Manikarnika Quick Movie Review: Kangana Ranaut's Magnum Opus is Engaging in Parts

Kangana Ranaut is back, this time with a historical war drama that could catapult her once again to the top of the numbers game. She is playing Rani Laxmibai, the Queen of Jhansi and one of the first freedom fighters of India in Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi. What's more, Kangana is also turning director with Manikarnika, sharing the credits with Krish of Gabbar is Back fame. Television star Ankita Lokhande is making her much talked Bollywood debut with this film, that also stars Jisshu Sengupta, Danny Denzongpa, Mishti, Suresh Oberoi, Nihar Pandya and Atul Kulkarni. We caught a special screening of Manikarnika and here is what we have to say about the first half -

"The first half of Manikarnika shows the rise of our eponymous heroine from being a skilled, well-educated girl in Bittoor to the Queen of Jhansi. Her marriage to Gangadhar Rao, the arts-loving King of Jhansi is seen as a move to empower the kingdom. The movie moves on to show how Manikarnika, now called Laxmibai, finds conflicts within her family, especially an evil brother-in-law as well as show her sheer determination to not bow before the British. She also loses a child to the machinations of evil forces and a day after she adopts another child as the next successor, Manikarnika loses her husband to ill-health. The interval arrives when Laxmibai is determined to not live the life of a widow and rule the kingdom on her child's behalf.

Manikarnika has the directorial inputs of two persons, but the clash is not exactly visible on the screen. The movie is visually resplendent to look at, and some very engaging sequences. The Dalila song sequence feels unnecessary and there is a drag in the proceedings at times. If you are a Kangana Ranaut fan, though, the movie will be a treat for you, as she dominated the narrative from the start." Manikarnika Music Review: Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy Deliver a Triumphant Score for Kangana Ranaut’s Historical War Drama.

Here's the full movie review of Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi. We all have eagerly waited for the movie since the time it was announced. Now, that it is finally here, find out here first, if the wait was worth it.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 24, 2019 04:48 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).