The same-old small-town comedy rerun

In the 1993 comedy Groundhog Day—the gold standard for time-loop films—Bill Murray finds himself stuck in a nightmare. Groundhog Day isn't just about a man reliving his worst day; it's a metaphor for life itself.

- KARTIK BHARDWAJ

In the 1993 comedy Groundhog Day—the gold standard for time-loop films—Bill Murray finds himself stuck in a nightmare. Groundhog Day isn't just about a man reliving his worst day; it's a metaphor for life itself. Without any fanfare, the film imparts simple but vital life lessons. Living is all about giving. Nothing changes until we do. Bhool Chuk Maaf takes an eternity to arrive at these basics. It meanders, feels scattered, and goes in a loop, unable to find its center.

Ranjan (Rajkummar Rao) and Titli (Wamiqa Gabbi) are eager to get married, but the latter's father won't allow it till the boy has a government job. Ranjan pays, prays, and somehow manages to bag one. It's all hunky-dory till he finds himself stuck in his Haldi day, hearing the same wisecracks, dirtying his slippers in the same cow dung, and witnessing the same flowerpot break. It takes some time, but Ranjan finally arrives at the question: Whom did he do wrong?