Movie World
‘Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi’ is Kangana Ranaut’s best film so far
Kangana Ranaut will always be
remembered for her role in Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi. The film depicted
the kind of values Rani Laxmibai stood for. As a bonus, Kangana plays the role
of the Rani. She also makes her debut as the co-director of the movie.
The legend of Rani Laxmibai
dwells on the fact that she was mardaani or brave. The movie tries to answer
the following questions: Why the warrior princess chose to pick up the sword
and fight? What drove her to violence? How did she become one of the iconic
faces of the Indian Rebellion of 1857 (also called the First War of Indian
Independence) who charged up the common people enough for them to fight and
gain independence less than a hundred years after that?
She was the bravest and best
military leader of the rebels - a man among mutineers. The Rani is remarkable
for her bravery, cleverness and perseverance; her generosity to her subordinates
was unbounded. These qualities, combined with her rank, rendered her the most
dangerous of all the rebel leaders.
Manikarnika methodically unravels
the mardaani perception by focusing on the woman within, striking a fine
balance between fiction and facts and retaining Rani Laxmibai’s identity as
well as the fervor of freedom movement. Manikarnika is her maiden name.
Kangana took over the direction
because of creative differences with the director Krish as she felt the movie
was more about the 1857 Rebellion and less about Rani Laxmibai. This is her
solo directorial debut.
The movie has one stunningly shot
sequence which shows Manikarnika aiming an arrow at an errant tiger ferociously
attacking villagers. Jhalkaribai was played by Ankita Lokhande who gave a
sterling performance. Atul Kulkarni as Tatya Tope was solid and Danny Denzongpa
as Ghulam Ghaus Khan was simply excellent. These were all her pillars of
support and they did a fine job as the supporting leads.
The film was made with modest
budget. The production values are excellently toned, with taut direction,
robust cinematography, crisp editing, authentic set designs, and elegant
costumes. K V Vijayendra Prasad and Prasoon Joshi did a fine job with the
script. Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy and Prasoon Joshi rock and roll with the rousing
songs.
Kangana is a joy to watch in
every frame, and all woman in her sword and glory - be it romancing her
husband, taming a horse, giving birth, holding her child, mourning, igniting
rebellion, sitting hesitatingly or confidently on throne, cutting a soldier’s
head with all her strength, or finally and defiantly perishing in flames.
Right from the first frame to the
blazing end, Kangana is glorious. Her eyes, face, gait, spine, and her body
language are superbly controlled. Her
expressions were simply great.
Kangana Ranaut film Manikarnika:
The Queen of Jhansi refuses to bow down at the box office. After consecutive
impressive weeks, the film’s total collection stood at Rs 76.65 crore. While
the film garnered mixed reviews from the critics, the historical drama has been
received by the audience with open arms.
The film succeeded mainly because
Kangana’s heart and soul was all for the story. Her sincere endeavour was to
create something for people. She didn’t charge a single penny to direct. She
felt absolutely devotional while playing the role of one of the greatest women
in Indian History. She felt like she was serving the people of this nation. And
she is getting the same kind of response. The way people are loving it or the
way they are feeling overwhelmed or connecting with the legacy is what Kangana
gained from this.
No comments:
Post a Comment