TUM BIN II (U/A)
Director: Anubhav Sinha
Cast: Neha Sharma, Aditya Seal, Aashim Gulatii, Kanwaljit Singh
Running time: 146 minutes

Fifteen years ago, Tum Bin became the ideal date movie for many a young couple in the throes of first love. The bittersweet romance won many me-too fans, Priyanshu Chatterjee’s intensity felled many a fangirl and the music — scored by the little known Nikhil-Vinay, but featuring the voices of Sonu Nigam and Jagjit Singh — caught on big time, translating into a sleeper hit at the box office. Even today, I watch bits of Tum Bin — the film hasn’t aged well enough to merit a whole watch — whenever it beams on TV.

The story of two men in love with the same girl is old wine in an even older bottle, but Tum Bin gave it a fresh spin by introducing many more layers — friendship gone awry, conflict on many levels and the helplessness of unspoken love. Tum Bin II — directed by Anubhav Sinha, who also helmed the first film — does away with all these elements, oversimplifying the story to the point of making it boring and banal. Overlong at 146 minutes and a botched-up climax later, there’s nothing much in this romance that will appeal to any section of the audience.

To be fair, Tum Bin II does have its moments, especially those that star newcomer Aditya Seal. The model-turned-actor turns in a confident act as the third wheel in the relationship between Amar (debutant Aashim Gulatii) and Taran (Neha Sharma). The childhood friends are on a pre-honeymoon vacay in the Alps when Amar goes missing in a skiing accident. Missing for months, he’s given up for dead, when Shekhar (Aditya) enters Taran’s life and makes her smile again. The two fall in love, but in a typical Bolly twist, Amar returns to complicate the equation between Shekhar and Taran.

While Tum Bin II scores whenever Aditya is on screen — the young actor has quite a presence — the rest of the film is a drag. Both Neha Sharma and Aashim Gulatii make you feel you have stumbled into a furniture store… yes, they are that wooden.

The biggest letdown is Ankit Tiwari’s music. It’s only Jagjit Singh’s honey-dipped voice singing Koi fariyaad from the first film that makes you go back 15 years… tum bin jiya hai kaise, kaise jiya jaye tum bin, sadiyon se lambi hai raatein, sadiyon se lambe huye din….

Some originals are best left untouched.

Priyanka Roy