Teri Meri Gal Ban Gayi Movie Review: Akhil-Rubina Bajwa’s sincere performances make this plodding rom-com watchable

Guri is the darling of the family, raised by her father Kartar Singh and grandfather Kewal Singh. Guri is concerned about two things when she falls in love with Navi: first, whether they will be able to convince their respective families, and second, how well her father will be able to handle his life after she marries. As the story progresses, Guri and Navi as well as the lives of their family members take many unexpected turns as the story progresses.

REVIEW:

‘Teri Meri Gal Ban Gayi’ revolves around the budding romance between Guri (Rubina), a college student in Ambala, and Navi (Akhil), the son of a businessman from Amritsar. The only girl in her family of three—her simpleton father Kartar Singh (Guggu Gill) and the super-fit grandfather Kewal Singh (Puneet Issar)—makes her the center of attention. Her family is concerned for her when she develops feelings for a man from Amritsar because she will have to relocate far away (to be precise 250kms). Guri, on the other hand, is concerned about her father, who will be alone if she marries. Will the lovebirds have to split up or will they find a solution to their problem?

Preeti Sapru, actor turned writer, director, and producer of the film, combines several plotlines into one, including those about familial love, budding romance, and some mature thinking by different generations. On paper, the story appears to have a solid concept, but when presented on screen, the writing and execution fall short. The first half is slow-paced and leisurely, taking its time to establish Guri and Navi’s romance and issues. Post-interval, we see a drastic change in the element of the film. The drama starts out with a lot of humor and chaos, which is fun to watch, but it quickly fizzles out and continues to move along at the same pace as the first half.

The movie does strike an emotional chord, but its inconsistent pace was a major flaw that persisted throughout its runtime. The 145-minute drama could have been significantly shortened with tight editing. Songs are hummable, but after a while, they feel like unnecessary add-ons to lengthen the film’s duration. Punjabi films are known for their exceptional humour, but this film fell short in that department. The comedy in the film was very middle-of-the-road and occasionally felt forced.

The characters are beautifully written with amazing dialogue delivery, especially the most engaging character in the movie, the grandfather, who brings out big laughs in the audience. Rubina Bajwa looks beautiful and convincing as a caring daughter. Akhil, a Punjabi singer-turned-actor, makes a solid debut. But he has to work extra hard in emotional scenes. Rest of the cast members, Guggu Gill, Puneet Issar, Nirmal Rishi, Karamjit Anmol, Harby Sangha, Dolly Mattoo and Tej Sapru, keep the audience engaged. The subplot of Rano bua (Alka Kaushal) and her family has been given a lot of screen time, dragging the plot down. But that is the fault of the writing team; they also give believable performances.

Preeti Sapru, without a doubt, excelled at both acting and directing departments, but she struggled to effectively convey the story she had penned down. Overall, the star cast’s consistent performance makes this sluggish rom-com a passable one-time watch.