Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)
Bollywood film ‘Tu Meri Main Tera Main Tera Tu Meri’ sets out to be a picturesque holiday romantic comedy, featuring gorgeous scenic settings, and a dramatic second half. But the romance is never believable and most of the jokes don’t induce any laughter.
Directed by Sameer Vidwans and written by Karan Shrikant Sharma, ‘Tu Meri Main Tera Main Tera Tu Meri’ opens with a grand Indian wedding in Delhi. Kartik Aryan stars as Rehaan Mehra (Ray), a successful wedding planner who runs an events company in America alongside his single mother, Pinky Mehra (Neena Gupta). Ray crosses paths with Rumi Wardhan Singh (Ananya Pandey) at the airport when she asks for help reaching some books on a high shelf.
The lead pair start off on friendly terms, but their conversation quickly turns sour, escalating into a loud argument when Ray makes a jokes about women being ‘careless’. They go their own ways only to end up seated next to each other on their international flight to Croatia, and the coincidences don’t stop there. They are also booked on the same yacht for a 10-day holiday and must share a room. Thus… a far-fetched ‘enemies to lovers’ sort of romance unfolds.
When the “room-sharing” twist comes up, it feels like a clear sign that ‘Tu Meri Main Tera Main Tera Tu Meri’ was written by men. It’s hard to believe that a smart young woman like Rumi, who grew up in Agra and studied in a top Delhi college, would overlook such a detail when traveling solo. And it doesn’t seem like Rumi’s the type to travel without confirming the basics. I know we shouldn’t expect too much logic with comedies, but ugh, at least serve us some humor then? Nope.
As for Ray, his character comes off as insufferably annoying. The filmmakers expect us to buy that he’s a charmer, but his actions hardly back it up. The movie tries to convince viewers that everyone, both men and women, swoon over him, but Kartik Aryan’s portrayal only makes Ray increasingly irritating. Rumi, understandably, can’t stand him at first. What changes her mind? Ray gets her some homemade Indian food on the yacht after she asks if he’s carrying any. It’s a sweet gesture, but it hardly seems enough to make her fall in love with him.
The chemistry between Rumi and Ray is non-existent throughout ‘Tu Meri Main Tera Main Tera Tu Meri’, and the increasingly dumb jokes don’t help either. While pop-culture references can work in romantic comedies, here they feel forced and cringe-worthy. The song “Saat Samundar Paar” is awkwardly inserted as a nod to Vishwatma (a film starring Ananya’s father, Chunky Pandey) but it just doesn’t match the vibe of the scene it plays in. In-fact, most of music in this film doesn’t complement the story, and neither does Ray’s attempt at a bad Chunky Pandey impression when he says “I’m Joking.”
Honestly, almost every attempt at humor falls flat. In one scene, Rumi gets stung by a jellyfish, and Ray references the iconic Friends episode where Chandler pees on Monica to ease the pain. He suggests doing the same, and Rumi’s horrified “No Chee!” feels like the whole point was to make that Friends allusion, a joke that doesn’t land.
The central conflict of ‘Tu Meri Main Tera Main Tera Tu Meri’ centers around Rumi ending her whirlwind romance with Ray after he professes his love and suggests marriage. She’s not interested in moving to the U.S. as she doesn’t want to leave her father (Jackie Shroff) alone. And though Ray initially gives up, his mother convinces him to win Rumi back. So, Ray flies back to India to pursue her once again.
Ananya Pandey brings an easy likeable charm to Rumi, making her easy to root for. Kartik Aryan, however, plays Ray as a reworked version of his past roles, lacking the smooth, mischievous, dreamboat charisma that the character demands.
Before this turns into a longer rant about ‘Tu Meri Main Tera Main Tera Tu Meri’, let me just say that this is a pretty dull film. The locations are beautiful, but there’s little else to praise. The second half does feature some funny moments, but the chemistry between the leads remains absent. Even a talented actor like Neena Gupta is left with dialogues that try too hard to make her sound like a “cool mom,” turning her character into a hollow cliché.
In the end, Tu Meri Main Tera Main Tera Tu Meri does deliver a “feel-good” happy ending, but the journey to get there is far too long and tedious.
Rating: 3 on 10 stars. ‘Tu Meri Main Tera Main Tera Tu Meri’ is on Prime Video.
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