Cast: Abhay Deol, Dhanush, Sonam Kapoor, Swara Bhaskar, Kumud Mishra
Direction: Aanand. L. Rai
Rating:
There is only one love story that Bollywood has ever told. Boy loves girl, their romance will have a conflict point, and then it is upto the director to decide if he wants a happy ending or a sad one.
Raanjhanaa loads its tale of love with more 'a's in the title than ambition to be different. Its release couldn't have been better-timed, though. In the season of Aashiqui 2 and Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani, Bollywood buffs seem to be in the mood for love.
You note the necessary add-ons meant to make the standard love story a little more exciting. To start with, the boy is Hindu and the girl Muslim (how original). The basic setting is Benaras - beautiful, distinct small town. Which means the film's creative team gets to use the town as an essential character in the script while symbolising moods. To max out the mush there is a love triangle too, set against a backdrop of socio-political turmoil.
If Raanjhanaa is cliched to the core, director Aanand L. Rai uses the cliches well. The man who made the amazingly wacky Tanu Weds Manu before this has shown his flair at creating unusual characters. This film wholly banks on one such, essayed by Rajinikanth's daamaad Dhanush.
His Bollywood entry sees Dhanush playing the happy-go-lucky Kundan, son of a Benarasi Pandit. Kundan has forever loved Zoya, daughter of a Muslim professor. Zoya couldn't care less and Dhanush’s advances are routinely met with a slap on his face.
Zoya goes off to Delhi for higher studies leaving Kundan pining for her. She will be back after a while to trigger off a temporary spark of hope in him, only to reveal she fell in love in Delhi.
The three-way love story that follows has a bright side. It brings in a surprise twist. And it brings in Abhay Deol as Akram, best bit about this film. He is Zoya’s college mate and a dashing student union leader whom she madly loves. In timetested filmy fashion, Zoya asks Kundan to help her win Akram over. Familiar as the idea is, the love triangle has an unusual end.
The build-up is exciting over the first hour but the script (Himanshu Sharma) is too feeble post interval. The film totally slumps in the second half.
Dhanush uses to his advantage exactly all that you thought would go against him. His average look and lack of six packs works wonderfully for Kundan. Sonam makes a pretty Zoya and Abhay makes the odd mediocre scene look exceptional with sheer screen presence.
Raanjhanaa harks back to the way Bollywood used to make love stories once upon a time. With some imagination, the effect would have been nostalgic, too.