Rajkummar Rao and Wamiqa Gabi in Bhool Chuk Maaf
Though the inspiration of the storyline comes from Hollywood director and writer Karan Sharma gives it a distinct desi touch by using the elements of Indian mythology. The repetitive nature of the time loop sequences does get tiring but the movie’s chore themes coupled with the acting performances led by a terrific Rajkummar Rao help it to tide over the speedbumps
Starcast: Rajkummar Rao, Wamiqa Gabbi, Seema Pahwa, Sanjay Mishra and others
Director and writer: Karan Sharma
Genre: Romance/ fantasy
Producer: Dinesh Vijan
Production Companies: Amazon MGM Studios and Maddock Films
Cinematography: Sudeep Chatterjee
Music: Tanishk Bagchi and Ketan Sodha
Running time: 2 hours and 1 minute
There was a period when movies set in small town used to very profitable specifically before the pandemic. Infact Ayushmann Khurrana hugely profited with consecutive hits like Bala, Bareilly Ki Barfi and the first part of Dream Girl, Dream Girl 1 remains Ayushmann’s highest grosser till date, however just like any other genre a certain staleness crept in due to an overdose. Of course Stree 2 is an exception but by and large the formula of a small town movie with a flawed protagonist has led to a certain fatigue. Bhool Chuk Maaf starring Rajkummar Rao and Wamiqa Gabbi is a throwback to the Ayushmann Khurrana sub genre of small town movies. In spite of familiar beats Karan Sharma manages to infuse some freshness.
Set against the backdrop of Varanasi Bhool Chuk Maaf primarily focuses on Ranjan Tiwari (Rajkummar Rao) and Titli (Wamiqa Gabbi). The two are deeply in love and desperate to get married. The hitch is that Ranjan doesn’t do any kind of job, he has applied for government jobs but with zero luck. Things take a dramatic turn when Ranjan promises to get a government job in two months and then marry Titli. Through the system of jugaad Ranjan manages to get one but the joy is short-lived. A day before the wedding Ranjan finds himself stuck in a bizarre time loop where he relives the cycle of a particular day, the date refusing to move. This is the story in brief.
Ranjan and Titli are deeply in love and are desperate to get married
Rajkummar Rao’s Ranjan Tiwari stuck in a time loop
A strong aspect of Bhool Chuk Maaf is the gradual progression of Ranjan Tiwari in becoming a better person. Although Rajkummar Rao has previously played the role of a small time boy as well Karan Sharma manages to give it fresh nuances through the layered writing. Ranjan starts off as a wastrel of sorts by spending the money of either his mother or the girlfriend. He has no intention of being self sufficient until he is forced to become due to the desperate situation. A big reason for Ranjan’s attitude is the father played by Raghubir Yadav. Seema Pahwa playing Ranjan’s mother is the solo breadwinner of the family through the pickle business. The father also doesn’t do any job and Ranjan inherits his father’s extreme laid back attitude.
However things start changing when Ranjan gets stuck in a time loop where he is forced to confront on why things aren’t moving ahead in spite of praying to god and feeding people as well as animals. This gradual journey of self discovery and a complete arc through a series of absurd situations is a big strength of the movie.
The love story between Rajkummar Rao and Wamiqa Gabbi also has interesting touches due to their individual personality traits. Titli isn’t just Rangan’s love interest but also an equal partner who on certain occasions seems to be more invested in their relationship than him. At times its hard to see what Titli sees in Ranjan but Wamiqa Gabbi does a very good job in imbibing Titli’s passionate love. She does a very good job in portraying the different facets of the role, Wamiqa also raises ample chuckles with her wonderful comic timing. The duo of Rajkummar and Wamiqa also share a good chemistry specifically in the drunken conversation a day before the time loop. Rajkummar Rao as Ranjan is no stranger to playing a small town boy but the actor still manages to bring a freshness with his nuanced acting. He does complete justice to the journey of Ranjan making the viewers empathize with the bizarre scenarios that the character finds himself in. Among the elders Sanjay Mishra deserves a specific mention as Bhagwan Das, the film’s central message is conveyed through his role. He plays the character with the right amount of mysteriousness.
An important subplot in Bhool Chuk Maaf is the system of Juggad where a more worthy candidate doesn’t get what he deserves. The movie much like Pradeep Ranganathan’s Dragon talks about how real success isn’t about cheating your way to the top. There is an important subplot related to a Muslim man called Hamid Ansari, he repeatedly tries to commit suicide only to be saved by Ranjan. How this Muslim man triggers a change in Ranjan’s attitude makes the movie much more than just an average small town movie. The movie also critiques people’s obsession with government jobs and the marriage market where a certain kind of people are considered more marriage material.
Talking about the flaws on some occasions the movie seems stuck in a certain rut like the protagonist reliving the same day. There is a sense of repetitiveness to the sequences specifically in the portions where Ranjan keeps saving Ansari and persuading him on not to commit suicide. This does get exhausting, the movie could have done with more crispness in storytelling. The music also needed to be much better, the only track which makes a good impression is Tanishk Bagchi’s ‘Koi Na’ its a soothing love ballad perfectly capturing the romance between the lead pair.
Cinematographer Sudeep Chatterjee does a very fine job in capturing the small town essence. The atmospherics of Varanasi become a character in itself thanks to the divinity associated with the place.
Final word: Bhool Chuk Maaf makes for a good watch if you are in the mood for a morality tale with the concept of time loop.
