Toh Ani Mee: Ek Runanubandh

Surrogacy is considered a boon by many families that have benefited from the procedure in today’s times. But there’s a dark side to it too.

Commercial surrogacy had turned into a thriving business for hospitals and a money-making opportunity for surrogates who volunteered without knowing much about the process. So, in a way, it’s good that a film has taken note of this bit but even then, one shouldn’t be made to endure Toh Ani Mee: Ek Runanubandh (TAMER, for those who get bored of spelling it out).

Subodh (Bhave) and his wife (Shinde) live an unhappy married life, one of the reasons being them unable to have a baby. Though Subodh is ready to go the medical way, his wife isn’t very confident about it. So, with the help of his doctor friend Rohit (Oak), Subodh opts for surrogacy, without the knowledge of his wife. Things turn topsy-turvy when the wife as well as the media learns of this. Subodh’s name is maligned and the surrogate mother Nidhi (Joshi) too bears the brunt of this.

Let’s get to the crux of the matter now. A film named such will deter viewers in the first place. Those who overlook that bit and buy a ticket might just walk out in the interval and those who chose to stay post that will think twice before taking any risks again.

This is one of those films that turns TGIF into OGIF (Oh God, It’s Friday). It wants to say a lot but ends up saying almost nothing. There are the typical characters (read: exploited lover, uninterested husband, hurt wife, angry father-in-law, caring mother, over-enthusiastic grandfather and gutsy friend) whose contribution is, again, almost nothing.

TAMER, perhaps, wants to bank on Subodh Bhave’s newfound popularity post Katya Kaljat Ghusli but it’s not just a star’s popularity that maketh a film. Content matters too.