Tutak Tutak Tutiya / Devi / Abhinetri (2016) Review!!

Synopsis – A trilingual horror-comedy wherein a husband finds out his wife is possessed.

My Take – This film by director Vijay is a perfect example of a product that is a harmless and enjoyable affair provided you don’t expect anything from it. Marking the return of dancing sensation Prabhudeva to Tamil cinema after twelve years, this horror comedy has been simultaneously made in Tamil (Devi), Telugu (Abhinetri), and Hindi (Tutak Tutak Tutiya). If you have seen the first glimpse of this film, you would not go to watch this film expecting some intellectual stuff in return. Yes, the film serves what it shows. There are a couple of funny gags that do make you laugh. There’s even some hint of suspense and mystery. Despite the film wrapping up in one of the most disappointing ways, the hilarious gags ensure an engaging and an entertaining flick that eschews the usual horror-humor template. Clearly designed for a South Indian audience, many of the tropes and character traits conform to the expected – a chauvinistic protagonist with an inflated sense of self who is obsessed with marrying a modern girl.

The story follows Krishna (Prabhu Deva), a young, working-class Tamil man living in Mumbai, and who is in search of a modern woman whom he can court and consequently marry, with the forethought of conceiving children who would then be modern and fluent in English, too. However, his visit to his native place in Tamil Nadu crushes his dreams as he is forcibly married off to Devi (Tamannaah Bhatia), a guileless villager, who does not match any of Krishna’s parameters, let alone the modernity. Back in Mumbai, the newly married couple rent an apartment without realizing that it was previously leased by an aspiring model named Ruby who later committed suicide. A chance to meet superstar Raj Khanna (Sonu Sood) sparks a personality change in Devi. Krishna is the first to notice changes in his wife who now responds to addresses of not Devi, but Ruby. Ruby makes a deal with Krishna, he should let her use Devi’s body to fulfill her ambitions by starring in a film opposite Raj, following which she would leave him and Devi alone. Krishna reluctantly agrees with a promise that Ruby should leave Devi’s body the moment the first film is released. Ruby agrees, but soon we learn that she has other plans. Comedy takes care of the first half as it effortlessly ushers the audience in, treating them with enough doses of slapstick, mostly delivered by Deva. The second half slightly takes a somber route, but is still funny, now supported by polished characters played by Sonu Sood and Murali Sharma. The narrative essentially takes time to establish itself between sequences as the story moves forward with good speed, eventually reaching a unconvincing climax. Moreover, there’s no tried-and-tested ingredients here, but are largely made up of variations of what we have seen before in similar films. Touted as a ‘horror-comedy’ writer-director Vijay’s film will remind you of Priyadarshan’s Bhool Bhulaiya and while there’s plenty of lowbrow humor in the film there’s barely any horror. Only one special-effects-driven scene on a movable set displays anything supernatural, otherwise the merit of the film is entirely on Tammannaah‘s shoulders to show off her acting chops as she coolly straddles two characters. The film is a cocktail and acts as a perfect antidote with its nonsensical plot and over-the-top humor after watching the sleep-inducing yawn that was Mirzya!, and the only true irritant was its overt and verbose South Indian potboiler feel.

Though the film promised too many things but at the end of the day it has less to disseminate to the audience making a bad blend before them and turning things the wrong way. Like most recent films, this one too falls prey to the curse of the second half as everything seems just too vague for its own good and become too predictable for people who are keen to catch the film. A lot of Dheva’s gestures, verbosity and overdone histrionics are all thanks to that and do not really gel with the Hindi film audiences. As in such films, there is too much conversation, and needlessly overdone clichés. The script could have become much more focused and intelligent within the fun zone. The music too keeps coming in without rhyme or reason, and this extends to its standard as well. The only decent song, “Chal Maar” (composed by Sajid-Wajid), is used without any real link to the plot. For one, you need to give it to the Saivam director for the simple reason that among the many wannabe comedies that have been religiously dished out week after week, his film appears fresh and engaging throughout. There is a reason, a purpose for the spirited activities and they don’t seem frivolous; they are genuine. Light moments are prevalent right through in apt proportions. The gorgeous Tamannah is spot on with both the characters, she effectively changes her body language for both the characters. The scenes where she threatens Prabhudheva and her dance sequence at the award show showcase her acting abilities which has surprisingly evolved over a decade. A special mention is the scene where she sees herself for the first time on the screen at the premiere, her expressions speak volumes. The actress does terrifically as the glam actress and is even better as the simple housewife. She especially scores in the quicksilver shifts from one to another avatar and lifts the film to watch-worthy levels. Humor comes naturally to Prabhudheva and with his right kind of body language and histrionics, he makes the film a delightful watch. Prabhudheva is excellent when it comes to comic timing and the mandatory item song with Amy Jackson proves he is still the best of dancing stars around. Sonu Sood makes an extended cameo and renders a restrained performance. He does justice to his superstar character that is a bit clichéd. On the whole, ‘Tutak Tutak Tutiya/Devi/Abhinetri’ is a passable popcorn entertainer that occasionally engages and entertains. Watch this if you have nothing else to do.