Rangoon Movie Review: Kangana is a knockout but an over indulgent Bhardwaj makes a mess of this ripe tale

It was all going fine 'till the last fifteen minutes of Rangoon when it gets gory,over-dramatic and frankly, pretty ridiculous. It’s like Vishal Bhardwaj got a tad too ambitious with his canvas not knowing how to wrap up a film that already lacks clarity. In an interview with us, the leading lady Kangana Ranaut had called this script the finest one she’d read till date – simmered to perfection over the ten years. The film, however, hardly bears any testimony to the effort. Often when you overwork on something, trying to pack in everything you know about the subject, you digress too much. Vishal and co-writer Matthew Robbins suffer from every dilemma in the rule book. What were they trying to make? An homage to Fearless Nadia, the roaring, raging, may be fabulous stunt star of them maybe. But then again, the film also attempts to be a poignant love tale. On that note, we must mention it’s a love triangle, beautifully etched, swelling ripe with the right emotions. But to top it all, it’s a drama on the testy political scenario of the early 40s to credit Subhash Chandra Bose and his Indian National Army for their undervalued service to the National Freedom, which history books hardly ever glorify as much as it should be.

Evidently, to hold on to every subject couldn’t have been smooth, which explains the bumpy screenplay. We are introduced to a lofty dance number for Jaanbaaz Julia. She is a woman torn between love and duty – a man who bought her off and made her the star she is, legitimized her ‘bastard’ status in the society and then there’s another who makes her feel alive. Russi Billimoria is 40s studio honcho, who left his career as an actor half way after a stunt left him handicapped. Julia is a bonafide Billimoria creation, whom he owns, literally! But that’s a relationship of reverence more than desire or even love. Yes, Julia loves him, obviously. In one of the film’s most adorable scenes, she and a captivated Japanese soldier have the most hilarious conversation. Unaware of each other’s language, he tells her how his mother is waiting back home for him with his favorite beef curry. And she raves about Russi, the man she owes everything to. Only if, her heart understood the logic. She and Nawab Malik, her personal bodyguard on a recreational trip to Burma, are smitten by each other. There is a battle of egos, of emotions and love.

With all the right intentions, this film has the most marred writing which is why the film rides on its actors. Saif Ali Khan is suitably brooding, conveying his emotion with his eyes. There is an ace sword duel scene between him and Kangana. He shoulders it subtly, with the right angst and panache nearly taking the spotlight away from Ranaut, probably the only time in the film. Shahid Kapoor, despite a patchy part, gives it heftiness. You believe in his conviction only because he says so. There is too little of his love story with Kangana, taking away from the needful groundwork on which the film should have stood. That leaves us with Kangana. Bloody hell, you can’t take your eyes away from the girl. She nails the naivety of Julia, carrying the stunts in leather bodycon corsets with aplomb, as she whips her way around the men. She gives fleshes Julia with adequate emotional baggage that the character calls for and yet, there’s the feminist in her who quietly knew how to hold her own even against the man who created her. The girl is an absolute knockout.

We wish the same could be said about the film that is made of a few outstanding moments. There is Richard McCabe for comic relief – the Ghalib muttering, Ghazal singing General. His "atisundar, avishvasniya" work deserves a mention. So does the heartfelt scene, where Julia buries her trusted makeup boy after he is charged with treason and his body is left in the jungle to be eaten by wild animals. But the swell scenes are disjointed, never making the film a whole.

For whatever it’s worth Kangana makes it watchable. And her boys do a great supportive job on that front. We watched it for that one scene where the camera stayed still on her, as she spoke about love, longing, deceit, desire and heartbreak. She deserved a better film.

Here’s a note to the Wadias, if there’s ever a biopic on Fearless Nadia, we want Kangana in it. There can’t be another actress who can make a corset wearing, whip yielding, leather lady looks more sensual than the original version.

We rate the film a 70% on the Pinkvilla Movie Meter.