'Tu Hai Mera Sunday' Review: Small Film With a Big Heart

Film: Tu Hai Mera Sunday
Director: Milind Dhaimade
Cast: Barun Sobti, Shahana Goswami, Vishal Malhotra, Maanvi Gagroo, Avinash Tiwary

Rating: 4 Quints out of 5

The first time I heard about Tu Hai Mera Sunday, was when I saw the poster of the film on my Twitter timeline. After a quick glance, I filed it away neatly in the "films I won't be seeing section in my mind. The title was random, the actors were unknown and the film had no "buzz around it. Then I came across the trailer - it seemed to be about a motley group of Mumbaikars who wanted to play football but couldn't find space for it. Again, not interested. But then, I heard a few positive reactions (not the regular air-kissing B-town variety), even Aamir Khan tweeted about loving the film and it piqued my interest enough to give it a try and I am so glad that I did.

Tu Hai Mera Sunday is a small film with an enormous heart which brings Mumbai to life and hooks you one scene at a time. Yes, the narrative revolves around a band of men who have no place to play their favourite game of football on a Sunday, but it's also about so much more.

While you can spot a few predictable tropes in the film (for eg the gang is made up guys from perfectly mixed religious backgrounds: there's Arjun - a Hindu, Dominic - a Christian, Rashid - a Muslim, Mehernosh - a Parsi and you have to have the quintessential Gujju businessman - Jayesh Bhai), it unfolds with a fair amount of unpredictability and quirkiness.

Writer-director Milind Dhaimade is in complete command over the story and its execution, showing a fine grip over the craft of storytelling. It's a buddy film, a rom-com and an emotional drama all wrapped in one, and all of it plays out smoothly without stepping on one another.

This indie film also boasts of all-round pitch perfect performances. While the main group of 5 guys played by Barun Sobti, Avinash Tiwary, Vishal Malhotra, Nakul Bhalla and Jay Upadhyay flounder and end up venting out their frustrations about living a stifled life in the city, the female characters, namely Shahana Goswami, Maanvi Gangroo and Rasika Duggal remain strong and anchored.