Raanjhanaa

This is one of those rare breed of movies in Bollywood that dare to go beyond the commercial crowd pleasers. Fortunately we are seeing more of such kind each day. Having said that, this is a highly entertaining paisaa vasool venture with substance. Kudos to the writer and director who gave us the soulful Tanu weds Manu but this time he sets his mark higher.

The movie takes you on journey with Kundan who is brilliantly plated by Dhanush right from his school days in Banaras to his ultimate destiny. Its very hard not to feel for the guy and cheer him,laugh with him, feel with him and it definitely makes one nostalgic and teary eyed at the same time.

There are many amazing sequences in the film which are so realistic that you can really feel the main man crying,smiling,puking at various stages of the movie.His transformation from a school boy with a crush, through a youth with stubble and only one real goal in life, to an atonement seeking person is palpable.

Mind you though its made to be a love story it almost never gets into stereotypes or clichés and keeps us on the edge of the seat with its thrilling twists throughout the course.

Of course the main character is aided by a wonderful support cast from his friend Murari who gets the best one-liners, his childhood girlfriend, Abhay deol who plays his role with ease and surprisingly Sonam Kapoor who has dared to do something different & succeeded.

But the movies greatest strength is Dhanush who can make you cheer for him even when he's slashing his wrist, or riding is love into the river when he realizes she in love with somebody else.

On the flip side his role as a political leader seems over stretched after the racy 1st half and some of the actions of the lead female towards the end are not understandable.

All in all if you want to watch desi realistic love story with raw human emotions and unpolished drama here's your chance. Don't miss it!

Well, I will not start with telling about story as it will spoil the fun for the people who haven't seen the movie or will see in the future, but I can see it is already spoiled here.

1> But I have to start with story which is extremely interwoven together. Now a days when people talk about first half and second half which doesn't matter according to me. Story has all the elements be it fun, romance, drama and it has a classic desi Indian touch with it because movie is based in varansi which gives it a flavor with its crispy language, people, ethnicity. Its pleasure to watch reality in the movie when all the movies releasing are masala shits.

2> If music is given by A.R. Rahman there is no point talking about it. Mucic was flowing like butter.

3> Performances are best like characters are meant for them. Dhanush is awesome in his performance. He is a delight to watch. The way he delivers his dialogues is super cool and his accent has a roughness and his south Indian accent doesn't interferes with his Hindi accent. Sonam looks sober and does her part with full conviction, Supporting cast especially Kundan's friend "Murari" is fun to watch.

4> Dialogues has everything from catchphrases, roughness to desi gaaliyan of UP.

Overall, it is a very good film after such a long time as we don't come across these days in bollywood :)

PROEM: It was an intensely hued picture which showed a young boy standing with a fascinated glance in his eyes & a pretty girl portraying the semblance of cheerfulness amidst the vibrant colors of pink, green, yellow & red; thereby recreating the festival of Holi in a rectangular first look poster of 'Raanjhanaa' !!

Colors always attract our eyes.Also I felt curious about the movie after knowing that it belongs to romantic genre.'Love' is probably the only word in a Dictionary which neither can be explained in a sentence nor has any perfect synonyms.Today while watching this love story, I could virtually visualize that thought of Rose Franken: "Anyone can be passionate, but it takes real lovers to be silly.." !! Let me illustrate this journey of 'Raanjhanaa' in the following paragraphs !!

MOVIE: Shot in Benaras & Delhi, 'Raanjhanaa' narrates a tale of love through Kundan (Dhanush), Zoya (Sonam Kapoor) & Akram/Jasjeet (Abhay Deol)..Kundan (a Brahmin boy) & Zoya (a Muslim girl) were brought up in Benaras, where Kundan expressed his love for Zoya during his teenage days.After growing up, Zoya took admission in Jawaharlal Nehru University where she fell in love with an university student cum socialist Akram..What happens next forms the crux of the story.

'LIKE's: 1) Cinematography by N. Subramanian and Vishal Sinha is astounding + Editing by H. Kothari & Choreography by Bosco-Caesar are impressive + Story/Screenplay by H. Sharma is a bit different than an usual romantic drama + Dialogues are extremely witty at many sequences + Acting by the leading & supporting casts are marvelous + Set design by T. U. Khan is befitting + Direction by Anand L. Rai is appreciable !!

2) MUSIC: A big applause to A.R.Rahman for such an wonderful soundtrack (well supported by Irshad Kamil's catchy lyrics) & appropriate background score..For example,

a) When Kundan showed his anger on Zoya for the first time, there the synthesizer chords fluctuated in a bizarre way to create the effect of displeasure & it was done repeatedly with different chords to break the harmony, so that audience could better relate to the scene.

b) In a gloomy conversation between Kundan & Zoya, where Kundan suddenly felt the ray of hope, he turned up his head towards Zoya..In that split second, Rahman used the rhythm of 'Tabla' in a tricky way to express Kundan's expectation which struck the heart of viewers too !!

3) A SPECIAL MENTION TO :

a) That scene where Zoya was about to leave Benaras by train with teary eyes & Kundan ran to meet her, multiple water patches were shown in the rail station, as if rain just happened, thereby subconsciously magnified the mood of separation since rains are often attributed to a heavy heart..

b) MakeUp Artists for giving Sonam the minimal touch up, which amplified the innocence of a face rather than glamour..Beauty can either flashes the eyes of a beholder like a mid-day sun or soothes the same like a morning dewdrop..Since the latter better suits the character of Zoya, so the lipstick/blusher/eye-shadow even eyeliners were absolutely unnecessary here apart from the marriage scene, where a loud make up was needed & make up experts also did the right job there by painting the line of eye-liner a bit above the corner of eyes + stark red lipstick..

'DISLIKE's: Very few are there, for example; 1) In the song 'Tum Tak', the lip movements of Dhanush were not synchronous with the voice of the playback singer..Looked like, the song was coming from a mike & the actor was just singing on his own..

2) First half was too romantic & at times, the efforts of Kundan to please Zoya looked silly..In Second half, the focus were more on politics, thereby concentration of romance got diluted by leadership activities..

3) Both Dhanush & Sonam looked misfit in the role of school going teenagers + Opening sequence was dull + Too much slapping on Kundan's face by Zoya ultimately invited humor rather than sympathy..That profound scene where Akram's mother was about to touch Kundan's cheek for greeting, I heard some boys laughing crazily behind my seat & saying, "Stop..Stop..No more slapping" !!

MESSAGE: There is a lyrics from the musical 'Cinderella' which says: "Do I love you because you're beautiful, Or, are you beautiful because I love you ?" !! One can easily relate this line to those love struck eyes of Kundan which glitter more than the pole star even in the shadow of Zoya..Of late, Zoya fell in love with Akram, because she considered 'Kundan part' as a childlike crush + Akram fitted the bill as per educational & social qualification..From here, the dilemma of selecting a lover/partner arrives, accompanied by a dialogue where Kundan's friend Murari (M. Z. Ayyub) told him that girls are more likely to marry Doctors/Engineers rather than ordinary boys of the same locality, since the question of love comes secondary to their mind..Obviously material satisfaction plays a vital role in such decisions..But, if an abstract force (love) plays a guest appearance in the same scenario & makes one cherish that pleasure somewhat like this: "To the world you might be one person, but to one person you might be the world", then should not one rise above the narrow parameters set by the society/religions ?

Once Tom Robbins said: "We waste time looking for the perfect lover, instead of creating the perfect love.." !! Life does not give us multiple chances..In this densely populated sphere of Earth, there is always a scarcity of those persons who can sacrifice his/her deepest desires to bring sunshine in the face of their loved ones..Don't let go that kind heart, if by chance you find him/her..

With the mellifluous touch of Shehnai, 'Raanjhanaa' sublimely delivered this tacit message in a pictorial way, making the film worth a watch !!

Absolutely Recommended !!

I can't remember the last time I watched a Bollywood movie and couldn't find a loophole in the plot/storyline.

Plot: A love-struck boy pursues a girl across the spectrum of time, only to find out that she loves someone else. His reactions and its repercussions follow.

Pros: 1. A well-written script with plenty of room for your senses to take control.

2. Stellar acting by Dhanush, Abhay Deol is at his enigmatic best and even Sonam Kapoor manages to act gracefully.

3. Myriad emotions and colors from the city of Banaras to add dimensions to this movie.

Cons: Still can't think of one.

Verdict: Watch it and let your emotions flow. Recommended.

Raanjhanaa is easy viewing works thanks to Dhanush's powerful performance with Sonam kapoor & Mohammed Ayyub. A R Rahman's scores once again. The story is complicated yet transparent, one that you may be inclined to feel judgemental about but one that you'll see from different perspective.

After the flavour blend in the Kanpur for Tanu Weds Manu, Rai extends his ambitious to introduce the majestic of Varanasi city in this movie with a great blend of love story and moreover, since the film revolves around locals, it doesn't make sense to capture the visuals like some wide-eyed tourist. But the playful hues of Holi and a generally colourful palette that defines the city of temples fills the frames for most part till the story shifts to misty winters in Delhi's Jawaharlal Nehru University campus. CLIMAXXX!!!! A must watch film this season. 4.5/5