Slice-of-life is a difficult genre to attempt. For it can become downright boring if not done right. Tu Hai Mera Sunday, featuring an ensemble cast, promises to be a tale of five friends, who seek respite from the troubles of their daily lives by playing football on the beach on Sundays. However, when the sport is banned on Juhu beach, they suddenly find themselves at a loss. Well, lack of recreational spaces is certainly a problem in metropolitan cities but does it warrant a film? Let’s find out…

What’s it about

The lack of recreational spaces in a city only forms the backdrop for Tu Hai Mera Sunday. The story just pivots around that problem. The film starts off by straightway introducing us to the five friends, their easy camaraderie evident. Arjun (Barun Sobti), Dominic (Vishal Malhotra), Rashid (Avinash Tiwari), Mehernosh (Nakul Bhalla) and Jayesh (Jay Upadhyay) are all football fanatics and when they are not playing, they are bidding their time, waiting for Sundays. We are introduced to their families in quick succession and it is obvious that they have nothing in common with each other, except their love for the game. So, it is easy to imagine their dismay when their playground – Mumbai’s Juhu beach – becomes a no play zone. As opposed to the saying that goes…All work and no play, makes Jack a dull boy, in the case of these five, it makes them angry and agitated. For they, like so many of us, are trying to run away from their problems by ‘chilling out’ on the weekends. Like true blue Mumbaikars, who never give up, they try to find alternative places for their Sunday game. But except society compounds with parked cars or building terraces, they find none. With all their pent up frustrations, they each breakdown, only differently. A Goa trip, which seems to be the answer to most troubles that plague the people of Mumbai, comes to their rescue, and it is there – in the land of the sun, sand and sea – that they finally come to terms with everything’s that’s wrong with their lives. And like every good break, it leaves them more whole and happy. Also read: Tu Hai Mera Sunday song Thodi Si Jagah: Arijit Singh’s lovely vocals complement Barun Sobti’s sense of longing

What’s hot

Tu Hai Mera Sunday stands true to its genre, which is commendable since there must have been temptations to veer away into safe zones such as romantic-comedy, boy banter, or even drama. That’s what works best for the film, apart from superlative performances by almost everyone. While nuanced and layered, every character is still kept extremely relatable. You can find yourself agreeing to what the character is doing – sharing in their joys and commiserating with them in their sorrows. And that’s only possible when you have actors who don’t ‘act’ but rather ‘live’ their character. You can easily see the equation that the actors must share, for it is impossible to fake such candidness. Both Barun Sobti and Shahana Goswami are flawless, their awkward chemistry reminding you of you own hesitance while dealing with matters of the heart. Even the rest of the cast – right from the lady who plays Dominic’s mother to the one who plays the amnesia-stricken dad of Kavya – everyone is spot on! And while it lags a little in the second half, the film is overall an easy-breezy affair, not dragging itself self-indulgently.

What’s not

As is the case with Bollywood films, this one, too, falls prey to the cliches. So you have the lecherous and impudent boss, who derives sadistic pleasure in harassing his employees, and also the overly-devotional Gujarati family, who only chant mantras or count their pennies. A film like this could have easily steered clear of all that. Also, while the songs were pleasant, they were rather forgettable. A slice-of-life film can highly benefit from a tune that’s hummable and stays with you, like an aftertaste, long after you have watched the film. Also read: Heard this! Barun Sobti asked the makers of Tu Hai Mera Sunday to tone down love-making scenes with Shahana Goswami

What to do

Tu Hai Mera Sunday is one of those films that will make for a pleasant watch over the weekend, making you ponder over the futility of the rat race and might make you consider pursuing the deeper aspects of your existence. And it will entertain you. You should definitely go for this one.