Like many Bharadwaj movies, Rangoon is well-suited to audiences willing to use thought to appreciate the complexities of the characters he depicts and the worlds he creates.
The on-going fever in Bollywood is movies with strong female characters. By contrast, Rangoon gives us a female character who is a captive of another man and is weak, confused and vulnerable. Bharadwaj is not interested is presenting us with a caricature that would be loved and cheered by audiences or, for that matter, critics, who have senselessly come to expect an actor of the caliber of Ranaut to always assay strong female characters. His interests lie is depicting the brutal truth of how female employees have sometimes been treated by their male employers and this truth can really extend beyond employment. He is interested in showing the havoc that captivity can inflict on the psyches of captives, be they a single individual or a whole nation. Note how Julia, as a stunt-woman, possesses the strength and skills to physically save a man’s life. However, she is mentally and emotionally weak. Bharadwaj is interested in emphasizing this difference between physical strength gained by practicing certain skills, and emotional/ mental strength. That Bharadwaj can depict this dichotomy so beautifully is evidence of his immense skills as a filmmaker.
Bharadwaj also draws parallels between the captivity of a female by a seemingly adoring yet absolutely domineering male employer, aka Rusi, and the captivity of a nation by a race that while liking her local culture believe in their own superiority, aka Harding. ( Audiences may be aware of the burden of white man remarks of the Nobel winning author of The Jungle Book, Rudyard Kipling) . At one point, Nawab makes a pointed remark about the psychology of the captive race when he states ? perhaps that is why we are slaves of the white man. The film tops it off by digging into the reasons for Rusi’s domineering attitude.
Despite being the most interesting, Julia’s is a relatively straightforward character in the plot - a far-cry from Ranaut’s previous outings. Julia remains a weak and vulnerable female character from beginning to the end. However, it is by no means an easy role in terms of the range of emotions Ranaut has to depict, and she also gets to showcase her skills in dancing and on-screen action. Once again, Ranaut proves that she is one of the best that Hindi cinema has ever seen. I particularly enjoyed the sword face-off between Julia and Rusi. Saif Ali Khan, as Julia’s domineering employer Rusi, gives one of the finest performances by a male actor in Hindi cinema in recent times. Be helplessness when he sees Julia slip away, jealousy/ anger when he encounters Nawab, or confusion when in dilemma between the British and the patriots, his expressions are point on. Shahid Kapoor provides sufficient credibility to the character of Nawab Malik, the soldier who steals Julia’s heart away and starts a chain of faux patriotism. Richard McCabe as Major General David Harding is sufficiently menacing and fun to watch. Saharsh Shukla as Zulfi and Lin Laishram as Mema are pitch- perfect in their crucial roles.
Let’s talk about why you are in for a big loss if you do not watch this movie on the big screen: 1. VB’s imagination: The movie provides Vishal Bharadwaj a blank canvas on which he paints mind-blowing and memorable images, with attention to the minutest details. Indian in the era of 1940s comes alive on screen. 2. Cinematography: From breathtaking shots of outdoor Arunachal locales to engrossing shots of parties, the cinematography provides an undeniably strong support to the film. 3. Production Design: Well-researched and exquisite sets transport you to India and Burma of the 1940s. 4. Performances: This is easily one of the best ensembles in a Hindi movie in recent times and several close-ups of Julia’s and Rusi’s visages call for big-screen viewing. 5. War scenes: There are not many of these, but the few that exist are breathtaking.
Having said all things nice, let me point out a few things that, in my mind, hold this movie from becoming a masterpiece. 1. Emphasis on pre- interval half: Make no mistake, the movie is as much a war-time drama as it is a love triangle. The movie should have focused more on the central plot, majority of which occurs in the second half. Some unnecessary threads in the first half ( such as the beginning war scene or the Japanese captive episode) could have been easily shaved off. 2. Crowding of characters in the film: The movie should have focused on the four protagonists ( Julia, her lovers, and the British general) and the essential side-characters such as Zulfi and Mema. Presence of dispensable characters such as the Maharaja and the Japanese captive muddies the plot. 3. Ambiguous depiction of Julia’s character: Julia is the most vulnerable character in the film. Though well-trained in stunt skills, and having a couple of coming-of-age moments, Julia never really achieves full independence as a free-thinking human in the film. Therefore, having an song in the form of an ode devoted to her character early-on in the movie is somewhat misleading, particularly for audiences who are not familiar with VB’s Shakespearean style, leading to disappointment later. 4. Unnecessary use of background music: For example, silence would have been way more effective at the point where Nawab and Julia discover the mine in the trench. 5. Some incredibility of the climax: For the most part, the climax is a fitting finale for the characters the movie has invested in building. However, a certain feat performed by one character could have been more credible had we seen them perform it earlier in the film. Also, the climax does not allow sufficient time for the characters to depict their new leanings on- screen.
Do not miss this great Bollywood spectacle while still in theaters.