All Rise....The Queen has arrived!

The Real People

Directed by Vikas Bahl

Produced by Anurag Kashyap & Vikramaditya

Music by Amit Trivedi & Rupesh Kumar Ram ("Raanjhana")

Kangana Ranaut as Rani

Rajkumar Yadav as Vijay

Lisa Hayden as Vijay Lakshmi

At a Glance

The queen has arrived! Kangana may have been stereotyped into certain roles until now, she might have been ignored by the audience and the industry so far, but she has arrived! The movie is her and only her! Kudos to her performance! You are sure to enjoy the movie and there is no doubt, that here is yet another amazing movie of 2014, nevertheless with its own share of minor problems. 

The people on screen

I could spend this entire space only talking about Rani, cause she is present in every frame, but to be fair...the others need a mention. 

Lisa Hayden as Vijay Lakshmi. Not only is this Australian Indian model extremely good looking, but she can act as well. She plays a small role, but suffice to say that you do miss her once Rani bids farewell to her just before the interval.

Rajkumar Yadav as Vijay. One of the pleasant surprises of 2013, continues to deliver consistently. As is the case in such movies, he situationaly ends up being treated by the story and the audience as the antagonist. A good job done!

Kangana as Rani/Queen. Its only two weeks ago that Alia shocked us with a performance par excellence....and now Kangana does the same! Her expressions are so vivid that you can't help but feel every thought and emotion her character thinks and experiences. The character's innocence and simplicity is so brilliantly portrayed - Wow! Her amzing scenes as she interacts with the friends she makes in her journey of self-discovery....her drunk scene....her moments of realization - All Wow! Kangana makes you forget all her previous performances and re-introduces herself as an acctress! The movie belongs wholly and solely to her!

The tunes

Amit Trivedi, this time teaming up with Anvita Dutt for lyrics, spills out yet another winner of a soundtrack! Although there seems to be a bit too many songs for a movie of this type, yet the music and the lyrics make you feel that they are helping you comprehend the emotions and progress the story as required. My favorite picks...tough...but I would go with "Harjaiya", "Badra Bahar" and "O Gujariya".

Been-O-pinion

I would rate this movie 3.5, however, Kangana forces me to rate it 4 out of 5. The movie opens brilliantly with the wedding preparation scenes with Kangana's narrative and the movie progresses to the interval confidently and perfectly. The second half seems to struggle quite a bit with the story, but nevertheless it does have its high moments too! In any case, the movie is constant fun and Vikas Bahl comes across as a fine storyteller. Besides, how important is a story when your lead character can mesmerize the audience and keep them captivated for 146 minutes without complaining once! Go for it!