Tara Rum Pum

Ta Ra Rum Pum is a popcorn fluff, lighthearted take on how life can fall apart in an instant, yet how the human spirit can ultimately overcome all obstacles. Easy on the eyes and ears, Siddharth Anands second film is ample proof that the director knows the pulse of the audience.

The story is simple - Ranveer Singh popularly known as RV(Saif Ali Khan), a tyre changer at the racing pit stop, meets a team manager, Jaaved Jaaferi, becomes a race car driver, becomes famous overnight, meets and woos the love of his life Radhika (Rani Mukherjee). Not the kind to plan his life, he spends all his money providing a beautiful house, fast cars and the best for his wife and children. An accident on the race car track, puts him put of action for a year. He attempts a comeback; unfortunately he has lost the winning streak and the speed that had once made him the star that he was. The family loses everything, thanks to RVs spendthrift habits. To hide the fact that they are now poor, the parents invent a story for the kids, telling them that they are all participating in a reality show, for which they have to pretend to be poor( Faintly reminiscent of Life is Beautiful). A series of fortuitous events force RV to return to the racing car track and reclaim everything that destiny had caused him to lose.

The story is predictable in that the audience knows that family will ultimately get back what they have lost, yet it is good for a once-watch. Older kids will be able to understand the thought behind the movie, which is a good thing, because the movie does nothing of the boring preach from the pedestal kind of philosophy. Thankfully, the movie is not slow or boring, the length of 2 1/2 hours is just enough to keep the audiences in the theatre to the end. It does not feel like a waste of time, instead makes for an entertaining evening with the family.

Some scenes are particularly striking Radhika plays the piano in a fancy restaurant to earn money and looks up, expecting to hear applause, but then realizes that she is playing at a restaurant, not a concert. RV breaks down and cries in his taxi, when he is unable to drive fast enough to earn that additional money from his passenger in a hurry.

Rani Mukherjee once again proves that she is indeed Queen Bee of the marquee, while Saif Khan delivers an effortless performance. Moments of happiness, anguish, laughter and pain are all well-portrayed by the protagonists. The children do what they should, look cute and act well. Jaaved Jaaferi does his Gujju act with lan, without caricaturing the community, , even occasionally shaking a leg,proving that he is one of the most under-utilized actors in showbiz today. His witty one-liners are unforced and natural. Victor Bannerjee as Radhikas father and Bharat Dabholkar as Billy Bhatia do due justice to their small roles.

Costumes by Surily Goel for Rani Mukherjee go from kitschy, when Rani plays a teenager, to simple jeans and tees, when she plays mom of two. They very well define her character and role in the movie. One would think that even poverty in a Yashraj movie would be opulent and magnificent, but the sets look genuine, the apartment that the family moves into after their loss does look poor.

Dialogues just about pass muster, cinematography is of the level that can be expected from a Yashraj movie. The car racing sequences are well-done and shot nicely, though nothing quite beats the excitement and euphoria of Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikanders climactic adrenaline-pumping cycling race scene.

The music is foot-tapping and easy on the ears, lyrics not too profound, but they go well with the general pace of the movie.

The final verdict however came from my daughter, who thoroughly enjoyed the movie, especially the title track with the dancing bears and the car racing sequences. As we walked out of the theatre, my tiny tot, all of 3 years,exclaimed Mumma, I liked the movie.