Tara vs Bilal, starring Harshvardhan Rane and Sonia Rathee and produced by John Abraham, had a very limited release in cinemas on October 28. But it was released on Netflix yesterday, December 23. The story is amusing and a few moments are quite funny. Director Samar Iqbal impresses with the way he executes some of the romantic and emotional scenes, especially in the second half. There’s a proper backstory of the lead characters and that’s a welcome change since a lot of films nowadays just skip this important aspect. The story is progressive and the LGBTQ romance track is handled sensitively. The song ‘Teri Ho Gayi’ is quite exhilarating. On the flipside, several plot points are silly and difficult to digest. The beginning portions are not worth it. In fact, the film takes a while to make a mark. Also, it’s bewildering why the director failed to tackle the track of the closet homosexual’s father. Why introduce it in the first place if it’s not going to be utilized later on? Speaking of performances, Harshvardhan Rane is terrific and delivers one of the finest performances of the year. He gets the British accent right and he shines in the emotional scenes. The best part is that he makes it look very effortless. Sonia Rathee is a great discovery and delivers a confident performance. Mona Ambegaonkar (Farzana), Niki Walia (Gurmehar aka Daisy) and Deepika Amin (Shanno) are great in the supporting roles. Raheem Mir (Ritz) leaves a huge mark. Pranay Manchanda (Piggy) is dependable. Shagufta Ali (Zoya) gets limited scope. All in all, Tara vs Bilal is a sweet Bollywood romcom, a rarity nowadays, and worth watching this festive season.
My rating – *** out of 5!