MANIKARNIKA: MOVIE REVIEW
More often than not, Hindi filmmakers have squandered money in ambitious ventures without the appropriate
team to implement the plan in order to get the desired results. At the same
time, there are films which look promising for the first few minutes, but they
end up going into a free fall.
Au contraire, Kangana Ranaut's "Manikarnika:
The Queen of Jhansi" is monumental in its
execution. It could easily end up as the finest piece of work in Kangana's œuvre.
Set against the backdrop of British imperialism,
"Manikarnika" narrates the story of a Brahmin girl raised as a
Kshatriya. Being trained as a skillful warrior, she is fearsome in combat. However,
this is only one of the qualities that make her unique. She is a maverick in the
conventional setup. She can give her emotions free rein while maintaining her dignity.
The story unfolds itself when she becomes
the queen of Jhansi, Rani Laxmibai. She induces anger and fear in her enemies.
While the British subjugate other Indian rulers one after another, she remains
vehement and fierce in every encounter.
Kangana Ranaut's portrayal of Laxmibai is
indomitable and a force to be reckoned with. Jisshu Sengupta does a good job
playing the role of her husband. Ankita Lokhande as her ardent follower teaches
the true meaning of sacrifice and valour in this epic war drama. Just like
Kangana's flair, Danny Denzongpa's flamboyance is refreshing. Many would surely
be reminded of their childhood when they will hear him deliver his dialogues
with finesse.
The songs are composed by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy,
whereas the background score is done by Sanchit Balhara (who had also composed the
background score of Bajirao Mastani and Padmaavat) and Ankit Balhara. It's use in
the narrative is one of the highlights of the film.
The lyrics and the dialogues are penned by
Prasoon Joshi. As far as his talent is concerned, he is the true successor of
Javed Akhtar in Bollywood.
So, is this film flawless in every possible way? Definitely
not! It does have flaws in the first half of the film. In fact, the song, 'Dankila',
can easily be edited out. But, it is the direction of Krish (aka Radha Krishna
Jagarlamudi) and Kangana's no-holds-barred approach which outweighs all the weaknesses
of the storytelling.
I will give it 4.5 out of 5. Go for it.
© RB
VOCABULARY
1. More often than not: in general
2. squander (v.): to waste money or opportunities by not making use of it
3. venture (n.): a new activity that can involve risk and uncertainty
4. free fall [informal]: the process of losing the quality of something continuously
5. au contraire: on the contrary
6. against the backdrop: the general situation in which certain events occur
7. maverick (n.): one who behaves in an independent way, one who acts differently from the usual or expected way
8. free rein: freedom to say whatever one wants to say, do whatever one wants to do
9. induce (v.): to cause something to happen
10. vehement (adj.): expressing passionate feelings intensely
11. subjugate (v.): to defeat a country in war and rule its countrymen in such a way that allows them no freedom
12. indomitable (adj.): one who cannot be dominated, one who is difficult to defeat or frighten
13. force to be reckoned with: strong and cannot be ignored
14. ardent (adj.): full of passion
15. valour (n.): mental strength that helps one face danger with bravery
16. flair (n.): one's natural ability to do something well and most importantly without any fuss
17. flamboyance (n.): being noticeable because of one's style
18. finesse (n.): great skill in dealing with a situation
19. no-holds-barred (adj.): without any controls (/limits)
TEST
Discuss how the positive attributes of the film, "Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi" outweigh its flaws. (50 words)
© RB
More often than not, Hindi filmmakers have squandered money in ambitious ventures without the appropriate
team to implement the plan in order to get the desired results. At the same
time, there are films which look promising for the first few minutes, but they
end up going into a free fall.
Au contraire, Kangana Ranaut's "Manikarnika:
The Queen of Jhansi" is monumental in its execution. It could easily end up as the finest piece of work in Kangana's œuvre.
Au contraire, Kangana Ranaut's "Manikarnika:
The Queen of Jhansi" is monumental in its execution. It could easily end up as the finest piece of work in Kangana's œuvre.
Set against the backdrop of British imperialism,
"Manikarnika" narrates the story of a Brahmin girl raised as a
Kshatriya. Being trained as a skillful warrior, she is fearsome in combat. However,
this is only one of the qualities that make her unique. She is a maverick in the
conventional setup. She can give her emotions free rein while maintaining her dignity.
The story unfolds itself when she becomes
the queen of Jhansi, Rani Laxmibai. She induces anger and fear in her enemies.
While the British subjugate other Indian rulers one after another, she remains
vehement and fierce in every encounter.
Kangana Ranaut's portrayal of Laxmibai is
indomitable and a force to be reckoned with. Jisshu Sengupta does a good job
playing the role of her husband. Ankita Lokhande as her ardent follower teaches
the true meaning of sacrifice and valour in this epic war drama. Just like
Kangana's flair, Danny Denzongpa's flamboyance is refreshing. Many would surely
be reminded of their childhood when they will hear him deliver his dialogues
with finesse.
The songs are composed by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy,
whereas the background score is done by Sanchit Balhara (who had also composed the
background score of Bajirao Mastani and Padmaavat) and Ankit Balhara. It's use in
the narrative is one of the highlights of the film.
The lyrics and the dialogues are penned by
Prasoon Joshi. As far as his talent is concerned, he is the true successor of
Javed Akhtar in Bollywood.
So, is this film flawless in every possible way? Definitely
not! It does have flaws in the first half of the film. In fact, the song, 'Dankila',
can easily be edited out. But, it is the direction of Krish (aka Radha Krishna
Jagarlamudi) and Kangana's no-holds-barred approach which outweighs all the weaknesses
of the storytelling.
I will give it 4.5 out of 5. Go for it.
© RB
VOCABULARY
1. More often than not: in general
2. squander (v.): to waste money or opportunities by not making use of it
3. venture (n.): a new activity that can involve risk and uncertainty
4. free fall [informal]: the process of losing the quality of something continuously
5. au contraire: on the contrary
6. against the backdrop: the general situation in which certain events occur
7. maverick (n.): one who behaves in an independent way, one who acts differently from the usual or expected way
8. free rein: freedom to say whatever one wants to say, do whatever one wants to do
9. induce (v.): to cause something to happen
10. vehement (adj.): expressing passionate feelings intensely
11. subjugate (v.): to defeat a country in war and rule its countrymen in such a way that allows them no freedom
12. indomitable (adj.): one who cannot be dominated, one who is difficult to defeat or frighten
13. force to be reckoned with: strong and cannot be ignored
14. ardent (adj.): full of passion
15. valour (n.): mental strength that helps one face danger with bravery
16. flair (n.): one's natural ability to do something well and most importantly without any fuss
17. flamboyance (n.): being noticeable because of one's style
18. finesse (n.): great skill in dealing with a situation
19. no-holds-barred (adj.): without any controls (/limits)
TEST
Discuss how the positive attributes of the film, "Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi" outweigh its flaws. (50 words)
© RB
© RB
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