Jun 22, 2013 08:16 AM
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2 years ago, Aanand L Rai delivered Tanu Weds Manu which won hearts, despite few blemishes. It’s major plus point was the manner in which it showed the real India and its people in a manner that very few films had managed to do. Rai’s next, Raanjhanaa, follows suit and thereby, instantly wins brownie points. The humourous dialogues and terrific performances were like an icing on the cake. Yet, the film is at best, an average fare thanks to its second half where the film goes for a downfall!
The story of the movie: Kundan (Dhanush) in Banaras falls in love at first sight with Zoya (Sonam Kapoor) when he is a child. The love didn’t wither away as he got into his teens. Zoya too falls for Kundan but fate has other plans. Zoya is sent away but Kundan patiently waits for her return. By the time she returns, she in a way has forgotten about Kundan, forget still being in love with him. She, instead, finds love in the firebrand aspiring neta Akram (Abhay Deol).
Raanjhanaa’s first half is sans complaint. It is colourful, vibrant and hilarious and keeps viewers hooked. Dhanush’s antics, as expected, work big time. So does the fun moments. Just one word – Outstanding! One might fear that the film might not hold well during Zoya-Akram’s flashback but that had its own charm too. The intermission point is dramatic and boasts of a fine twist. The second half commences well and the major twist at this point comes as a bolt from the blue. One expects the film to get better from here. Instead, what happens is the complete opposite – the portions fail to look convincing, be it Kundan explaining the show-thrower to blackmailing the cops or Zoya getting insecure and thereby making some wrong decisions. Same happens with climax that was completely unjustified. One keeps out of the theatre with a bitter-sweet feeling which is just not done.
Dhanush is in many ways the soul of the film. He puts his heart into the character and the result is for all to see. It’s a pleasure to see him getting slapped, doing the fun-n-cute dance moves on ‘Issaq hua’ and ‘saamne ye kaun aaya’ to even losing his temper at places. Most importantly, he makes sure that viewers don’t find his character as a jerk, even in the scene when he mischievously forces the cop into the dirty muddy water. Easily, one of the best Bollywood debuts in recent times. Hats off!
Sonam Kapoor too puts her best foot forward and does shine in some scenes, but somehow allows other terrific actors to overshadow her which could have been avoidable. Yet, an honest effort for sure! Abhay Deol leaves a mark in his supporting role. Mohd Zeeshan Ayub (Murari) is terrific and leaves a mark with his performances and one-liners. Swara Bhaskar (Bindiya) is a charmer and proves her worth once again with her out-of-the-world performance in the film. Watch out for her feeding the cow or seducing Kundan (‘sirf mere baap ke kapde faadega’…hilarious!) or in the song ‘Banarasiya’ – she rocks! Vipin Sharma (Kundan’s father) is hardly there but looks every inch a Banarasi pandit. Other actors who leave a mark are Kumud Mishra (Zoya’s father), Shilpi Marwah (Zoya’s friend) and Sujata Kumar (Chief Minister).
A R Rahman’s music is as always terrific and in sync with the flavor of the film. All songs are great but the title song, Tum Tak and Banarasiya leave a huge mark. Rahman’s background score too works big time. Bosco-Caesar’s choreography is a treat to the eyes. N Natarajan Subramaniam and Vishal Sinha’s cinematography is superb and brilliantly captures the feel and mood of the desi side of the country. Himanshu Sharma’s dialogues are undoubtedly witty, funny and even clapworthy at places. Story was and screenplay was fine till the point when the film’s mood changes from romantic-dramatic to political. That’s when the script begins to fall. Same goes for Aanand L Rai’s direction. Beginning portions are lovely and beautifully treated, as if done by a feature filmmaker with years of expertise. But the second half in a way spoils it all. Agreed that the filmmaker tried to infuse something new and come up with twists that weren’t predictable by any angle, but it somehow failed to look convincing. Same goes for the climax. All in all, a good effort and hope to see him coming up with something better in future!
Some of the good scenes in the film:
Kundan gets slapped
Zoya finds out that Kundan is Hindu
The scene at the railway station
The songs Tum Tak, Banarasiya and title track
Zoya meets Kundan after a hiatus
The scene at the pani puri stall
Zoya tells Kundan about Akram
The intermission point
Zoya and Kundan in Punjab
On the whole, Raanjhanaa commences beautifully and instantly wins hearts thanks to the superb writing, performances and the desi flavor. But the film goes on a downhill in the second half as it assumes a political tone that didn’t seem convincing. The film ends on an unjustified note too. And this is really very sad, since the film could had been a cult classic! Damn unfortunate!
My rating-** ½
