RAM-LEELA - Movie review
STATUTORY WARNING: This reviewer will not delve too much into the story of the movie, reckons a one line description will do just fine. For filmophiles who have suffered for years at the hands of sadistic reviewers including yours truly, all SPOILERS are at the end i.e. are only for those already done watching.
STORY: Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet is apparently not done to death. At least no yet. This is Bhansali’s ode to the greatest tragic love story for all times. Though one feels it is closer in style and content to the Oscar award winning* WEST SIDE STORY( which itself was inspired by Romeo & Juliet) In fact, Mansoor Khan’s JOSH was an insipid remake of the 1961 classic.
INTRO: The Dictionary defines pathos as a quality, as of an experience or a work of art, that arouses feelings of pity, sympathy, tenderness, or sorrow. But in mainstream Hindi cinema, tragedy movies have been few and far in between as opposed to say, Tamil cinema where they are more easily lapped up by the audiences. Guru Dutt(* Pyaasa, Kaagaz ke Phool, Sahib Biwi aur Ghulam) is perhaps the only name which can readily associate with this genre of films from the past. Which is a big reason one eagerly looks forward to watching Ram-Leela, helmed by SLB. Yet, going by the promos of the movie this seems a most un-Bhansali like film. Or is it? Read on.
CAST AND CREDIT: The background score by Monty Sharma passes muster, though it never really adds a dimension of its own.( Which is where Rahman is such a genius) The editing by Rajesh G. Pandey along with Bhansali comes into its own in the second half. The traditional Garba Ras in Gujarat is brought alive here and is a visual treat. The music where Bhansali shares credits with Monty Sharma is a huge improvement on his first outing in Guzaarish though it does remind one of his own film, Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam. The unsung heroes of this and really, every outing of SLB’s is his art team( sets, colours, costumes) i.e.the people who bring to life SLB’s extra ordinary world on celluloid. From the starkness of* Khamoshi* to the opulence of* Devdas* and the morbid hues of* Black* not to forget the neverland from* Saawariya, they have never gone wrong. And ace lensman Ravi Varman again shines after his last Bollywood outing, Barfi! .
The duo of Siddharth-Garima credited with lyrics, dialogues and screenplay seem perfect for the adage’ Jack of all trades.’ Reason being that though the screenplay is very engaging apart from the lead and perhaps Supriya Pathak, not a single role is well etched out. Especially disappointing is that three of the better actors we have today Gulshan Devaiah( unforgettable both in Shaitaan and the howlarious cameo in* GIRL IN YELLOW BOOTS) Richa Chadda( no intro needed) and Abhimanyu Singh( never got his due since getting bumped off in GULAAL) get half baked roles. As a result you feel nothing for them even they get brutalised( like in Chadda’s case) or even die. Same goes for the dialogues which are effective at places yet at times are pedestrian( the constant’ geela pyjama’ refrain) and some of the rhyming poems have to be heard to be believed.
Supriya Pathak plays the matriarch quite brilliantly and it is no coincidence that some of the best scenes in the film involve her character. Deepika has never look as ethereal as in this film. She tries hard to become Leela, a character more brash and loud than anything she has played so far and almost succeeds. But her comfort level and body language( trying to avoid that much abused word CHEMISTRY) with Ranveer makes up for these little shortcomings. If there is any one else who believes in this mad dream of Bhansali’s as strongly as him, it is Ranveer Singh. Must confess that after watching a sublime performance from him in LOOTERA, one was wary of his coming undone here. But after watching him as Ram, all one can say is his idol Govinda( Ranveer is a huge fan of his) would have been proud. Stardom beckons, surely.
They say that God is in the details. By that yardstick, Bhansali is surely the Indra of gods. The downside is some of it is very self indulgent. Case in point being a scene where Deepika is having a heated argument with another character and one gets distracted by the camera admiring the intricate design of her wardrobe door( where one would normally have a close shot of both) . Yet to give credit where it is due, SLB does get the audience transported to this zany world of his. He handles so many departments here and all of them with such equal aplomb that one can only conclude that we had a superhero in front of the camera last fortnight and in RAM LEELA, we have one behind it. This is not only his most violent film but also his most happy one. So does it mean that the great torch bearer of’ pathos’ in Bollywood is turning over a new leaf? Only time will tell.
Quite frankly, at the end of the first half, one felt underwhelmed. But the second half more than makes up for it and how. GOLIYON KI RAS LEELA RAM-LEELA is recommended as a must watch. At least once!
RATING: 3.5/5
SPOILERS.
Like all SLB Films, this one is also spoiler proof. Meaning what any one tells you or writes about the film cannot spoil the experience for you. Watch it to know what I mean.