Tum Bin Review {2/5} & Review Rating
Super Cassettes Industries Ltd.'s TUM BIN, directed by Anubhav Sinha, is a conflict between love and logic, conflict between love and destiny, conflict between love and options.
It is a story of Piya (Sandali) who fell in love with someone who shattered her dreams. Piya fell in love with Shekhar (Priyanshu) without ever realising that a cordial, official and a formal relationship with Shekhar grew from reliance to trust, trust to dependence and dependence to love.
Piya fell in love without ever realising that Shekhar had a past. This past, if told, was a sin, a crime.
Enters Abhi (Himanshu) at this stage. Abhi is someone who is God-sent for Piya. But Piya is in love with Shekhar, who carries a dark past with him. What happens next?
The basic idea has shades of the Rajesh Khanna-Meena Kumari hit DUSHMAN; in this case, the difference being, the hero (Priyanshu) flies all the way to Canada to admit his mistake to the family of the deceased (Rakesh).
TUM BIN is one of those love stories that has dollops of emotions. It moves you on various levels, but has its share of snags as well.
The upside.
The emotional moments in the film are heart-rending, especially those when Priyanshu interacts with the family members.
The film boasts of a fresh look, thanks to the fresh faces and the unexplored locales of Canada. The visuals captured by the cinematographer are stunning. The film will be discussed also for its aesthetic appeal.
The new faces come without the baggage of a fixed image, which is an asset for a theme like this. You don't expect the moon from them, but you get more than you could've ever imagined. The three heroes essay their characters in the vein of accomplished performers.
The songs are ear pleasing, the picturisation is eye-filling and of course, they have been aggressively promoted by the producers. At least five songs stand out for the melody and their vivid picturisation ? 'Tumhare Siva', 'Zoom Boom Bura', 'Chhoti Chhoti Raatein', the Jagjit Singh-rendered 'Koi Fariyaad' (which has a haunting tune!) and Stereo Nation's 'Thoda Daru Vich Pyar Milade'.
As a first-timer, director Anubhav Sinha succeeds in giving the film that certain sheen, which is comparable to any big-budget film that stars known names. Even otherwise, the mature strokes of a director are visible in his very first attempt. For, the emotional sequences strike a chord with the cinegoer.
The downside.
The film is slow-paced and moves at a leisurely pace throughout. If the story penned by Sinha is novel, his story telling should've been fast-paced. The film tests the patience of the viewer in certain scenes, thanks to its tempo. Also, it has a classy look at most times, which will mainly appeal to the elite.
The screenplay is not cohesive to keep the viewer's interest alive. How one wishes a few issues were sorted out in a simplified manner. To cite an instance, a rift occurs when Priyanshu expresses his feelings at the Board meeting when the company is about to merge with Himanshu's company.
The speech that ensues does not clearly indicate whether Priyanshu is condemning or approving this alliance.
The re-emergence of the cop in the pre-climax catches the viewer unaware. The film could've done without this track definitely. Moreover, the lengthy scene between Vikram Gokhale and Sandali in the end should be trimmed. Also, Priyanshu's accident in the climax adds to the length and gives it a predictable look.
In a nutshell, the film needs to be trimmed to improve the pace of the goings-on.
As stated above, the three lead players more than live up to the expectations and deliver almost flawless performances. Footage-wise, Priyanshu has the meatier role and he performs it with utmost sincerity. His expressions, especially in the emotional scenes, spring a surprise.
Himanshu Malik's entry in the film is appropriate. He enters just when the Priyanshu-Sandali track is about to stagnate and must say, Himanshu does a first-rate job. Not only does he fit the role, his performance is equally zestful.
Rakesh has a brief role, but the boy has a charming personality. Not once do you feel his absence throughout the first half, although his work is limited to a handful of sequences.
Sandali looks pretty throughout and does well in several sequences. But the girl needs to polish her diction and of course, needs voice training. However, her expressions towards the latter stages of the story are commendable.
Navneet Nishan provides wonderful relief. Rajendra Gupta, Dina Pathak and Vrijesh Hirjee are adequate. Rakesh's sister is natural.
Dialogues (Anubhav Sinha) are brilliant. Cinematography (Vijay Arora) is splendid. Production values are lavish; the producers have spent money and the results show on the screen.
On the whole, TUM BIN has gloss, a hit musical score, competent performances, mature direction and a tremendous publicity campaign as its assets. But the screenplay in the second half and the loose editing dilute the impact to an extent. Yet, with some trimming, the film should find patronage from those who enjoy emotional films. However, the big oppositions (AKS and the two hits ? GADAR and LAGAAN) will restrict its prospects to an extent. Business in Mumbai should be the best.
