Ishana (Ahan Shetty), a Mussoorie native, falls in love with Ramisa, the daughter of a local politician who attended university in London (Tara Sutaria). While it may appear to be a simple storey about a rich girl who falls in love with a poor boy at first, as the film progresses, it becomes clear that there is more to it than just that.
Any filmmaker will tell you that introducing a newcomer is a difficult task. The importance of portraying them in the best possible light cannot be overstated. However, it is essential to provide the actor in question with sufficient space to display his or her wares. Tadap, directed by Milan Luthria, establishes its purpose within the first few seconds of the film’s opening sequence: to showcase debutant Ahan Shetty’s abilities as an angry action hero motivated by his passion for his ladylove, Tara Sutaria. The film is a remake of the 2018 Telugu film RX 100, which was based on a true storey and released in theatres.
The first half of Tadap’s storey appears to be a typical love storey about a poor boy’s romance with a wealthy girl, who appears to have been forcibly married off to another mister of her father’s choosing until the intermission. Following the intermission, the narrative is suddenly confronted with a mountain of unpacking and is compelled to reveal everything that led to the lovers’ separation as quickly as possible. He is intense, fierce, and profoundly passionate, as evidenced by Ishana’s character graph, which remains consistent throughout the film. What Ahan accomplishes in his feature film debut is shown in the trailer below. His determination to internalise a complex character such as Ishana is palpable in his feature film directorial debut. The fact that Ahan has an impressive screen presence and that his feature debut has a spark, despite the fact that his dialogue delivery could be improved, says a lot about him. Although screenwriter Rajat Aroraa (screenplay and dialogues) and director Milan Luthria have attempted to portray him as a true-blue action-romance hero, they have padded the film with hefty dialogues that are almost poetic and stuck in some sort of time warp, as well as plot points that serve the storey ineffectively.
It is heartwarming and convincing to see Saurabh Shukla in the role of Ahan’s adoptive father, who is affectionately known as “Daddy” throughout the town of Mussoorie. He gives this storey a sense of weight by including it in his memoir. Ishana’s love interest is played by Tara Sutaria. Ramisa is absolutely stunning in every frame, whether she’s being playful, romantic, or emotional, as she is throughout the film. Aside from a plot twist in the second half, she could have been even more impressive if the screenplay had allowed for more opportunities. When it comes to the narrative, the film stumbles, which causes it to feel rushed for its short running time. While Tadap appears to be sluggish in the first half, it literally takes off in the second half, unravelling dramatic twists and turns and incorporating some intense action scenes. In the end, as a viewer, one wishes that some of the content from the second half had been incorporated into the first to make the film a more engrossing viewing experience.
It’s easy to hum along to Pritam’s songs. It is the cinematography that romanticises Mussoorie as a city, which transforms it into a dreamy and beautiful setting that serves as a lovely backdrop for the romantic storey. It should come as no surprise that Tadap is a blatantly commercial potboiler of sorts. However, the fact that it is riddled with tropes and sequences that make it appear jaded for the era in which it is set cannot be overlooked.Additionally, the passion in this love storey frequently falls flat, as the writing is unable to keep it together as a whole.
Tadap is a three-star film in my opinion, and to summarise, while the film unapologetically panders to the gallery with action, music, and well-shot visuals, it would have greatly benefited if the screenplay had given the actors more opportunities to drive home a more memorable love story.
