Tadap review: Welcome to Kabir Singh 2.0, an unwanted upgrade

The concept of 'arte util' (useful art) is not always commercially profitable. Hence, Indian cinema will always have a genre of films that pander to the least common denominator. It is inevitable. That does not make it acceptable or good.

Milan Luthria's Tadap (2021) follows the well-trodden path of masculine insecurity and toxic behaviour pandering to the lowest denominator marked out by the success of Sandeep Reddy Vanga's Kabir Singh (2019). Except, unlike the Shahid Kapoor film, this one lacks an intense, transformative performance that might stand out in a troubling story.

Ishana (Ahan Shetty) is the simplistic tough guy whose life revolves around Daddy (Saurabh Shukla). Daddy works as the party arm of the legislator from Mussoorie, Nautiyal (Kumud Mishra). When Nautiyal's daughter Ramisa (Tara Sutaria) arrives for a summer holiday, Ishana falls head over heels in love.

What is 'tru lub' for Ishana is a summer fling for Ramisa. Her marriage, and absence, throws him into an obsessive despair which has been the mandatory course set from Devdas (1935) to Kabir Singh. With obsession turning into violence, he seeks her at all costs.

The story is a simple one and has been told umpteen times, especially in the 1980s and 1990s. The spurned true lover, the double-crossing woman, the rich and powerful father who comes in their way, the loyal friend are all character tropes that Hindi cinema has worked hard to escape. It seems they are making a comeback through remakes of Telugu hits.

The toxic behaviour justified by the film's storyline is even more troubling for the reviewer sitting in the midst of college students clapping at it. While one loathes preaching moral cinema, there is a point when the influence of such behaviour on screen cannot simply be ignored. Especially in a country plagued by cases of stalking, sexual harassment, acid attacks and sexual assault on everyone from infants to grandmothers.

Ishana's obsession with Ramisa, while possible, does not justify his violent acts or toxic alcoholism. The makers desperately needed a villain to justify this behaviour and turn the blame on the woman. Quite conveniently, the film's second half unravels with Ramisa plotting Ishana's erasure. Smoking by a window, paying off a henchman, and disrespecting elders — Ekta Kapoor might as well sue the makers for using characteristics of some of her iconic television villainesses without so much as a line of thanks.

One cannot deny there is a captive audience for these stories. There will always be such an audience in a patriarchal society that accepts the claim of a man over a woman, denying her a choice. To play devil's advocate, the problem is not that the woman cannot be evil. It is that the film does not justify or underline the malice in it.

Burdened with heavy dialogues which try too hard but lack fire and a screenplay that walks a well-trodden path down alcoholism and violence, Tadap lacks the unique identity that at least set Kabir Singh apart. Any remake ought to have a standout character, or moment, which sets it apart from the original. Tadap has none of that. There is some solace with Pritam's musical score, which adds pathos and some depth to the storyline. Sadly, it does not translate to the characters.

The blame, perhaps, also goes to the performances. Ahan Shetty displays all the subtlety and nuance of his father Suniel in his early years in cinema. While the youngster is a little more polished, he still lacks the dramatic nous to express pathos, shock or intense love. His physical presence and punches seem to be the USP of his performance.

Tara Sutaria plays the glowing ideal damsel who is transformed into the bane of Ishana's life. The actress is most comfortable with the first part and manages it with élan. The second is quite the opposite story. There is little to persuade the audience of her malice, except the occasional cigarette or the outburst against an elder. It would have worked in Main Tulsi Tere Aangan Ki (1978). In 2021, it is just lazy writing.

The only two artistes able, and trying, to put in decent performances are the veteran Saurabh Shukla and Kumud Mishra. Both display a lot more nuance and shifts in tone, and presence, than the youngsters do in the entire film. Then again, the duo is on autopilot and can do it with the simplest of things.

By the end, Tadap starts to resemble the story of Kabir Singh, if Preeti had decided to get rid of him. It is filled with problematic tropes but tries to pander to the lone-wolf, frustrated and unemployed youngsters who seem to dominate India's suburban spaces. It might succeed as well. That's the greater tragedy.

Tadap was released in theatres on 3 December 2021.