Teri Bhabhi Hai Pagle review: A cinematic tragedy in the guise of a comedy

In first-time director Vinod Tiwari’s Teri Bhabhi Hai Pagle, the characters struggle to make and barely manage to complete it. It seems that is exactly case with makers of the Teri Bhabhi Hai Pagle. The only difference is that the film inside the film wins a lot of critical acclaim.

In the guise of a crazy comedy, we are presented a film that normalizes sexual harassment.

Teri Bhabhi Hai Pagle revolves around an aspiring filmmaker Dev (Rajneesh Duggal). Even though he doesn't want to, he works as an assistant director on a daily soap. Dev is eager to make his own movie with the script he has written but struggles to find a producer. Moreover, he has a hard time on the serial because of its lead actor. One fine day, he quits the job after a fight with the actor.

Dev approaches producer and fading superstar Raj Chopra (Krushna Abhishek), supposedly the son of the late producer Suyash Chopra. As soon as Raj hears the script, he agrees to make the film and also star in it. The film is financed by Aaru Bhai (Mukul Dev). Dev’s girlfriend Ragni (Nazia Hussain) is chosen as the lead actress of the film. This turns out to be a big worry for Dev as both Raj and Aaru are hardcore womanizers who are constantly eyeing the girl.

In the beginning, despite the silliness, the film mildly holds your interest as the story of a struggling filmmaker. Later on, you realize that it was the best part of the film. If one takes up the task of listing the flaws, it will be much longer than Mukul Dev’s character’s hair in the film.

Once the characters start making their movie, the audience exposed to a series of situations and sequences that range from being irritating to foolish. The bigger problem is the film constantly tries to find humour in a couple of lecherous men getting desperate for a girl. The film, for most part, is a compilation of scenes where men try to device different means to get close to much younger girls.

During a couple of occasions, Abhishek’s character forcefully kisses his co-stars and, surprisingly, girls don’t take up the issue. The treatment sexual harassment in a such casual manner is bothersome and not funny. Worse, we wonder why Dev never informs Raj that Ragni and he are in a serious relationship.

The film has a number of songs, none of which are worth mentioning here. The background score doesn't impress either.

When the best performer in a film is an actor like Duggal, there is not much to say about others. Abhishek has tried to mimick his uncle, Govinda, throughout the film — in his acting and in his dance.

Mukul Dev irritates as a cheating husband and womaniser. Debut actress Nazia Hussain, Deepshika Nagpal and Aman Verma struggle to perform.

Spoiler alert:

After making the audience go through a torture of sorts, the last 15 minutes of the film gives out a message on film piracy, that also gets you in splits unintentionally. In an unprecedented event, general public take to the streets to protest against piracy.

We are told that the film made in the film fails at the box office because it is leaked on the day of its release. Well, almost every film is leaked online after it hits the screen. It is a serious matter only if the film is leaked before it is released.

Watch the film's trailer below: