GO and WATCH this movie in theater. Bollywood needs high quality movies like this, which are not only meaningful but also provide full entertainment and fun without appearing pretentious/ fake. These are the kind of movies that need to make money so that producers invest in them.
I feel a bit out-of-league reviewing this movie. When all the movie critics and stalwarts of Bollywood such as Karan Johar and Aamir Khan have highly praised this movie and Kangana Ranaut's performance in almost unanimous voice, it really leaves one with nothing more to say. So I am going to only mention few things in more detail.
Ranaut's performance: One of the best performances to come out of Hindi cinema in several years, this is not about shedding tears, yelling, looking cute/ gorgeous or dancing (which interestingly accounts for "good acting" for most Indian audience). It is marked by subtleties, such as faintly raised eyebrows, shrunk nose, narrowed eyes, aversive gaze, awkwardly positioned arms/ legs, contorted body, crestfallen face, shadow of a smirk, etc. Even when she cries, her wailing makes you wonder if you are really watching an act? Ranaut, who in real life is well-known as a fashionista, has transformed her body language, her mannerisms and her expressions completely for this role. One thing is certain - it is hard to imagine any other actress in this role and hard to imagine this movie without Kangana Ranaut as Rani.
Vikas Bahl's direction: The credit also goes to the director, Vikas Bahl. Without him, the movie could have been a wreck. The movie has a very simple plot and is therefore not an easy story to make a movie with. But Bahl manages to steer clear of all traps for derailment that the story provides. The movie may seem a bit slow in the middle, but then, without sufficient time to develop the emotions and attitude of the character, the movie would not be as effective. He is also one of the very few directors who have managed to utilize Ranaut's potential as an artist. I heard in an interview that Bahl allowed Ranaut creative freedom, allowing her even to pen her own dialogs for some parts of the movie - wish all those control freaks out there are hearing!
Story/ Screenplay/ Dialog: Rani's challenges in this story are not hers alone - they are the trials of every person, man or woman, who has felt diffident owing to their cultivated nature or low-spirited when bowed down by circumstances. This is a story of gaining perspective and discovering one's potential through travel, cross-cultural exposure and external support. That is why the story is so meaningful for every person. One of the reasons the movie works is because it has realistic dialog - dialog as Indians use in normal daily life, nothing cheesy that Hindi movies are so used to.
Music: The movie is aptly supported by Amit Trivedi's foot-tapping and innovative score. That said, if I could, I would either eliminate some songs or shorten them just to reduce the length of the movie.
Entertainment factor: Make no mistake, this is NOT an "art film" or parallel cinema. This is a highly entertaining and fun movie that also happens to be high quality and meaningful. Though the protagonist of the movie is a woman, the movie is equally entertaining for all men and women.
