R Balki felt Tu Jhoothi Main Makkaar had a ‘lot of lousy things’, but ‘it works like magic’

He said, “We saw this film, Tu Jhoothi Main Makkaar. After a very long time, we went to the theatre. And surprise, surprise, we just went to a theatre after a very long time, and Gauri and I were sitting and watching, and we were just so happy by the end of the film. It’s not the most perfect film, there’s a lot of lousy things about it. But it made us so damn happy.”

Balki continued, “And I just thought, ‘What is it that we don’t know that is making us so happy?’ It’s simple, pure cinema. It’s not Hindi or South or whatever. Pure cinema, love story, with a little modern touches here and there. A pristine love story, it’s got all the lovely songs, all the slow-motions, the same heroine going to the airport and the hero has to catch her, the tropes are all there, but it works like magic. Sometimes, as filmmakers, when we aim for the pocket, we wish (the audience) would take (the money) out, but we’re not allowing them to take it out, because they go to the cinema to feel better about the world, to learn something about the world, or to feel different…”

Starring Ranbir Kapoor and Shraddha Kapoor, Tu Jhoothi Main Makkaar is the third-biggest Hindi release of 2023, behind Pathaan and The Kerala Story. The film earned mixed reviews, but was hailed for bringing the romantic-comedy genre back into prominence.