A Familiar Tale with a Circular Twist
Rajkummar Rao and Wamiqa Gabbi lead Bhool Chuk Maaf, a Hindi-language romantic comedy set in the cultural chaos of Banaras. Directed by Karan Sharma and produced by Maddock Films, the movie tries to infuse a modern love story with philosophical undertones and a dash of magical realism. At the center of the narrative is a time loop — a device that promises excitement but ends up overstaying its welcome.
Ranjan (Rajkummar Rao), a middle-class dreamer, is desperate to marry his sweetheart Titli (Wamiqa Gabbi). Her father’s only condition? A secure government job. Ranjan’s jugaad-fueled shortcut to employment sets off a cosmic consequence: he’s trapped in an endless replay of his haldi ceremony. What unfolds is a chaotic carousel of missed opportunities, moral reckoning, and existential panic — all sprinkled with North Indian quirks and matrimonial melodrama.
Performances: Dependable Cast, Mixed Impact
The cast is a dream team of seasoned character actors. Seema Pahwa as the pickle-selling matriarch, Raghubir Yadav as the laidback father, and Sanjay Mishra as the shady fixer, all deliver reliably earthy performances. Their presence lends authenticity and flavor to the Banaras backdrop.
Rajkummar Rao, who has now become synonymous with small-town India narratives, delivers another earnest performance. But therein lies the problem — he’s starting to feel like a rerun. There’s a sense of déjà vu in his portrayal of Ranjan; his everyman charm, though intact, lacks surprise. Wamiqa Gabbi, on the other hand, brings a spirited freshness. As Titli, she’s fiery, unpredictable, and often more grounded than her male counterpart.
Narrative: Strong Start, Stumbling Execution
The Premise Holds Promise… Initially
There’s something universally engaging about time-loop stories — they tap into our fear of stagnation and our yearning for second chances. Bhool Chuk Maaf builds an intriguing setup. The loop serves as a narrative metaphor for how we often fail to learn from past mistakes — both in life and love.
But as the minutes roll on, the novelty wears thin. The screenplay keeps going in circles, quite literally. For every moment of clever insight, there are two of aimless wandering. The film seems unsure of whether it wants to be a satire, a fable, or a feel-good wedding rom-com. Instead of deepening the emotional arc, it gets caught up in loud background scores, forgettable songs, and repetitive gags.
Themes and Social Commentary
To its credit, Bhool Chuk Maaf attempts to scratch beneath the surface. Through humour and situational absurdity, it touches upon themes like youth unemployment, middle-class morality, and the transactional nature of faith. There’s even a quiet commentary on gender dynamics, subtly told through the household’s financial dependency on the mother.
But these commentaries are rarely allowed to breathe. The film’s second half tries to cram too much — divine retribution, societal guilt, and romantic redemption — into a structure already straining under the weight of its time-loop premise.
Final Verdict
Bhool Chuk Maaf is a film that almost works. It has a clever core idea, a charming cast, and moments of genuine heart. But it falters in execution, losing steam with its repetitive structure and tonal confusion. Rajkummar Rao and Wamiqa Gabbi do their best to carry the story forward, but the loop they’re trapped in feels too real — and not in a good way.
Still, if you enjoy light-hearted social satires with a mythological twist and don’t mind some narrative stumbles, this film might be worth a weekend watch.