Tanu Weds Manu Returns: Praise Kangana, but don’t ignore others

With a more-than-impressive Rs 38 crore opening weekend, Kangana Ranaut’s latest film Tanu Weds Manu Returns looks all set to bulldoze past the other two big winners of May this year: Gabbar Is Back and Piku. Indeed, the queen of the moment is Kangana: The driving force behind this mad caper which lays its canvas between Kanpur and Jhajjar. In fact, critics are already speculating she will be the toast of all eyes in next year's award ceremonies.
However, at the risk of sounding discordant, we have a question: Isn't a lead character just as good (okay, even bad) as its supporting cast? The truth is that while we are busy waxing eloquent on another Queen-like performance by Kangana, we are completely ignoring some other stellar performances in the film. Here's giving credit to three other characters in the film that helped prop up our love for Tanu/Datto.
Pappi Jee (Deepak Dobriyal)

Deepak Dobriyal made a mark in Bollywood with Omkara.
Manu’s father (KK Raina)
Sharma Jee senior is a veteran and he is not doing it for the first time. For the uninitiated, KK Raina played Ajit in Doordarshan’s milestone show Byomkesh Bakshi. He has also co-written films such as Ghatak, China Gate and Dahek. Such an experienced actor is expected to understand the nuances of this medium. His excellence and command over the situation is visible right from the credit sequence where he forces himself into an awkward dance with a bemused Navni Parihar (His ‘samdhan’ in the film). He just nails it in the scene where Manu asks for his advice on relationships. He preaches and preaches a lot while his wife keeps muttering ridiculous things in the background, and then he gets up, picks a wiper and blasts the tubelight on the wall. It’s insanely funny to see such a paradox.

KK Raina is still known for his role as Ajit in TV show Byomkesh Bakshi.
Advocate Arun Kumar Singh (Zeeshan Ayyub)

Probably, Tanu Weds Manu Returns wouldn’t have been the same film without these three actors. What say?
Watch: Tanu Weds Manu Returns review
(Interact with Rohit Vats at Twitter/ )
Read:Tanu Weds Manu Returns earns Rs 21.85 crore in two days