I don’t really know what this movie was meant to be. Was it supposed to be an arty film? Was it supposed to be M F Hussain’s attempt at rejuvenating himself? Or a Tabu showcase? I can’t really say.
To be fair, Meenaxi can be gripping at times, but it seems to lack cohesiveness. I know it’s a tale of 3 cities, but the links are broken too jarringly to leave a pleasant touch. The main protagonist, played by Raghubir Yadav, is writing a book, but is still in search of his main character. He has not storyline yet, and is preparing one.
Tabu, as the muse, comes to the fore. He sees her at his sister’s wedding, and it sparks off the tales. Be it the Rajasthani princess, the perfume seller o the waitress in prague, the writer is obsessed, much like M F, with his muse. The characters drive his story, but it seems to be all very romantic, with no story line.
Why would you write a story about someone when you are not going to write anything except how that person fell in love? I mean, what purpose does it serve to just think about a love here, a love there, and then attempt to write something. Raghubir’s character is clearly confused. he wants to write the story himself, but is strongly guided by his character, who takes different shapes and hues faster than you can yawn.
Raghubir is passable. Tabu looks stunning, and in some scenes, has done well. Kunnal, as her romantic interest, is ok. The film is too confused, like it’s producer M F, and the protagonist Raghubir. You can’t really discuss anything about the film.
Of course, now it’s being withdrawn from all forms of public screening because the opening song picturised on Tabu has verses from the Koran, and people have objected. The verses are meant to glorify the prophet, whereas in the movie they personify Tabu.
I would say, watch it once. The songs are good, and you won’t really be interested or disinterested. You can watch it, and come out of it feeling nothing, or confused at the most, which is the best thing to be. The more confused you are, the clearer the world is to you. Do I seem confused to you? You bet !!..I just watched it, you see !