Raanjhanaa- Review
Directed by Ananda L Rai, Raanjhanaa is a dramatic love story setup in the lanes of Varanasi and New Delhi.
Kundan, son of a priests, falls in love with a girl named Zoya in his childhood days and from here starts his journey of winning over the girl which unfortunately he never could. After several days of consistently pursuing and stalking her he finally gets her to talk to him. However, on realizing that he belonged to a different religion, Zoya instantly backed off, ending any prospects of love between them.
This however, was not the end for Kundan. He was still persistent in pursuing her. On realizing that this might be the end he threatens Zoya that he would slit his wrist if she doesn't agree to be with him. Zoya's father comes to know about this dramatic incident which happened publicly and she was sent to Aligarh city to finish her schooling from there.
After completing her 12th standard from Aligarh she moved to Delhi to purse her graduation from the famous Jawaharlal Nehru University. This was however, quite surprising as the university till date offers only post-graduation courses.
When after 5 years she returns to Varanasi, Kundan realizes that she had moved on and have fell for someone else in her University whereas he was still waiting for her come back and be with him. From here started another chapter of the love story filled with stalking, blackmailing, slitting the wrist for real, betrayal, revenge and ultimately redemption.
Sonam Kapoor's portrayal of Zoya was pretty awful, leaving it hard to determine whether the issue lies with her performance or the confusing character sketch of Zoya itself. Dhanush has played the role of Kundan and was certainly a perfect fit for the role. His character as a lover boy is thoroughly flawed and yet romanticized. Abhay Deol played the role of Akram and was successful in spreading his charm on-screen, through his dimples and flawless acting. Swara Bhaskar, who played the role of Bindiya has once again proved that she is an extra-ordinarily skilled actress. Mohammad Zeeshan as Murari has done a fine job as the supporting actor.
This movie has a unique political aspect to it making it more than the usual love story where two people from different religion fall in love and then fight for it. It is an interesting film with a fantastic soundtrack. The movie has fabulous dialogues and all the actors have nailed the U.P. accent, setting the right tone for the movie. However, there are several loopholes in the storyline.
The story is filled with intriguing plot twists that keep you completely engrossed. The issue with such love stories is that people, particularly in societies like India, often draw inspiration from cinema. They easily forget that what they are watching is a work of fiction and try to emulate the actions of the characters. Such cinematic portrayal can lead to justifications for behaviors like blackmailing, stalking, or even killing someone over differing religious beliefs, all in the name of love.
As viewer it is important to know that most of the cinematic portrayal are a work of fiction meant for entertainment purposes only. Actions in real life have serious and more permanent consequences than shown in a three-hour movie. As director and actor, one should carefully access what message their work is giving to the society and what implications it might have.
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