Toh Baat Pakki!

Synopsis

The film is focused on Rajeshwari Saxena (Tabu), a clever middle-class woman who is married to Surinder Saxena (Ayub Khan). She is currently looking for a groom for her sister Nisha (Yuvika Chaudhary), who she wants to get married to a rich, successful boy. She happens to meet Rahul (Sharman Joshi) while grocery shopping. He is studying to be an engineer and is also a Saxena. Grabbing the opportunity, she offers him a room in her house. There, Rahul chances to meet Nisha, Rajeshwari's sister. They fall in love (pushed by Rajeshwari), and Rahul agrees to marry Nisha. The wedding celebrations are in full swing, when Yuvraj (Vatsal Sheth) happens to come to Rajeshwari's house. He has a permanent job and would be getting a house next month. And he is also a Saxena. Upon seeing a better choice of groom for her sister, Rajeshwari tricks Rahul into vacating the room. Yuvraj starts staying in the now empty room. He meets Nisha and falls in love with her. Now, the wedding plans have altered slightly. The groom has changed. When Rahul finds out about this, he plans to outwit Rajeshwari at her own game. Yuvraj comes to know the entire thing. He steps aside and asks Rajeshwari to accept Rahul. Rajeshwari realises her folly. Rahul and Nisha wed and go on their honeymoon.

Production

The film was first announced by Yuvika Chaudhary in the September 2008. She had recently starred in Om Shanti Om and later in Summer 2007. She says that she has got a jump-start in Bollywood but the film got delayed too much and finally released in the February 2010. She also added that the cast and crew was already decided by then.

The movie stars Tabu who has returned to movies after three years. She was last seen in Cheeni Kum alongside Amitabh Bacchan and later on in a cameo appearance in the movie Om Shanti Om. This created great publicity of the film during production. The movie marked Tabu's return and she is also due for another film by Sanjay Gupta.

The movie also stars Sharman Joshi who is a friend of the director, Kedar Shinde. Kedar Shinde knew no other actors on the sets except for Sharman. He helped the director work with other actors.

Release

The film was actually scheduled to release in the September 2009 but because of the multiplex strike the movie was delayed by five months and finally released on 19 February 2010. This proved that Sharman Joshi's only release in 2009 was 3 Idiots.

Toh Baat Pakki failed to do well at the box office upon its release. It performed between 10–15% in the first week. This was a great shock to the public as well as the crew as the movie was highly publicised. The movie along with Click and Aakhari Decision, which were released together, did not perform well. The movie, which wanted to portray a sweet and entertaining story, failed in terms of entertainment. This proved that My Name Is Khan, which was released the previous week, still dominated the Box Office. In the first two-three days Click ruled over Toh Baat Pakki but later Toh Baat Pakki gained collections. The film grossed Rs. 34,500,000 and is declared a flop

Reviews

The movie received fairly positive reviews though most of them said that the film was an entertainment failure. Nikhat Kazmi of Times of India, who rated the movie 3 on 5, says that the movie becomes a must watch as it marks the return of Tabu. He says that the senior, experienced actor chooses light-hearted comedy this time. He appreciates the acting as well as the direction. He says, "Well, Toh Baat Pakki may not be as riveting as the 80s entertainers, yet it rides high on sheer nostalgia. Also, it presents a different kind of cinema in an age that lays great emphasis on high decibel, larger-than-life drama."

Taran Adarsh of IndiaFM, who rates the movie 2 on 5, says that the story is good but when the movie unfolds itself on the screen, it turns half as interesting. He gives mixed reviews. He says that the first half of the movie is catching while the second half loses its essence at times. He praises Tabu, Sharman and Ayub for their performances which he tells that Vatsal and Yuvika haven't done their best. "On the whole", he says, "Toh Baat Pakki has a few interesting moments, but not enough to keep you hooked."

Mayank Shekhar of Hindustan Times, who rates the movie 1.5 on 5, gives mainly negative reviews. He tells that the film is mainly for those who love family dramas and emotions. He also adds that the sets and locations were along with the music.He says that the plot is inappropriate and the film continues on and "Why Tabu, really!" Overall the film received mostly positive reviews and the readers rating was 3.5.

Soundtrack

The soundtrack consists 10 songs composed by Pritam Chakraborty whose biggest hits include Life in a... Metro, Jab We Met, Bhool Bhulaiya, etc. The track wasn't much appreciated as the public had expected something very good as Pritam is a reputed music director. OneIndia tells that the music has got mainly Punjabi mix beats like Jis Din and Dil Le Jaa. Taran Adarsh comments that the movie's music is poor except for Jis Din. which was written by Mayur Puri.