I posted my review of the movie in the review/BO thread but am posting here too since like the OP I was also quite underwhelmed with the film:
Watched the film yesterday. I had kept my expectations low knowing that SLB's films are known for grandeur rather than story and that online hype wouldn't necessarily mean that I would enjoy the film. However, I still managed to come out disappointed. I have distant memories of Bhansali's last outings BM, and I have seen Padmaavat in only bits and pieces on YT. For me GanguBai didn't do anything more or less than those films. Great visuals, decent to good/great acting, a few grandly picturized but often jarringly placed song numbers, and a very very uninspiring screenplay.
Like everyone else I am not too convinced about even Alia's performance. But I blame SLB more for it than Alia. The fact that GanguBai is deified so much in the film stopped me from completely investing in the story.
There are next to no high tension moments in the movie, probably except the Ganga bits maybe. Everything is too convenient for her: she wins over the girls in the brothel in a jiffy, she holds a movie screening and voila she is the new president of Kamathipura, she makes one visit to a famous gangster and suddenly she becomes his mooh boli behen and business partner.
Also SLB's GanguBai is an angel who can do no wrong: I haven't read Hussein Zaidi's book so I can't comment on how much it sticks to the source material. But I had a hard time digesting that an influential brothel madam would be so kind to young girls at her brothel that she sends them back to their homes so frequently, and in one instance is willing to marry off her lover to one of them.
Another reason I had a hard time fully buying into Alia's performance is that she doesn't seem to fit into her surrounding. Yeah yeah I get it this is a Bollywood movie and that too an SLB film. The heroine HAS to stand out among the other girls. But yet, Alia, with her paper white skin, even whiter saree and perfect makeup was too visually disruptive in the film's setting. It's hard to believe that the harsh environment of Kamathipura had no effect on her face: the gruesome scars that the rowdy customer gives her also magically vanish without a trace all too quickly.
Most of the side characters, both enemies and allies drop in and out of the screenplay without leaving much impact. I only liked Seema Pawa out of the entire bunch, probably because she was the only one who was some kind of competition to GanguBai and instrumental in her transformation from Ganga to Gangu. The moment she died the film and screenplay became boring and tedious to me. The love story between Afshan and Gangu did not leave much of an impact on me, and RaziaBai/Lala , although skillfully played by Vijay Raaz and Ajay Devgn, felt very much like cardboard characters. Special mention to Kamli though, who as Gangu's long time best friend, made an endearing presence, as did some of the more minor characters from the brothel.
Having said all this, credit where it's due. The film is doing great numbers at the box office and has sort of revived Bollywood after the pandemic. And a lot of credit for this must be given to Alia. She has made it clear with GanguBai that she has genuine star power and a great connect with the general public. And while I am mostly skeptical about her performance, I did think she did very well in some scenes. My favourite parts were the very beginning and her childlike excitement about the prospect of becoming a heroine and her interactions with Ramnik. Also very well acted was her meeting with the PM and the way she presents her case for the legalization of prostitution in the country.
Edited by FilmiDhun - 3 years ago
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