Manikarnika Movie Review: Kangana Ranaut’s Dominant Show Gives an Energetic Appeal to This Faltering Historical Drama

Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi is not only an important retelling of history, but also is an important event in Bollywood. From what we know, at a budget of Rs 125 crore, it is the most expensive film in Bollywood with a female protagonist in the main lead. Also, the most expensive film made by an actor in her directorial debut, even if she shares that credit with a more experienced film-maker, Krish. Manikarnika is riding on the new wave of nationalism that has worked in favour of Uri: The Surgical Strike. Kangana Ranaut Remembers Balasaheb Thackeray On His Birth Anniversary Despite Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi-Thackeray Clash! (Watch Video).

Kangana Ranaut may not be enjoying a good box office run, but she is a major force to reckon with. These factors are important in making a film tick with the audience. All Manikarnika needs to do is to be great, just like the queen it wants to glorify. Which it does, but only partly succeeds!

The movie begins with a voiceover by Amitabh Bachchan, the go-to guy for these period dramas, as he talks about how illustrious our country had been before the East India Company cast its evil eye over it. As the British expand its empire in India, a baby was born to a Brahmin scholar in Bittoor, whom the Fates proclaimed, was destined to go greater things. As she grew up, a young Manikarnika (Kangana Ranaut) has become a super-skilled warrior and an educated scholar, enjoying the tutelage of Nanasaheb Peshwa (Suresh Oberoi), the ruler of Bittoor.

She is soon married off to Raja Gangadhar Rao (Jisshu Sengupta), the king of Jhansi, whose fondness for arts and the habit of wearing a bangle, is seen as a weakness by his own kin. Rechristened as Laxmibai, Manikarnika takes no time to prove to her husband, her subjects and the British, that she is not the one to take things lying down. When Gangadhar Rao passes away, Manikarnika rules the kingdom on behalf of her adopted infant son, Damodar Rao. The British try to make inroads in Jhansi with the help of Gangadhar's scheming brother Sadashiv (Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub), and even when displaced, she leads the rebellion to take the fight back to her enemies and earn her place in the history.

There is a lot to like in Manikarnika. The lead actress is in top form and despite the infamous production issues, the movie isn't exactly a mess that I had feared (Kangana takes the first billing here, unlike the trailers where Krish had that space). While I had read that almost 70% of the film has been reshoot, the clash of working styles and pattern isn't very evident at least in its presentation. Manikarnika Music Review: Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy Deliver a Triumphant Score for Kangana Ranaut’s Historical War Drama.

The large canvas in which Manikarnika has been shot, suits the big screen sensibilities and the production design is fine, even if inconsistent in certain places where there is a visible use of CGI and has influences of Baahubali and Jodha Akbar.

The legend of Rani Laxmibai is fascinating in its true essence, and yet there are enough cinematic liberties taken with the material in hand. Which isn't a big deal, since most of our 'true biopics' revel in sensationalising their narratives. Look how well that worked for The Legend of Bhagat Singh! Or for the matter, Uri itself! The screenplay (Baahubali fame KV Vijayendra Prasad) presents several such rousing moments that are aimed to stoke the emotions of the audiences, aided by some evocative dialogues by Prasoon Joshi (who has also penned the lyrics).

The sequence where Manikarnika refuses to bow before the British, even when her husband is pliable enough to do so, is one such scene. Also loved that poignant, little bit where Manikarnika quietly stands near the bedside of her dying husband, not prepared for this turn in her life. The interval sequence is quite powerful, as Manikarnika breaks down traditions (while throwing a snarky barb as her ma-in-law) and take the reins of the kingdom in her hand. It also helps that Kangana's commanding screen presence brings a wonderful energy to these scenes.

And yet, the impact of these scenes is severely diluted by some haggard editing and story-telling. The first half, especially, moves at a sluggish pace even when it covers some important events in Manikarnika's life. Despite Kangana and Jisshu giving their very best, their whole track doesn't exactly bring the needed pathos. Also, the random insertion of the "Dankila" song makes us lose our interest.

The second half fares somewhat better thanks to the war scenes, where Kangana gets the fiery opportunity to go all out, screaming and all. The war sequences are well-shot and have some thrilling moments. One scene that stands out here is when Manikarnika alone cuts down several soldiers who had come to kill her child. However, the battle sequences get stretched too much to the point of being repetitive with some contrived bits of betrayal and treachery also thrown in. Save for that one scene mentioned above and another involving the sacrifice of an important character, they don't exactly induce goosebumps. The usage of slo-mo and fast editing also mar the impact. Manikarnika's death sequence could have also been portrayed in a better way that could bring more emotions to the viewer. These portions needed an effective story-teller!

Manikarnika also suffers from the Bollywood trope of portraying its lead as an infallible, incorruptible persona, more so because of the actress rather than the character. There is also a bit too much focus on Kangana Ranaut in the film (is this where she and Krish clashed over?). This isn't exactly bad for a film named after her character. But we wish that some of the other real-life heroes, present in the film, like Tatya Tope (Atul Kulkarni), Sangram Singh (Taher Shabbir) et al had something meatier to do in the film. There is also some lazy writing involved in how easily people around Manikarnika submit to her commands, especially the Gwalior sequence. Some very strange turnabouts of certain characters are never explained, which you can attribute to the reshoots. Like why Gangadhar's mother wants to keep Manikarnika under control, when at the start, she wanted a powerful queen for her 'soft' son.

Also, as with Thugs of Hindostan, the British villains are presented with no other character trait other than being plain mean. The main villain Hugh Rose (Richard Keep) is shown so bad that he hangs a young girl merely because she shares her name with his arch-enemy.

Watch The Trailer of Manikarnika here -

Manikarnika fares decently in other departments, especially the music and the VFX (at times patchy, but overall okay). Out of the seven songs that Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy had composed, "Bharat" and "Vijayi Bhava" register the best impact. The cinematography (Kiran Deohans, Gnana Shekar VS) gives Manikarnika a grand feel though it would have been better if they could have reined in the Baahubali halo.

The Performances

It is a Kangana Ranaut show, as she dominates the proceedings right from the start to the end. There is nothing subtle about her performance, as she presents a very larger-than-life portrayal of Laxmibai that works well with the film's sensibilities. Though she isn't very convincing when she has to be playful or soft (what's with her face getting so weirdly CGIfied?), Kangana sets the screen on fire when aggression is needed, with those flaring nostrils and round eyes. Towards the latter part of the film, she could have kept the decibels in check, but with the emotions riding high in those sequences, it is nothing that bothers you much. Kangana is also very convincing in the sword-fighting sequences, and her performance should induce confidence in her peers to take such roles in future.

Among the supporting cast, Jisshu Sengupta has the most to do, mostly because many of his scenes are with Kangana. Ankita Lokhande, in her Bollywood debut, has a very randomly written character, but she registers an impact with her brief role. Danny Denzongpa, Kulbushan Kharbanda and Suresh Oberoi are all okay. A fine actor like Atul Kulkarni is wasted, and so is the talented Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub saddled in a poorly-written negative character. Sonu Sood, who had shot for Ayyub's role earlier, should thank his stars!

Yay!

- Kangana Ranaut

- Some of the action sequences

- A couple of Manikarnika's rousing sequences

- Not a Mess That We Feared

Nay!

- Wasting some talented supporting cast

- Editing

- Writing in several places

- Very few goose-bump raising moments

- The Length

Final Thoughts

Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi deserves to be praised for retelling an important chapter in history. Kangana Ranaut's performance will be a treat for her fans. Manikarnika would have attained greater heights, though, if there has been a tighter rein over the writing, the editing, the length and used the supporting cast in an effective way.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 24, 2019 08:59 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).