Two moments in this sequel-each presenting diametrically opposite ends of the couple's journey-are designed to lull viewers into hypnotic submission. One involves Lata Mangeshkar, and another has Geeta Dutt: The film opens with the classic Pyaar ki dhun wafting over their happily-ever-after wedding montage, symbolically 'the end' of Tanu weds Manu. And later, haunted by Dutt's mesmeric Ja Ja Ja Bewafa, drunken Tanu (Ranaut) roams the night coming to terms with not so much their divorce as Manu's (Madhavan) second wedding.

Expect all you can from this Anand L Rai sequel. The film is a happy experience that will keep you in splits throughout. Right from the beginning, 'Tanu Weds Manu Returns' successfully keeps your attention intact, scene-per-scene. The old Hindi film song playing in the opening credit roll gives the screenplay such a typical 'Indian wedding' feel.

Never judge a marriage by its wedding. Once the dazzle of unrestrained celebration fades out and rose-tinted glasses fall off one's nose, the stress of matrimony rapidly sets in leaving the best of couples struggling with disappointment and rancour. Even the oddball couple of Tanu Weds Manu cannot escape this pressure despite their dramatic union in the frothy first edition. In its follow-up five years later, they're married and settled in London but domestic bliss is nowhere in sight what with all the bickering about their relationship's monotony and expectations in a mental asylum.

Around five years ago, a film named TANU WEDS MANU hit the silver screens. In a world of vfx, gadgets and gizmos, this film not just stood out, but also proved to be a huge box-office hit, purely because of its simple content and easy-to-digest plot and very relatable performances by its cast. This week, the film's sequel titled TANU WEDS MANU RETURNS hits the silver screen.

As Geeta Dutt's Ja Ja Ja Bewafa (from Aar Paar) plays in the background, a thoroughly inebriated Tanu (Kangana Ranaut) wobbles towards her husband Manu (R Madhavan), a glass of whiskey-soda-ice in hand. She wanders around the dark alleys of the town, waking a palmist up, pulling hairdressers out of their sleep, and is tragicomedy personified. In a one-line review, Aanand L Rai's sequel to his 2011 Tanu Weds Manu is a film that packs in extreme doses of stomach-clutching laughter and the occasional drop of tear, and is extremely enjoyable, to say the least.

We never thought there'd be a sequel to Tanu Weds Manu. After all, they were, as Woody Allen would say, "a match made in heaven, by a retarded angel." But Bollywood and happily-ever-afters go back a long way. So Tanu wed Manu and then she was whisked away to London by her doctor saab, where they lived happily ever after... Or did they? The sequel is basically a picture of the much taken for granted ellipses that follow a "happily ever after". In this case "ever after" came with an expiry date of four years. Now Tanu and Manu are a bitter, constantly bickering couple, and for some reason they are on their way to a mental asylum in Twickenham to seek marriage counselling.

Once in a while, an actor overpowers the movie, and Kangana Ranaut does that with this one. It takes a lot of effort to take your eyes off this girl, who dazzles with dual performances, as she plays two dramatically diagonal roles - one as the ebullient, effervescent, free spirited Tanu and the other as the rustic Haryanvi, budding athlete Kusum. As she moves from one role to another with such incredible ease, ironically making it increasingly difficult for you to believe that it is the same actor who's played the two roles. And that is a huge achievement.

A crowd pleaser is a film that induces seeti and taali from the audience, making sure they go back home feeling they've spent their money on something cheerful. One way to do this is to flesh out a story with an unusual conflict and resolve that conflict in ways that surprise the audience, while also shoehorning a social message into the film in the process. This is difficult to do and as a result, rare. Queen belonged to this rare breed of films.

Great films are rare. Rarer still are the ones where key fields of filmmaking like direction, writing and acting all converge with same amount of brilliance. That's exactly what happens with Tanu Weds Manu Returns (TWMR). Not only is it a sequel better than its predecessor, it's a movie that engages you and captivates you like no other. It creates a happy feeling for its audience. The exact emotional hit, Queen made last year. Most of that credit goes to Kangana Ranaut's stellar efforts.

Kanpur wali 'teekhi mirch' Tanu is back. So is Manu, the 'bheegi billi' from London. Four years back, in 'Tanu Weds Manu', they met, sparred, and mated. Now, they are still together, but the marriage has become more a rattle of guns than a bed of roses. Will the strife cause permanent fissures, or is it just a temporary fork in the road? Tanu and Manu step apart to see what they see, and we get a sequel which is better than the original.

Movie sequels are all too often horribly musty affairs. Tanu Weds Manu Returns isn't one. Notwithstanding the stray false notes that the film strikes, especially in the run-up to the climax, it is a bright and breezy romp that draws sustenance from its droll dialogues, outstanding cast of actors and all-round jollity. The film hits the ground running, cruises along like a song until its final moments, where it comes close to losing its way just a tad. But one leaves the auditorium with a smile on the face, having witnessed the misadventures of an array of flawed but loveably high-spirited characters who thrive on confusion.

Tanuja Trivedi and Manu Sharma are back with Tanu Weds Manu Returns. And so are Pappi, Payal, Jassi and Raja Awasthi. Director Anand L Rai's sequel to his 2011 hit film Tanu Weds Manu, hits theatres on Friday, four years after the first film won hearts and box offices. Tanu Weds Manu Returns traces the problems of a love marriage: You fall in love with someone, but with time personalities change; while some of us learn to grow up or grow old with the one we loved, most of us feel disappointed and irritated.

Straight away, Tanu Weds Manu Returns is a total delight that keeps you laughing, sighing, cheering - and guessing throughout. After a stormy romance, Tanu (Kangana) married Manu (Madhavan) four years ago. But in London, the sparks between them die. Separating sourly, Tanu returns to her hometown, lighting Kanpur up with her wild-child Bohemian ways while Manu mopes in Delhi until he meets Haryanvi athlete Kusum (Kangana) - who resembles the woman he once loved. Will Manu and Kusum find romance - despite Tanu returning to Manu's life?