‘Parivarik ManuRanjan’ review: Charming leads can get you only so far

Parivarik ManuRanjan is the story of a confirmed bachelor meeting a confirmed bachelorhood breaker. From the second that Helen (Aditi Rao Hydari) walks into the spacious home occupied only and entirely by Ranjan (Pankaj Tripathi), the Hindi film throws broad hints about where it is headed.

Lucknow resident Ranjan is a happily unattached government employee who owns a house that in of itself should have resulted in a long line of prospective brides. Yet, Ranjan is unable to find a match despite the efforts of his friend Rajaram (Brijendra Kala). Ranjan is also having trouble maintaining the house, so he hires a “property manager’, the super-efficient and super-smart Helen.

Helen is a stunner too. Rajaram’s jaw descends to the floor when he sees her.

The neighbourhood is pleasantly shocked that Ranjan has a live-in maid and cook, Ranjan’s squeaky clean reputation notwithstanding. Helen is also excellent hausfrau material, churning out delicious food and fixing the broken fountain in the courtyard… you get the picture.

Varun V Sharma’s Parivarik ManuRanjan, co-written by him, Brijendra Kala and Ali Abbas Zafar, is hell-bent on conjuring a film out of thin air.

Whatever Parivarik ManuRanjan lacks in terms of narrative logic, it makes up for with good-natured humour. Any sinful thoughts resulting from two adults sharing a space are banished by the family-friendly tone and the bashful behaviour of the leads. He is a gentleman extraordinaire. She is a domestic goddess.

With predictable turns, manufactured conflicts and a villain who barely justifies his presence in the plot, the 114-minute film coasts along on its odd-couple beats. Pankaj Tripathi and Aditi Rao Hydari are well-matched, and well placed, to carry off a film that reeks of contrivance.

Among the film’s better ideas, which is soon abandoned, is that a man and a woman can be friends rather than lovers. Another theme is respecting housework. Given how Helen charms sceptics and the neighbourhood gossip Tamanna (Sunita Rajwar) with her house management skills, this sentiment rings hollow too.

Somebody on this production had the bright idea of casting Pankaj Tripathi as a romantic lead opposite Aditi Rao Hydari. But that somebody, or somebodies, did not think to follow the idea through, or give the actors more to work with.

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