Rani Padmini

Saw it yesterday on DVD, movie is so so - maybe a one time watch if you are sucker for chick flicks, Good Things - Rima and Manju are excellent in their characters. That villain guy "Raja" is also good. Bad - Too many useless characters and parallel story lines which don't contribute to central theme. The story kind of seems like rambling on at times... At times the movie looked like an advertisement of Himachal Pradesh Tourism. Songs are o.k, the first song is good. Rima Kallingal's portrayal of Rani is very good and realistic. It is quite easy to go over the board while portraying such a character, But Rima balances it very well. Manju Warrier's character is more like familiar territory - she's portraying the married/single mother damsel in distress ever since her comeback - so nothing new there. Also this is more of a bilingual film than an out an out Malayalam film. So if you are not comfortable with speaking Hindi then you might struggle with the story. The DVD has subtitles but still just a warning.

There are many factors which make this movie one of my favourites- basically a woman centric movie-nice locations,humour, emotions everything is there in this movie, Reema Kallingal has given full justice to her role...

The thing with life is that it has got its own flow. You may say that I am not part of it but you will find yourself carried by it.Thrown into ditches, hurled into whirlpools, wet and tired, you will end up in a shore that we all will end up one day. There might be green there or there might be a desert. There might be an empire there or there might be a hut. Who knows what is in store? Either you can curse all the way,

or else you can enjoy the ride. The movie Rani Padmini is a gem which shows us that life has a meaning but it's up to us to find it.What makes us, Us?! What we have to do to be a being. What we have to gain and what me way loss in the process. In a defining sequence, Rani asks a trekker "Why the heck are you trekking?" and he simply says, "who needs a reason to trek?" Who needs a reason to laugh, who needs a reason to cherish each breath that we take in? Who needs a reason to close the eyes and enjoy the wind that caresses our face? Who needs a reason to live?" Every story is just a new wave in the ever flowing current of life and this movie was a very soothing wave. I have an affinity for Ashiq Abu and with each movie, he seems to be getting better. The title song of this movie reminded me of the title song of "Idukki Gold" and that is sure of way saying that the music was soulful.

Another movie with a similar storyline is "The other woman."

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1855236/

If you liked Rani Padmini, you should watch this one too.

Rani Padmini is for those who would like to step out of their comfort zones and explore a bit.Start exploring people or else you may loose the only person that you would have with you until the end, you! PS-If you liked the review check out my website too www.amitrajyoti.com

Dear Ashiq Abu,

are you trying to win the award for honorary feminist?

Rani Padmini is like a charming, goofy, Malayali version of Thelma and Louise. The Rani-Padmini duo could well be the new Dasan-Vijayan (from Nadodikattu) of Mayalayalam cinema.

Neither Manju Warrier nor Reema Kalingal are particularly good in their roles. Reema is quite inept at comedy, her over the top role was ill conceived. Manju Warrier is overtly goofy and there are too many scenes to remind us that she is a homely and innocent Malayali girl. But the film is filled with clever jokes and directorial flourishes to keep you entertained.

However, your film does have an interesting structure with lots of flashbacks and side stories. Though some of the stories that Manju and Reema tell each other during their trip together were rather trite.

When the movie got over, I was thinking you could have done a lot more with the material. Too much space was given to Manju Warrier's husband (played by the mediocre stone faced Jinu Joseph). The racing scenes were well done but they served as a distraction from the more interesting main plot.

And Aashiq, like Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, your film does have the tourism advertisement aspect to it. You tried to compensate for the lack of an interesting script by setting the film in an extremely beautiful place. Frankly, the overtly feel good paragliding scenes were quite cringe worthy.

Best Regards, Pimpin.

(5/10)

The film Rani Padmini is a cinematic work belonging to the adventure drama genre, directed by Aashiq Abu.

The narrative chronicles the lives of two young women. One of the protagonists is Rani, who was brought up in an environment of strict control by her parents in an urban setting. Consequently, her behaviour exhibits some divergence from the norm. The second character is Padmini. She was raised in a rural setting under the supervision of her grandparents. Consequently, she has gained a wealth of experience in the local culture. Padmini was married by Giri, whose family had settled in Delhi. Giri was an accomplished motorsport competitor, having amassed numerous accolades in the field of adventure racing. Following her marriage, Padmini's autonomy was curtailed by her mother-in-law. Her mother-in-law forbade her from pursuing any other employment, instead requiring her to assume the role of caretaker for her mother-in-law and grandmother. Nevertheless, Padmini was able to secure employment. Prior to participating in a significant racing event, Giri's mother encouraged him to sign a mutual divorce document. However, Padmini was not informed of this until Giri had departed. She subsequently fled from the house to meet Giri. En route, Padmini encountered Rani, who was also experiencing difficulties. They proceeded together, continuing their journey. During this journey, a number of incidents occurred. Some were humorous, while others were thought-provoking and enjoyable. Ultimately, they were able to locate Giri, who had already realised the error of his ways.

The film's narrative and direction are satisfactory, and the performances are commendable. The musical scores and visual placements are excellent. However, some scenes seem incongruous and could have been avoided. The film is suitable for single viewing.