Thodi Thodi Si Manmaaniyan review: A film with pleasing visuals but poor conviction

There have been two movies back-to-back with titles indicating a quantity. Not just that, both films have stayed true to their respective titles. Last week, Mohit Suri’s Half Girlfriend provided half satisfaction. Now, Thodi Thodi Si Manmaaniyan, which is Marathi filmmaker Aditya Sarpotdar’s Hindi debut, turns out to be only thodi thodi (little bit) convincing.

This is the story of Siddharth Kaul (Arsh Sehrawat) and Neha Dutta (Shrenu Parikh) in Delhi. Siddharth stays alone with his mother (Shilpa Tulaskar) after his father (Mukesh Tiwari) passed away when he was a kid. Siddharth is a part of a rock band. But at the same time, he is eager to go abroad for higher studies. He meets Neha by chance and she becomes a part of their band for an important competition.

Neha is from a lower middle-class family. Despite their differences they fall for each other. Brave and fearless, she spends a good part of her time and energy fighting for social causes. She is currently busy fighting for people from slum areas whose land is under threat from a politician. Siddharth is caught between Neha’s struggles and his mother’s keenness in keeping a secret about his father’s death.

Thodi Thodi Si Manmaaniyan is pleasing to the eyes. The film has some vibrant visuals, not just because of the colour scheme but also the costumes of the main characters. The role of production design, which is brilliant over here, also cannot be ignored. The old abandoned house and its interior go perfectly with the requirement. Milind Jog’s camerawork is also creative.

But, as we are aware, technical aspects alone don’t make for an impressive film. A serious, issue based film needs soul and that is exactly what is missing from Thodi Thodi Si Manmaaniyan. So, we end up seeing high quality visuals but we are not convinced with what is happening in the film. When a number of twists are thrown in, we don’t find them believable. This is because things happen very easily or conveniently.

The issue of a politician trying to snatch poor people’s land and the subsequent protests against them are presented in a childish manner. Lack of logic is also written large here. Siddharth is a grown up kid, but he is unaware that his father was a famous theatre artist and a social worker. He also doesn’t know that his mother was his father’s colleague. This is also a film where the bad guys try finishing off a person by shooting her much below the heart from very close quarters. Unfortunately, these are not the only erroneous sequences.

Maybe because the film is full of unconvincing incidents that the makers skip a proper climax. The film has one of the most thanda (cold) endings you will ever see. Everything happens as easily as applying warm butter on bread.

It is vital for a music based film to excel in the songs department. The film has hummable tracks like ‘Meherbaan’ and ‘Tu Bas Chal Yahan.’ But they lack the quality to lift the content.

The two debutants, Sehrawat and Parikh, have made a confident first appearance. Sehrawat succeeds in expressing pain, as well as happiness. Parikh displays a responsible act. But there was no need to make her look extra glamorous because it doesn’t go with her character. In fact, she has her make-up intact even after spending a considerable number of days in the hospital. Tulaskar brings her experience into play. She is the best among all.

Rahul Raj Malhotra surely has acting potential. Tiwari plays his part well, but a fine performer like him deserved more. The actor in the role of the head of the theatre group perfectly fits the character.

Overall, Thodi Thodi Si Manmaaniyan scores high on visuals, but falters when it comes to offering a story with conviction.