Review: ‘Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety’ Is Predictable, but Harmless Fun

The universe is a familiar one! There are Kartik Aaryan, Sunny Singh, and Nushrat Bharucha we recognise from the last Pyaar ka Punchnama installment. Luv Ranjan and his vehemently held view about toxic love is all too visible.

And the equation is one we have dealt with before – the girls are irresistibly beautiful and manipulative creatures who are a threat to dosti and bromance.

The film opens with Titu (Sunny Singh) crying over his girlfriend and Sonu (Kartik Aaryan) ranting about her and women in general in his signature style. But the real problem crops up couple of scenes later, when Titu decides he wants shaadi and meets Sweety (Nushrat Bharucha). Titu's instant attraction towards her and Sonu's immediate dislike for her give us a clear trajectory of which way this film will go.

Then, sometime post-interval, Sweety spells out the challenge when she tells Sonu "dosti and ladki mein hamesha ladki jeethti hai," and with that starts the battle of wits, quick repartees and planned coups to decide who will get the final ownership over Titu – his best friend from nursery Sonu or the "kal ki aayi hui" ladki!

Now, while the film is high on entertainment and general frolic, there is one very problematic aspect about Luv Ranjan films – the innate distrust for women who are all painted with the same brush – controlling – always trying to change their men and consequently boring.

In this one too, the family matriarchs, Dadi and mommy, are the ones weighing down the fun with their rules and regulations. The coolest are the men! Dadaji (Alok Nath) loves his whisky and smokes, and can't live without his best buddy played by veteran actor Vijendra Saxena.

Alok Nath is so delightfully non-sanskari, he is our favourite person in the film. Sonu and Titu are endearing together with one scene at the end where we almost shed a tear for their bhai-hood!

So while Rahul Mody and Luv Ranjan's screenplay is skewed against women in general and Sweety in particular, it's no surprise how it's all going to end.

But is the journey interesting? Hell yes, barring a couple of totally unnecessary songs and some repetitive gigs!

There is another issue – we are never given a reason for Sweety's villainy. In fact, we don't know why women are the way they are – confused and always trying to change their men. In Luv Ranjan's mind, that's how it is, and once we unquestionably surrender to that world view, it's easy to root for Sonu and Titu!

Kartik Aryan, Nushrat and Sunny Singh have been such a perfect fit in this Pyaar ka Punchnama-esque zone that they seem almost indispensable. Go for Sonu ke Titu ki Sweety. It's harmless fun.

3.5 quints out of 5!

Producer: Vivek Das

Camera: Abhishek Ranjan

Editor: Prashant Chauhan

(The Quint, in association with BitGiving, has launched a crowdfunding campaign for an 8-month-old who was raped in Delhi on 28 January 2018. The baby girl, who we will refer to as 'Chhutki', was allegedly raped by her 28-year-old cousin when her parents were away. She has been discharged from AIIMS hospital after undergoing three surgeries, but needs more medical treatment in order to heal completely. Her parents hail from a low-income group and have stopped going to work so that they can take care of the baby. You can help cover Chhutki's medical expenses and secure her future. Every little bit counts. Click here to donate.)