A
lot
of
present-day
directors
seem
inspired
by
Hrishikesh
Mukherjee
and
Basu
Chatterjee's
movies.
The
veterans
told
simple
stories
in
the
most
simplistic
manner.
Director
Kedarh
Shinde,
one
presumes,
also
seems
inspired
by
their
master
works
and
attempts
to
narrate
a
story
that's
identifiable
and
at
the
same
time,
dipped
in
humour.
But
Toh
Baat
Pakki
is
not
as
invigorating
as
one
expects
it
to
be.
The
film
has
some
wonderful
moments,
some
old-world
charm,
but
the
humour,
at
several
points,
falls
flat.
Especially
towards
the
penultimate
portions.
Final
word?
It's
a
half-baked
fare!
Rajeshwari
[Tabu],
married
to
Vinay
[Ayub
Khan],
dreams
of
getting
her
sister
Nisha
[Yuvika
Choudry]
married
to
the
most
suitable
boy
within
their
Saxena
community.
Also,
Rajeshwari
is
against
the
dowry
system.
Rajeshwari
finds
a
good
Saxena
boy
studying
engineering
and
has
prospects
of
a
promising
future.
Rahul
[Sharman
Joshi]
is
a
good
proposition
for
her
sister
and
she
even
gets
him
to
move
into
her
house
as
a
paying
guest.
However,
when
Rajeshwari
learns
that
Rahul
is
not
interested
in
marriage,
she
smartly
devices
a
plan
to
bring
her
sister
and
make
them
get
to
know
each
other.
She's
confident
that
once
he
meets
Nisha,
there
is
no
turning
away.
They
fall
in
love.
Rajeshwari
is
happy.
Marriage
is
fixed.
Things
take
a
turn
when
Yuvraaj
[Vatsal
Sheth]
lands
up
at
Rajeshwari's
house.
Yuvraaj
is
also
a
Saxena.
He
has
a
good
job
and
is
waiting
to
move
into
his
house.
Rajeshwari
can't
believe
her
luck.
This
is
a
better
prospect.
The
story
takes
a
turn
when
Rajeshwari
tries
to
set
up
Nisha
with
Yuvraaj.
The
problem
with
most
storytellers
is,
the
story
they
choose
may
sound
convincing
at
narration
level,
but
what
eventually
unfolds
on
screen
is
half
as
convincing.
On
paper,
the
4-para
synopsis
of
Toh
Baat
Pakki
holds
promise,
but
the
screenplay,
spread
over
two
hours,
has
its
share
of
hiccups.
For
instance,
the
portions
depicting
Sharman
helping
Tabu
during
the
marriage
celebrations
are
far
from
convincing.
In
fact,
the
screenplay
starts
losing
its
grip
from
hereon.
Even
Sharman's
attempts
to
poison
Himani
Shivpuri
and
Vatsal
Sheth's
mind
appears
childish.
Ditto
for
the
abduction
drama
towards
the
end.
The
Sharat
Saxena
track
also
looks
forced.
Kedarh
Shinde's
direction
holds
your
attention
at
a
few
places
only.
Especially
during
Tabu
and
Sharman's
portions
towards
the
first
half.
But
the
patchy
writing
lets
him
down.
Pritam's
music
doesn't
work,
except
'Jis
Din
Mera
Byaah'.
Dialogues
are
too
flowery
at
times.
Tabu
is
a
pleasure
to
watch.
She's
natural
and
it
must
be
said
that
it
gets
difficult
to
move
your
eyes
when
she's
on
screen.
Sharman,
again,
is
likable
and
gets
it
right.
Vatsal
does
fairly
well.
Yuvika
doesn't
get
much
scope.
Ayub
Khan
is
passable.
Himani
Shivpuri
and
Suhasini
Mulay
are
as
usual.
Upasna
Singh
is
loud.
On
the
whole,
Toh
Baat
Pakki
has
a
few
interesting
moments,
but
not
enough
to
keep
you
hooked.
It
will
have
to
rely
on
a
strong
word
of
mouth,
especially
from
family
audiences,
to
stay
afloat.