Best friends Hardik and Bhavik dream of getting rich quick and turn to betting for easy money. Their scheme spirals out of control and traps them between the mafia, the police and a pack of gamblers. What follows is a frantic, comic chase as the duo scramble to escape the mess they made.
Tamburo arrived in August 2017 with a marquee push that few Gujarati comedies get, presented by Bollywood director Rohit Shetty and built around a young Pratik Gandhi years before Scam 1992 made him a household name. The story runs on what the film calls the three P's, paisa, property and pyaar. Two friends, Hardik and Bhavik, want to get rich without doing the work, wander into betting, and end up chased by the mafia, the police and a crowd of gamblers they cannot shake off. It is a caper built for broad laughs rather than logic.
Critics were lukewarm. The Times of India handed it a two out of five and audiences on the same portal settled around 2.7, praising the energy but flagging a thin, familiar plot and humor that swings between clever and loud. What the film did have was a cast that earns the noise. Pratik Gandhi and Bharat Chawda play the scheming duo with real comic timing, Manoj Joshi anchors the older lot, and there is early screen work from Janki Bodiwala and Ojas Rawal.
The result is uneven. The setup is fun, the middle sags under too many subplots, and the resolution ties up more neatly than the chaos deserves. Yet the film found a decent audience in theaters and has kept a modest afterlife on streaming, partly because so many of its faces went on to bigger Gujarati and Hindi projects. Watch it as a light, undemanding crime-comedy and as a time capsule of the urban Dhollywood wave finding its feet. Expect a few genuine laughs, a game ensemble, and not much that stays with you once the lights come up.
Verdict
A loud, likeable crime-comedy that leans on its cast more than its script. Fun in the moment, forgettable after, but a neat time capsule of early urban Dhollywood.
What works
- Pratik Gandhi and Bharat Chawda's comic timing
- A big-name push from presenter Rohit Shetty
- Energetic ensemble with future Dhollywood stars
- Light, easy caper premise
What holds it back
- Thin, familiar plot
- Middle sags under too many subplots
- Humor swings from clever to loud
- Modest critical reception
Cast & crew
Writers: Sumit Bonkar, Rahul Yashod
Cast: Pratik Gandhi (Bhavik), Bharat Chawda (Hardik), Manoj Joshi (Kirit Bhai), Ojas Rawal (Sultan), Jayesh More (Sanjay Hegde), Hemang Dave (Kalpesh), Prasad Barve (Chirag), Janki Bodiwala (Dimple)
Producers: Rohit Shetty (presenter), Shailesh Sanghvi (S3 Films)
Watch the trailer
Play the official trailer on YouTubeMore Comedy Gujarati films
Frequently asked
Is Tamburo worth watching?
A loud, likeable crime-comedy that leans on its cast more than its script. Fun in the moment, forgettable after, but a neat time capsule of early urban Dhollywood. Kevu Che rates it 2.5 out of 5.
What is Tamburo about?
Best friends Hardik and Bhavik dream of getting rich quick and turn to betting for easy money. Their scheme spirals out of control and traps them between the mafia, the police and a pack of gamblers. What follows is a frantic, comic chase as the duo scramble to escape the mess they made.
What is the IMDb rating of Tamburo?
Tamburo (2017) holds an IMDb rating of 6.6 out of 10 from 49 votes.