Rangoon

If I am going to watch a 'first day first show' of Rangoon, there is no need to say that I am a big Vishaal Bhardwaj fan. I started waiting for the release date since I came to know that 'Rangoon' was being directed by Mr. Bhardwaj. From very first scene to 5 minutes before the end, film is so good that you really have to appreciate the story, direction, music, acting and all. But if you talk about climax, it is so disappointing that you can't believe it is the same film. I mean, how would you feel if after having a perfect cup of Coffee in the evening, you are suddenly forced to taste the 'plum sauce'? Or, while watching a whole 'Bhardwaj' movie, you are forced to watch the climax of a typical 'David Dhawan' or 'Anees Bazmee' film? It doesn't mean that I don't like the movies of these two film directors, or I don't like 'plum sauce' at all. But is there any combination? I mean, seriously? Besides the disappointing ending, overall it is one of the best Vishaal Bhardwaj movies. It makes you feel as good as watching 'Omkara', 'Ishqiya' or 'Haider'. Cast is good. Saif Ali Khan and Shahid Kapoor are great in their roles. Kangana is the pure 'soul' of the film. She has acted really good and has looked really pretty in the film. Music is fine. Dance performances, war scenes are also great. But, if you don't want to feel as bad as I am, it is recommended to leave the hall 5 minutes prior to the ending.

Vishal Bhardwaj directed again in Shakespearean style War and Love triangle saga to give tribute to Azad Hind Fauj like he directed Maqbool, Omkara and Haider Movie. Kangana Ranaut is the USP of this movie as there is just good performance from Saif Ali Khan and Shahid Kapoor. Good Music created by Vishal and Gulzar sahab. There was so many songs which break the pace of the drama. Only Bloody Hell, Ye Ishq Hain and Mere MIyan gaye England were good to listen. Script need to be better treatment as there was more Dance or Performances of Julia but Pankaj Kumar's Cinematography is also good ingredient.

As movie has collected 6 crores on day 1 so it seems 40-50 crores will be lifetime collection.

When you see such an ensemble, you ought to expect a lot from the movie. And when it's Vishal Bhardwaj's directorial, it seems to be a cherry on the cake. But here, the cake is not so delicious. After a slow first half, the movie progresses well in the second half but fails to impress. Bhardwaj's ambitious concoct of a love story against the backdrop of second world war seems loose. The story lacks crispness and does not look intense.

Coming to performances, Kangana is the hero of the movie. she effortlessly portrays her character of Julia, who is stuck between love and obligation. Her transition from a naive and beautiful girl to a strong and bold lady scintillates through her eyes. "Bloody hell".

Shahid is one fine actor who has been constantly diversifying his roles. And Vishal Bhardwaj always brings best out of him. He is terrific in this one too and let's his eyes do the talking.

Saif, with reminiscence of Langda Tyagi, gives one fine performance. His portrayal of an obsessive lover, who thinks that Julia is his to posses, brings a lot of conviction.

The last scene is way too dramatic, cinematography is good but unrealistic at times. Had the story been more crisp, it would have been a treat to watch these actors sharing the stage; but sadly it is not.

From Omkara until Haider, I've always admired Vishal Bhardwaj's work based on his writing, direction, acting, and music. I was pretty eager for this film based on the good trailer despite the negativity it received on Youtube but the songs on the other hand made me skeptical about it. But after watching this, I felt that that something went wrong in terms of storytelling and visuals in some way.

So this movie focuses on an actress named Julia who dates a Parsi filmmaker and millionaire Rustom Billimoria who is already married but tries to hide this relationship from his wife. But due to some circumstances, Julia falls in love with an Indian soldier named Nawab Malik who is currently fighting at the Burmese Border along with the British and Japanese army. The love triangle between the actress, soldier, and the filmmaker is basically what this movie is about.

Quite frankly, this film is a bore to many extents. The way the movie started was good and unapologetic making me realize that this film is going somewhere but post interval becomes too far-fest and uneven creepiness starts to crawl in especially with a generic ending which didn't do any justice to the movie.

War genre-based films follow a certain pattern by its set design, costumes, weaponry,and VFX. The film managed to tackle some of these elements but the VFX wasn't crisp enough. Vishal's previous film Haider had all these elements. I believe he should continue making Shakespeare play based films because of the amount of success he retained from these films.

The music was below average especially taking 75% of the film for these songs. What I mean generally is that there were more than 10 songs in that movie and that is how it took so much time of the movie. The lyrics were written like some 5 year old was singing a lullaby. Even with VB composing, he also lost the touch in music.

Despite the criticism, there are some saving grace moments in this film.

The acting was amazing. Shahid Kapoor gives a flawless performance and he started really well in this film. Just stay away from R.Rajkumar and Shandaar's zone please. Even surprisingly, Saif Ali Khan was also good in his part. Kanagana Ranaut's mentality from Queen raised her performance in this movie a notch from the top. But the British Dude was so irritating in this film especially the way he spoke Hindi.

The cinematography and direction was nice especially the way the film was shot. Every frame was executed beautifully and the war scenes were also shot good but like I said, the VFX and editing needed more work.

Overall, this movie is undoubtedly one of the most disappointing films of 2017 and yeah based on the good performances, I would rate it a one-time watch but in my opinion, this VB film is worth watching on a T.V broadcast or on a Netflix.

Vishal Bhardwaj, I would bid this masterpiece for a dollar but not more than that.

2/5

Vishal Bhardwaj when comes to film making has a vision that is illustrated in his earlier ventures. The music in his movies always stand apart this could also be seen, as a highlight in this undertaking.

Rangoon is set up in the pro-independence India. This movie is different from his earlier Shakespearean outings Haider, Omkara and Maqbool. The Cinematography is excellent. The music is as usual the high point of the movie.

Leading cast is excellent, with Saif again portraying frightening and is reminiscent of langda Tyagi from Omkara.

Shaid deserves an applaud not as superlative performance as in Haider but still top notch.

Kangna again shows why she is considered as a queen of Bollywood . She dances and manages action sequences with ease.

The movie keeps the viewers engrossed throughout. The patriotic song Jan Gan man infuses patriotism when played and beautifully composed by Vishal.

Than what is the issue with this flick? The problem lies in the script of this movie. The last 20 to 25 minutes of the movie struggles and make it tedious for the viewers.

The climax is elongated and gives an unscrupulous taste to the movie. Overall an highly ambitious project from Vishal but the climax could have been glossy and absorbing which has always been a forte of his earlier movies. Also, regulars in Bhardwaj's flicks the likes Irfan Khan and KK Menon are missed. Overall a good watch