Queen Review

THERE SHE GOES

Rating: 8.5 out of 10

Queen is a gem in the crown of contemporary cinema. It is perhaps the most delightful surprise you will see at the cinemas right now. There is a dialogue in the film where Rani Mehra (Kangana Ranaut) tells a bad joke to her Russian friend in Hindi. He has no idea what in the world she was talking about, but Rani decides to euphorically laugh at her own joke. She adds: “Mera sense of humor bohot achcha hai, aapko dhire dhire pata chalega”.

If I have to tell you what Queen is, it would be exactly this line of dialogue. Queen ka sense of humor bohot achcha hai, aapko dhire dhire pata chalega. It will first make you chuckle, then you’d be laughing at that character doing something funny at the edge of the screen and gradually you will find yourself laughing out loud at almost everything. Gradually, you will end up caring for Rani; you will end up enjoying each little moment in the film. I was left with a wide smile on my face when the film ended. I think I smiled for the entirety of the last half hour. It refused to wear off. This is such a happy film; you would have to pray hard to the gods of pessimism to make you dislike it.

Kangana Ranaut’s wonderful performance is the pivot of the film. She is unrecognizable in this role. She got praises for her turn in Krrish 3 last year but nothing prepared us for this film. She has a gift for comedy that I never knew she was carrying within her. She embodies a character with a defined style of speech, which you will only hear from girls in Rajouri. There was an actress hidden in her and Vikas Bahl has brought her out by giving her the exact brand of comedy that fits her like a glove. She was often criticized for her (lack of) eloquence, her diction was never her strong suit. Not anymore. Moreover, we see proof of an actress who can carry an entire film on her shoulders. She made me fall in love with Rani. Yes, with her sense of humour as well.

While Kangana is the queen, the screenplay of the film by Parveez Shaikh, Chaitally Parmar and Vikas Bhal is the king.

Pardon me for being gruff, but this film is for those girls who are looked down upon as “Behenjis”. These are characters that are generally supporting characters in films. The oddballs you get laughs out of. We never get to know them in films but they too have a story. Rani has a story. At first glance, it may not be a story you could make a movie out of but as long as filmmakers like Vikas Bahl care about characters like these, we will get to see them. Bahl’s storytelling is so assured, yet so effortless. His sophomore effort, after a superb debut in Chillar Party (2011), shows a gift for cinematic chutzpah. Usually, we have big plot points in films. The only major one in this film is one at the beginning when Rani has been jilted by her fiancé just a few days before the wedding. Her reaction to this is her wish to go on her honeymoon alone. From this moment on, the film jilts every kind of scenario we have seen before and wears the garb of an original film, which is difficult to categorize into a genre.

It’s subsequently split into two episodes. One in Paris where we meet Vijaylakshmi (notice how I say "we" meet), a super hot Lisa Haydon. Post-intermission we get to travel to Amsterdam and meet a band of boys who become her companions on her way to liberation. We are intermittently fed with flashbacks of Rani and her ex-fiancé Vijay, played by Rajkummar Rao. The rest of the film is not about how he gets her back. It’s not about how she finds another guy. It’s about her finding herself.

Rani learns to be with herself. From little things like crossing the road on her own to getting mugged. From not being allowed to do what she feels like to dancing on the streets of Paris. One of the funniest scenes in the film show Rani in a sex-toy store. What occurs there is innocent and hilarious at the same time. In one adorable segment, she is running away from the Eiffel Tower but later we her strutting on the streets of Amsterdam with self-confidence. Without spoiling much for you, the ending of the film is marvelous. In a lesser film, you would be looking for a finale, which gives Rani her romantic dream. A pay off which we are used to watching in Bollywood films. Queen may not be a drastically offbeat film but not one beat is off here. The way it ends is unconventional and simply wonderful. It doesn’t scream out about how non-clichéd it is. In fact, it is supremely casual about its resolve. It doesn’t reject clichés; it merely smiles at them. This smile comes from a knowing that people are not looking for an ending in their lives, but a beginning.

The music is Amit Trivedi at his best. (after A.R. Rahman, the best film music composer in our country). The three songs that I instantly loved are London Thumakda, O Gujariya and the awesome remix of Hungama, yes the Bindu song. Jugni captures the sprit of the character. The song that I took back home with me is Kinnare. Watching Rani walk in slow motion to this song is triumphant hurrah for women.

Queen, to me, is a distant cousin of English Vinglish (2012). What English Vinglish did for housewives and for mothers, Queen would do the same for many young girls who are about to be housewives and for daughters. Especially those who are about to get married and have been made to feel that this is the only goal in their lives. There is a whole wide world out there. Rani gets the chance to discover it.

When the year is drawing to a close, I'm certain this film will rank somewhere at the top. 2014 has been a great start for Hindi films. For women in Hindi films. Dedh Ishqiya, Hasee Toh Phasee and Highway covered different genres and uncovered different facets of femininity. Each of these girls have emerged victorious and passed the baton graciously. Queen is a winner. It is a feel-good film like no other. I dare you not to walk out of the film smiling. I double dare you.