By Karan Anshuman
Film: Raanjhanaa
?Cast: Dhanush, Sonam Kapoor, Abhay Deol, Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub, Swara Bhaskar
Director: Aanand Rai
Certification: U/A
Rating: ***1/2
The first thirty minutes of Raanjhanaa is absolutely riveting. Well, riveting might be the wrong word but the searing strides of a romance that covers decades in fast forward leaves you having to remember to breathe. It is impossible to tear your eyes off the screen as two factors work their magic: Dhanush's madly infectious enthusiasm as the young Kundan and the signature tune that plays every time his heart beats for the love of his life, Zoya. You want to grab on to these moments, pin them down so you can stare at them on your time with the same elation as Kundan's eyes have for Zoya. And you wonder if director AanandRai is going to tell his tale all so quickly - is this film going to end all too soon?
The story is anything but a straightforward romance. If you're going in to watch it as a date film, check yourself. Raanjhanaa is expansive. It will start off charming you with the little details: the tenor of Benaras, the clarity of childhood love, the repercussions of the blinding optimism it effects and even in trifling recurring themes of falling cycles and slit wrists. As it progresses into the second half though, it will immerse you intellectually. Look for subtext - Rai goes well beyond a mere romance; he makes political statements, attacks communalism, gives us a slice of life insider account of youth wing statecraft; it's all there. It may not be entirely authentic and often exaggerated, but in Raanjhanaa's world, Rai strives to make it real.
You may wonder why Rai chooses the path he does for where he takes the story in the second half, but the more you think about it, the less likely an alternate scenario you will find that he could've opted for to realize the ends Kundan and Zoya must reach.
The excellent writing radiates to masterful direction. Rai's characters are all feisty. Every one of them. They move with purpose, even when they have none. What an incredible, refreshing reading and extension and twist to the Brahmin boy, Muslim girl Bollywood conundrum. And handled with such maturity and grace!
He peppers his scenes with just the right amounts of humor, and hat tips cinema, people, and cultural idiosyncrasies. Kundan even pays a tribute to Ranjikanth catching an imaginary bullet between his teeth, while at another time the girl who's in love with him feeds bananas to a cow, seeking its blessing to realize a curse that will kill Zoya.
If one must be entirely objective, then there are two critical moments in the film that opt for Bollywood-like contrivance. You'll know when you see them. But they don't take away from the experience.
You can so easily tell Raanjhanaa falls into the pro-category of filmmaking. If only all of Bollywood's output was so polished. The camera work is delicious, restrained. Rai doesn't get into the trap of capturing everything - away with establishing shots! - he gets what is needed to tell the story in his frames and information that is relevant to the characters.
Dhanush is so good, he makes you want to be him. Sonam hits her peak form. Abhay Deol, Kumud Mishra, Swara Bhaskar, and Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub are scintillating as an ensemble.
Raanjhanaa flows like good poetry. It is arguably the best love story of the year so far, the kind of film others in the genre should aspire.
karan.anshuman@timesgroup.com
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