SIMRAN | Reviews and Box Office | Hansal's Highest Grosser - Page 3

Simran is the tale of a 30-year-old Gujarati woman, a divorcee who lives with her conservative parents in the state of Georgia, going rogue.

But Ranaut tries to inject a Bridget Jones appeal (Hollywood romcom's always-relatable Londoner) into her misadventures. The problem is that dating a wrong guy or not able to shed off those extra kilos aren't as grave a problem as looting a bank to settle debts gathered after a stupid night of gambling.

But credit has to be given to Ranaut for injecting verve into a character whose rebellion seems displaced.

Her antics even if ridiculous make you smile because Ranaut is a skilled actor. The scene in which she tries to flirt with an American is pure gold.

Director Hansal Mehta also does a splendid job of painting a realistic milieu of the Indian immigrant diaspora. They aren't coated with money and aren't always jolly, as a slew of Bollywood movies have led us to believe. Their middle-class existence and the war between traditionalist parents who are eager to see their divorced child remarry so that they aren't burdened by a divorcee in their household is beautifully brought out in this film. The clash between Patel and her strict, bullish father is heart-wrenching. But the movie doesn't, unfortunately, dwell on it. There's a lot going on in this film comedy, drama, social commentary and xenophobia in the US- and it can get messy.

The introduction of Soham Shah as the eligible suitor with a strong moral compass complicates it further. But Shah and the supporting actors do their bit in allowing Patel to shine. It's Ranaut's show all the way. But the movie suffers from over-crowding of genres. There's humour, there's tragedy, there's violence and there's drama, but it may not always come together as a whole. The songs that are inserted to highlight Patel's plight are overdone.

Just like its grey heroine, the film is studded with hits and misses.

Reserve this for a one-time watch as it's incredible to see Ranaut play a self-destructive rebel. But if you are looking for a cohesive cinematic piece, then you are looking at the wrong film.

Film: Simran

Director: Hansal Mehta

Stars: Kangana Ranaut and Soham Shah

Running time: 145 minutes

Rating: PG15

Stars: 3 out of 5

After Rangoon, we get to see Kangana Ranaut in hopefully another performance oriented movie in Simran. The slice of life drama, set nearly entirely in the US, is said to be based on a real-life incident and is directed by Hansal Mehta, who previously made award-winning movies like Shahid and Aligarh. Kangana Ranaut plays the titular character, a happy-go-lucky divorcee who has kleptomaniac tendencies. The trailer was loved by all, and the songs had that winsome quality in them.

Simran is scheduled to release this Friday, however, since movies release in Gulf a day earlier, we get to have early reviews. So here we have the first review of Simran. Gulfnews.com had posted one of the early reviews and it is all praises for the movie's lead actress. Here's what the review has to say about Kangana Ranaut's performance "She makes robbing banks look like child's play and is reckless at a casino, but Kangana Ranaut manages to inject a degree of adorability in Praful Patel, the flawed protagonist in her latest film, Simran. Credit has to be given to Ranaut for injecting verve into a character whose rebellion seems displaced. Her antics even if ridiculous make you smile because Ranaut is a skilled actor. The scene in which she tries to flirt with an American is pure gold.

The review also praised Hansal Mehta's direction, as it says, "Director Hansal Mehta also does a splendid job of painting a realistic milieu of the Indian immigrant diaspora. They aren't coated with money and aren't always jolly, as a slew of Bollywood movies have led us to believe. Their middle-class existence and the war between traditionalist parents who are eager to see their divorced child remarry so that they aren't burdened by a divorcee in their household is beautifully brought out in this film. The clash between Patel and her strict, bullish father is heart-wrenching.

However the movie has its flaws, and a lot of them it seems. The review elaborates on this, "There's a lot going on in this film comedy, drama, social commentary and xenophobia in the US- and it can get messy. But the movie suffers from over-crowding of genres. There's humour, there's tragedy, there's violence and there's drama, but it may not always come together as a whole. The songs that are inserted to highlight Patel's plight are overdone.

In the end, the review calls it a one-time watch just to experience Kangana Ranaut's incredible performance. You can read the whole review here.

Don't forget to watch this space for BollywoodLife's review of the movie that will come out on September 15.