Tiku Weds Sheru: A Cringe-worthy Melodrama Lacking Romance and Humor

Tiku and Sheru, despite their mismatched nature, find themselves together unexpectedly in the film “Tiku Weds Sheru” directed by Sai Kabir. However, this movie falls short of being a family entertainer and instead tries to be a romantic drama with dark satire. Unfortunately, it lacks romance, clever humor, and primarily consists of melodrama that becomes tiresome to endure for nearly two hours. Even within the first twenty minutes, it becomes grating to watch. It is disheartening to see an actor of Nawazuddin Siddiqui’s caliber involved in such a crude and unimpressive film. His character, Sheru, is meant to be funny but comes across as unfunny. Although he puts in sincere and diligent effort, as an audience member, you can’t help but feel sorry for him being in such roles.

Avneet Kaur, on the other hand, fails to impress in any aspect. Her presence on screen is jarring, and her dialogue delivery feels rehearsed rather than natural. Her tendency to overact becomes challenging to bear at times. While she possesses rawness and authenticity, her performance never truly convinces the viewer. As an on-screen couple, both Kaur and Siddiqui appear extremely odd and awkward together. In a scene where Sheru and Tiku go out for their first dinner together, Tiku is dressed as a cabaret dancer in a flashy red outfit. They share a meal, exchange jokes, and take a stroll on the beach, eventually leading to a kiss. However, there is no beauty, chemistry, or spark between them, making this potentially significant moment in their relationship fall flat.

The story of “Tiku Weds Sheru” lacks originality and seems like a mishmash of elements borrowed from various scripts. Sheru (played by Nawazuddin Siddiqui), also known as Shiraz Khan Afghani, is a junior artist and film financier in Mumbai. He marries Tasleem, or Tiku (played by Avneet Kaur), a girl from Bhopal who aspires to be a superstar and agrees to marry Sheru as a means to reach Mumbai and reunite with her boyfriend Binni (played by Rahoul). However, she is unprepared for the twist that turns her life upside down. Meanwhile, Sheru discovers that he has been deceived, and the film explores how he copes with this realization and how their love story unfolds.

Initially, both Tiku and Sheru are portrayed as eccentric, loud, and melodramatic characters who are simple at heart. However, they become entangled in murky circumstances that lead them down different paths. “Tiku Weds Sheru” satirizes the experiences of countless struggling artists who come to Mumbai in search of fame and success but end up realizing uncomfortable truths about themselves.

Unfortunately, “Tiku Weds Sheru” is cringe-inducing to the core. The characters’ laughter or inconsolable crying fails to evoke any emotions. Everything appears superficial and fails to strike a chord or leave a lasting impact. Even the most serious or intense scenes and dialogues fail to engage the audience. For instance, there is a scene where Tiku’s brother beats her with a belt while her parents and sister stand helplessly outside. This scene should evoke anger, but it falls flat and lacks impact. Another scene depicts her leaving her house after marriage, where her uncle hurls abusive language at her. Instead of provoking thought and questioning such behavior in families, it is simply annoying due to its poorly executed portrayal.

The co-written story by Sai Kabir and Amit Tiwari deviates from one point to another without focusing on any one aspect for an extended period. The film touches on issues such as misogyny, patriarchy, dowry, domestic violence, and sexual abuse but fails to delve deeper into any of them. Even menstruation is mentioned briefly as “periods” or “down,” without attaching any significant meaning to it.

Aside from the weak scenes, the dialogues in the film are even more uninspiring, unfortunately falling mostly on Nawazuddin Siddiqui’s shoulders. He delivers lines such as when a man on set tells him not to overact, he responds, “Whatever I do, I do it with intensity, and that’s a fact.” In a fantasy sequence while looking at a girl’s picture, he says, “You are so delicious, and I am so jolly. It’s wrong that we won’t end up together.” Speaking to his cat, Elizabeth, he says, “You are irritating me like a house fly, not a butterfly.” In a moment of despair, he mutters to himself, “You are Sheru, roar like a lion.” Furthermore, Sheru also works as a pimp in his spare time, arranging girls for the rich and wealthy, in addition to being involved in the drug business for financial gain. In his first scene in this role, he brings three women to Gulati Sahab, who leisurely sits in a chair with his paunch resting on his thighs as he enjoys a drink. This scene either does not belong in the film, or if the filmmakers intended to include it, it could have been written and executed more effectively. At one point, Sheru expresses a desire to focus on his career and leave this exploitative business, but he finds himself too deeply immersed to easily extricate himself.