster character and that constantly leaves you hanging about his next move because he really can't be either one at any given point of time and before you know it, he could switch to the other character.

RJ Hiren Barot as Babu is hilarious. He brings a certain finesse to being a thief, so much that you cannot imagine him in the profession that he is.

Paurav Shah as Jagan is good on screen but given his character, great would have made for a better watch. Paurav has many opportunities to shine but somehow, he cannot outshine either Jayesh or Hiren.

Rajpal Vaghela and Naresh Prajaati have almost negligible screen time and so, you just cannot judge their acting skills with the little presence they get in the film. Rajpal somewhat manages to be there for a split second but Naresh is easily forgettable.

Dolly Trivedi as Ganga is cute and hilarious. She appears deadly but that never comes in the way of her shining out as a cute gangster.

Vishal Jani and Bhaumik Ahir neither have memorable roles nor too much screen time. This, like Rajpal and Naresh, they are forgettable.

Paresh Bhatt in the role of inspector Waghmare tries to be fun and cool but he ends up being the common man you feel pity for. He's a victim of circumstances and Paresh leads you to believe that brilliantly.

Bansi Rajput as his wife is more irritating that Malhar's English. Whoever wrote her dialogues thinking they would be funny, they are the exact opposite of that.

Vasudev Makwana comes in cameo appearances but he forces you not to forget him. Even if he could literally come within the first 10 minutes and then the second half of the film, he would still force you to recall what he did within 10 minutes of the film beginning. That is the level of his screen presence. In fact, there are times when he might not be on screen or even a part of the scene but you will remember him because of how memorable he makes his scenes through his acting, something which you rarely see as the film progresses.

The film has doses of drama, action and entertainment every 10 minutes. Thus, you are constantly intrigued to know what will happen next.

The movie has a plot twist that you half expect, given how Bollywood has spoiled you over the years. The production value that really brings Sonu Tane Mara Par Bharoso Nai Ke closer to Bollywood is the last track. It is groovy, visually appealing and has a lot of production value that takes you back to how cool a Badhaai Ho or Bareilly Ki Barfi was.

Verdict:

Director Henil Gandhi had a good story at hand and he did a fairly good job at converting that in the movie, Sonu Tane Mara Par Bharoso Nai Ke. If you are a Malhar fan, then go for this for sure. If not, then also, you are likely to enjoy this film but do not expect a lot in the acting department and you won't be disappointed.