For the first time, I can say I was truly impressed with Deepika Padukone. The performances, by and large, are another plus.
And then, the heavy-handed second half puts paid to any such more innovative moments. Rather than typical first flushes of innocent love, there is more of raw passion in the developing love story in the first half that is brought alive by Deepika and Ranveer Singh, and there are some unexpected moments of lightness and humour even in the most serious of situations not really associated with SLB even if these are scattered about with much of the other attempts coming off more like cheap and cheesy double-meaning entendres rather than some truly witty writing. Still, one has to admit SLB does score in some unexpected areas and in that sense for all its issues, the film does rise above Saawariya and Guzaarish. Ultimately the R-J story, with its broad plot points to be reached, ends up making the narrative and where it is going rather predictable while those bits where SLB moves away from the Bard – the two becoming heads of their people for instance – just appear bad contrivances that do not work. In Hindi cinema itself, Reshma aur Shera (1971) set amongst the desert of Rajasthan (in that sense a somewhat similar setting to this one) with infinitely superior performances coupled with an enchanting musical score by Jaidev, and Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak (1988), set between two feuding Rajput clans, come off as far better adaptations. As mentioned West Side Story, Franco Zeffirelli’s 1968 version and Baz Luhrmann’s 1996 version are amongst those that have succeeded. Also, for a Romeo and Juliet adaptation to succeed, one has to be able to now give it a totally fresh perspective and outlook to the otherwise done to death scenario. The Ishaqzaade like ending fails to give you that emotional wallop, say the way a West Side Story (1961), another adaptation of Romeo and Juliet (and one which is infinitely superior), does. The other big problem with Bhansali’s adaptation is that it ends up in not making you care for the protagonists or their love (or is it lust?) story. A Rajadi lad, Ram (Ranveer Singh), and a Saneda woman, Leela (Deepika Padukone), meet at a Holi celebration at the latters house when he sneaks there with his friends.
In SLB’s homage to the bard, for over 500 years, the communities of the Rajadis and Sanedas have been at each other’s throats in the town of Ranjhaar in Gujarat. Thus the film ends up in no man’s land – neither quite the total masala entertainer nor quite the epic opera that marks SLB’s signature work. So it’s like – take a safe subject of love against obstacles, throw in a flashback of some my most successful moments – a setting in Gujarat with a feisty rebel heroine like in Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, recall Dhol Baaje or Aankhon Ki Gustaaqiyaan and then add the commercial elements of my production, Rowdy Rathore, with the hero’s entry in a Rajinikanth like manner followed by a solo song with a scraping-off-dandruff-from-the-hair step that hopefully becomes as popular as Bhai’s collar shaking or belt shaking steps. There’s a limit to admittedly beautiful images or riots of colours on screen if the script isn’t quite there.įorget the Romeo and Juliet scenario, the uneasy mix of throwing in ‘items’ to try and make sure this film is a success after the tepid responses to Saawariya and Guzaarish is obvious. In that sense, Goliyon ki Raasleela Ram-Leela adheres to much of this and there are those moments in the second half that simply leave you disengaged from the narrative. However, SLB also tends to often test your patience with some excessive high-pitched melodrama and deliberately heavy-handed laborious filmmaking that aims for the epic. A world of its own, presented in a grand operatic manner with a high degree of visual spectacle and a natural flair for bringing about a high degree of emotions even in elaborately choreographed song picturizations. By now, you know certain common traits to expect in a Sanjay Leela Bhansali (SLB) film.
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