Tu Meri Poori Kahani, Overview: Future to the Back

Tu Meri Poori Kahani, Overview: Future to the Back

Presenter and co-writer Mahesh Bhatt, director Suhrita Das and music director Anu Malik make an attempt to espouse the cause of films of yore, that had songs, most of them playback in lip sync, and many of them owed their success to these songs. This pattern of film-making, in vogue from 1935, got phased out in the late 90s, with the death of gramophone records, cassette tapes and VHS videotapes, and the emergence of music videos, telecast from TV channels. It stuttered along, till the late 90s, thanks to the arrival of CDs. YouTube and pen-drives then sealed its fate. Music could not be sold physically any more, and ringtones, downloads, versions, royalty from performances, and other use of copyright catalogue material, became the only sources of revenue for music marketing companies. Music producing and marketing company Saregama’s Caarvan, a portable product, which looks like a radio or a two-in-one (radio-cum-cassette recorder), containing mainly songs that made it to the popularity charts, in Ameen Sayani’s Binaca/Cibaca Geetmala weekly radio programme, that lasted for about 42 years, is, perhaps, the only survivor of this changeover, in this century. The makers of Tu Meri Poori Kahani doff their hats to an era gone by, by making a film full of songs, many of them in lip sync, and hope that audiences will get all nostalgic and sentimental, like the makers and their product. It is a laudable ideal, but suffers from amateurish execution.

If you have seen A Star Is Born (1937) and its umpteen remakes, both in Hollywood and India, you have already seen Tu Meri Poori Kahani. If you have seen any rich girl meets poor boy, in a doomed love story, you have already seen Tu Meri Poori Kahani. If you have seen love partners, with creative talent, falling apart, due to one of them getting ambitious and hankering after success, you have already seen Tu Meri Poori Kahani. Of course, there are differences, in this 2025 outing, some subtle, some strong. But, in the end, it remains a dated, outdated, done to death, premise, that lends itself to repeated tear-jerking, sympathy-seeking situations. Hit lip-sync songs, did not emerge only from soggy handkerchief tropes, but from all genres, including gripping murder mysteries and hilarious comedy. Well, M/s Bhatt and Das had to choose some genre, to showcase their music, so why blame them for picking an evergreen love story, with a dozen highs and a dozen lows? Okay, I don’t blame them for this choice. Bhatt could argue that if he could make a successful Arth, in 1982, he could make a meaningful tribute to it as well, 43 years later.

Tu Meri Poori Kahani suffers from poor writing and stock characters. There is some novelty in the fact that the film depicts the relationship between a man and a woman pursuing careers different from each other. But, in order to create some common ground, the professions are complementary. He is a budding song-writer, composer and singer, while she is bent on making a career out of acting. Her father has fallen on bad times, while her mother could not rise above the level of a back-ground dancer. What is more, her father has not yet completed the formalities of a formal marriage. On the acting front, she faces rejections, many of them related to her parents’ backgrounds. So, she takes to alcohol, to drown her sorrows. His father is a musician, but suffers from dementia. While she is buying her poison, she sees him being roughed-up by another man. It turns out that the demented gent had stolen a flute from a musical instruments shop, and the man giving him a piece of his mind was the owner of the shop.

To help her achieve her ambition, sublime lover makes a music video, capturing her in the most strikingly beautiful poses. It works. A music and film production company owner is impressed, and offers her a 5-year contract, but insists that she get rid of her boy-friend, who will be a major impediment in her rise. The two are holding hands, when he declares, “You are going to shoot up like a rocket, and this man will be the gravitational force that will pull you down.” Seeing the logic, she lets go his hand, in slow motion. Mr. Owner is a jilted lover. His girl-friend broke-up with him, after smashing a bottle on his hand, making a scar that he conceals with a glove. Now, Mr. Glove is in love, again, with his discovery. But he is on pills, and is advised by his father figure who used to take decisions and make announcements on behalf of the company, till the new girl entered his life.

Some fine lines trickle out of the pens of writers Mahesh Bhatt and Shweta Bothra. Relish them while you can, because the film is full of contrived dialogue, sometimes unintentionally funny. The writers make much of this not being an incomplete ‘qissa’ (synonym of ‘kahani’), but a ‘poori kahani’ (a full story). Yet, as it happens, the film is incomplete in some aspects. Not having been privy to Suhrita Das’s past forays in direction/writing, 1920: Horrors of the Heart (2023) and Haunted Ghosts of the Past (2025), I cannot comment on her career graph. Tu Meri Poori Kahani comes across as an unflattering debut of sorts.

Carrying the load of very similar, recurrent situations in the story, she is unable to impart any novelty in her direction. Hirranya Ojha as the woman seeking fame and power, could do much better with her dialogue delivery. Arhaan Pateel, as her suffering-in-silence lover, carries a pained expression all through, which is prominent in some scenes and understated in others. He has a large face and built, and not a very good choice for the role.

Actor-director Tigmanshu Dhulia plays the girl’s father. No stranger to acting, he is fluid and convincing, though he deserved a much better written role. Incidentally, the biggest clap-trap scene is reserved for him. As his ‘wife’, Juhi Babbar shines. Old-timer Uday Chandra is cast as the demented father. He looks and conveys the character effectively and easily, but is given hardly any lines to mouth. Another old-timer, Avtar Gill, plays the music company’s grand old man. This must rank among his most prominent appearances on the big screen, and he does justice to it. Shammi Duhan, as the star-maker, is diminutive, and forces out the requisite anger and guile with an effort. His struggle is not helped one bit by the lines he is given.

We must give it to Anu Malik for making some of his better tunes for this film. Lyrics (some, or all, penned by Shweta Bothra) are a let-down. A couple of compositions have it in them to get really popular. Papon is the main male voice, used as playback for Arhaan. The choice is not convincing. His pronunciation of several Urdu words is suspect. At 138 minutes, the film drags.

77 year-old veteran Mahesh Bhatt has tried to make a Future to the Back effort that lacks the passion and intensity such an effort demanded. The intentions are never suspect, but the actions lack the much needed cutting edge.