Rumi, a young woman, is in love with Vicky, a part-time DJ. One day they are caught by Rumi’s family and pressure builds for them to get married. Rumi promises her family that Vicky will come with his parents to ask for her hand in marriage and if he doesn't show up, she will marry whomever her family chooses. However, nervous and immature, Vicky repeatedly gets cold feet. Eventually, she gives up on him and agrees to an arranged marriage with a mature and responsible banker, Robbie. Rumi accepts the proposal but the night before the wedding, refuses to marry, believing Vicky has changed. However, he backs out again. Robbie and Rumi get married the next day. She gradually starts getting comfortable with Robbie. One day, Vicky shows up to tell Robbie about him and Rumi, she tells Robbie that she wants to stay married to him. He still reminds her that she has a choice. She ends up sleeping with Vicky the next day. Robbie, suspiciously, follows Rumi and ends up seeing her with Vicky. Robbie, realising that Rumi has cheated on him, gets heartbroken. When confronted, Robbie confesses that he loves Rumi but she and Vicky deserve each other. The next day, Robbie files for an annulment. Rumi realizes that she is in love with Robbie and Vicky was never the "husband material" she was looking for. Initially reluctant, Vicky leaves Rumi. Rumi meets Robbie in court. They sign the papers. On the way, Rumi answers the questions Robbie had asked her. Ultimately, Robbie forgives her and they reconcile.
Cast
Abhishek Bachchan as Robbie Bhatia
Taapsee Pannu as Rumi Bagga
Vicky Kaushal as Vicky Sandhu
Ashnoor Kaur as Kiran
Vishavpreet kaur as Rumi's chachi
Saurabh Sachdeva as Kakaji
Vikram Kochhar as Robbie's brother
Arun Bali as Rumi's Grandfather
Neelu Kohli as Robbie's Mother
Swairaj Sandhu as Robbie's Father
Sukhmani Sadana as Lovely Singh
Rajinder Singh as Lawyer Bhalla
Jasmine Bajwa as Keerat
Rupinderjit Singh as Babloo
Akshay Arora as Rumi's Chacha
Gaurav Amlani as Raja
Toranj Kayvon as Raja's Girlfriend
Production
The project was originally to be directed by Sameer Sharma, who had shot some portions of the film, but producer Aanand L. Rai was not happy with the rough cut and stopped the shooting. He then approached Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari to direct it, but she could not do it because of her "prior commitments". In November 2016, it was announced that Anurag Kashyap will now be directing Manmarziyaan written by Kanika Dhillon. Initially, it was reported by the media that Dulquer Salmaan, Ayushmann Khurrana and Bhumi Pednekar were cast in the film, but they dropped out of the film. Abhishek Bachchan was then brought in as a replacement for Dulquer Salmaan. Abhishek Bachchan and Anurag Kashyap had differences in the past; one of the reasons being Kashyap's criticism of Bachchan's 2010 movieKhelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey. They had however resolved their differences and were excited to work together again when the opportunity arose. The movie marked Bachchan's return to acting after a 2 year hiatus. The film was shot in Punjab, while some portions in Delhi and Kashmir.
Box office
Manmarziyaan was well received at the box office. It had a fair weekend at the box office as it managed to collect 4 crore on opening day. The film saw further jump in collections on Sunday as a result of which 5.70 crore more came in. The worldwide gross of the movie was 40.39 crore.
Reception
Manmarziyan received generally positive reviews. Critics praised the film for its contemporary take on a love story and the overall strong performances from its cast. Taapsee Pannu received universal praise for her performance as the mercurial Rumi. As a love-triangle with a running length of 155 minutes, the subject matter was a venture into conventional Bollywood territory for director Anurag Kashyap. Critic Anupama Chopra noted "director Anurag Kashyap, Hindi cinema’s high priest of darkness, turns his ferocious gaze on relationships. Obviously then, this is not the routine Bollywood meet cute. Director Anurag and writer Kanika Dhillon have created a fully realized world that is fueled by Amit Trivedi’s pulsating soundtrack" Times Of India's critic Rachit Gupta said "The maturity with which Anurag Kashyap’s Manmarziyaan talks about love and relationships is refreshing. The seemingly conventional story of a love triangle, gets original with its treatment and portrayal of love. With characters constantly oscillating between confusion and complex emotions, Manmarziyaan presents a new and updated look at romance and relationships." Raja Sen, writing for Hindustan Times, critiqued the film saying "There is authenticity to the texture, but this film could have held more. It is ultimately a disappointment not because of its craft, but because of predictability, self-indulgent pace and its irritating attempt to be both a light crowd-pleaser with a cutesy ending as well as an impassioned, volatile romance." Filmfare movie critic Debesh Sharma adds "Shot well by Sylvester Fonseca and edited well by Aarti Bajaj, the film scores on technical fronts as well." The movie received a limited international release with the title "Husband Material" including a premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2018. The movie received high praise for seamlessly weaving its soundtrack into the story.
Soundtrack
The soundtrack of the film has been composed by Amit Trivedi while the lyrics are written by Shellee except where noted. The first song "F for Fyaar" was released on 10 August 2018. The second song "Daryaa" was released on 11 August 2018. The third song "Grey Walaa Shade" was released on 12 August 2018. The fourth song "Dhyaanchand" was released on 13 August 2018. The fifth song "Chonch Ladhiyaan" was released on 14 August 2018. The sixth song "Hallaa" was released on 15 August 2018. The seventh song "Sacchi Mohabbat" was released on 16 August 2018. The eighth song "Jaisi Teri Marzi" was released on 17 August 2018. The ninth song "Bijlee Giregi" was released on 18 August 2018. The tenth song "Kundali" was released on 23 August 2018. Vipin Nair of The Hindu gave the soundtrack 4/5 stating that though the "repetitiveness gets in the way on more than one occasion, the composer still manages to deliver a supremely engaging soundtrack, with ample help from Shellee and a bunch of incredible musicians." The Times of India based Debarati Sen, in her review, said the lyricist-composer combo ensures that the album "finds a way to your playlist."
