R. Madhavan, Kangana Ranaut, Jimmy Sheirgill, Deepak Dobriyal, Swara Bhaskar, and Eijaz Khan reprise their roles from the original film.

Tanu Weds Manu Returns held the former record for highest opening weekend collections for a female-lead film in India which was later surpassed by Ranaut's own Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi in 2019.

[9] Tanu Weds Manu Returns received critical acclaim, with particular praise directed towards Ranaut's performance, with many considering it one of the best Bollywood sequels ever made.

In Kanpur at her parents' home, Tanu encounters a crafty law student called Chintu who has become a lodger but refuses to pay rent or vacate the room.

One day Manu goes to Delhi University to give a medical speech, where he sees Kusum Sangwan, a young Haryanvi student-athlete, who resembles Tanu.

As Pappi tries to convince Komal, Kusum is mistaken by everyone at the wedding as Tanu, including Payal, who tells her she had a test-tube baby secretly as Jassi had azoospermia.

Following the positive response to Tanu Weds Manu post release in February 2011, the team considered making a sequel to carry the story forward showing the next chapter of the couple's life.

[13][14] In September 2011, Sunil Lulla of Eros International announced that they had signed on director Aanand L. Rai to work on a second part of the film titled Tanu Weds Manu: Season 2.

[16][17] In January 2012, the project was postponed to allow Anand Rai to proceed with another venture Raanjhanaa (2013), while the makers also wanted Ranaut to finish her commitments with Krrish 3 (2013) as the sequel demanded a different look.

[18][19] Following the release and success of Raanjhanaa in July 2013, Anand Rai confirmed that the sequel to Tanu Weds Manu was still active and would feature the original cast in the leading roles, playing down reports that Imran Khan and Anushka Sharma were to replace them.

[20][21] Screenwriter Himanshu Sharma began working on the film in July 2013 and revealed that only the first ten minutes would have a London backdrop, before the story returns to Lucknow, Kanpur and Delhi.

[23] She later confirmed that she would play a dual role in the film, that of an athlete apart from Tanu, and the team scouted for a body double to be used in scenes featuring both characters.

Upon release, Tanu Weds Manu: Returns garnered widespread critical acclaim, with Ranaut's performance receiving particular praise.

[37] Stutee Ghosh of The Quint gave the film a rating of 5/5 and wrote, ‘‘Tanu Weds Manu Returns is gob-smackingly good; It is a laugh riot and keeps you engaged till the end’’.

Praising Ranaut's performance she further wrote, ‘‘In an industry where a ‘‘double – role” entails merely sporting two different shades of lipstick, Kangana is a delight to watch.

[38] Srijana Mitra Das of Times of India gave the film a rating of 4.5/5 and wrote, ‘‘Tanu Weds Manu Returns is a total delight that keeps you laughing, sighing, cheering and guessing throughout’’.

[42] Ananya Bhattacharya of India Today gave the film a rating of 4/5 and wrote, ‘‘Tanu Weds Manu Returns deserves a watch for the sheer brilliance that it is, and the way Kangana has nailed her roles’’.

They wrote, ‘‘Tanu Weds Manu Returns is a must watch, especially for Kangana's spellbinding performance, outstanding plot and amazing one-liners’’.

Praising her performance she wrote, ‘‘As Datto her body language, which alternates between assertive and serene depending on the surrounding, and the sureness with which she rattles off her mother tongue is nothing short of flawless and as Tanu the talented star's calibre shines through in her understanding of a wife's thinly veiled manipulations that are but an attempt to restore what she haughtily believes to be rightly hers.

[47] Sarita Tanwar of DNA gave the film a rating of 3.5/5 and called its dialogues ‘‘great’’, its characters ‘‘endearing’’ and the performances ‘‘top class’’.

[49] Anuj Kumar of The Hindu wrote, ‘‘Known for creating a tangible atmosphere of small town, the team once again hit the ground running and doesn’t leave the audience’s pulse for even a moment’’.

Calling Ranaut's performance in the film ‘‘gutsy’’ he further wrote, ‘‘Carrying forward her good form, it is a double delight from Kangana as she brilliantly delineates both the characters.

[53] Prarthna Sarkar of International Business Times gave the film a rating of 4.5/5 and wrote, ‘‘To make a sequel better than its prequel is a tough challenge, but director Aanand.

[9] After watching Tanu Weds Manu Returns, Deepanjana Pal of Firstpost stated that this movie could make Ranaut the female Khan of Bollywood.

[77] After the success of the film, S. Shivakumar of The Hindu stated, ‘‘Kangana Ranaut will not be on the wish-list of the Khans of Bollywood for a co-star because of her intimidating screen presence; She doesn’t need them’’.

[78] Kunal Purandare of Forbes India called Ranaut the ‘outsider’ who rules Bollywood and stated, ‘‘The success of Tanu Weds Manu Returns which made a whopping ₹150 crore-plus business at the box office meant that the industry could no longer turn a blind eye to her.

[81] Devesh Sharma of Filmfare listed Tanu Weds Manu Returns as one of the best Bollywood films featuring double roles.

[85] On the occasion of International Women's Day, 2019, ZEE5 listed Tanu Weds Manu Returns as one of the eleven Bollywood films that depict how feminism is done right.

[87] Bollywood actor Rishi Kapoor called Tanu Weds Manu Returns a modern-day version of his own classic film Prem Rog (1982).

[90] Srijana Mitra Das of Times of India called Ranaut's portrayal of a dual-role in the film as one of the finest double roles ever in Hindi cinema.