Raanjhanaa Movie Review

Read the Exclusive Raanjhanaa Movie Review by Rajiv Menon.

.

Star-Cast: Dhanush, Sonam Kapoor, Abhay Deol, Swara Bhaskar

.

Director: Aanand. L. Rai

.

Producer: Sunil Lulla

.

Duration: 2 hrs 26 mins

Raanjhanaa is not one of the best love stories captured through celluloid, but it certainly is one of the finest performances by a lead pair in a love story. Even better than SRK and Kajol in the over hyped “Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge”. Yeah, I said it but that’s the truth. I don’t say this because I’m a south India nor I personally like Dhanush. I mean I do like him in some films but I’m not his fan boy.

If we look at “Raanjhanaa” as a film, we are constantly reminded of the perseverance of a lover, the extent he pushes himself to love and be loved. It’s a story we have been hearing for generations now, across languages, played by every tom, dick and harry, yet the film sweeps you off your feet with a narration bereft of criticism.

Dhanush as Kundan, a young Brahmin in Varanasi, falls in love with Sonam Kapoor aka Zoya, a Muslim girl, very first time he laid eyes on her. It is from that moment, Kundan’s mission in life is to worship Zoya. It begins as a very ordinary love story of a boy chasing girl and getting slapped multiple times in the process until one passes out of the zone and moves on with life, while the other fails to detach from the feelings.

Unlike Tanu Weds Manu, even though Raanjhanaa belongs to the same genre, but is poles apart in so many ways. For instance, if the former was about two individuals with different personalities uniting, the latter is about individuals with different priorities breaking free.

The chemistry between Dhanush and Sonam is strikingly impressive. As much as she tries to distance herself from Kundan, there is part of her that longs for him. The efforts Dhanush takes though clichéd to impress Zoya are funny and dramatic and leave you cheering for them.

Dhanush even with wobbly Hindi is splendid in his debut performance. He makes the pursuit of a lover to be loved funnier, pure and honest than anyone else ever. Sonam is charming and even with few flaws, she and Dhanush make up for a wonderful pair.

Rahman is the heart of “Raanjhanaa”, while Dhanush ensures that the heart his beating with his performance. Rahman’s music is so apt to the setting of the film that you feel like being teleported to the sounds of Banaras.

Let’s not ignore some of the glaring flaws in the film, starting with the portrayal of women in bad light at some junctures. It is disturbing and one will acknowledge the same when he or she watches it on the big screen.

Raanjhanaa impresses despite its few flaws because Rai portrays a simple and honest love story without making any changes.

Overall Review Verdict: A cliched love story backed by superior performances.
Ratings: 3.5/5