‘Ram Leela’ review: It does so many things right, but it does just as many wrong
Right at the onset, one must make it clear that ‘Ram Leela’ is a desi adaptation of Shakespeare’s classic Romeo and Juliet. A tale such as…
Right at the onset, one must make it clear that ‘Ram Leela’ is a desi adaptation of Shakespeare’s classic Romeo and Juliet. A tale such as this is expected to be unusual, fantasy-like and a celebration of exaggerated love. ‘Ram Leela’ too is about raw passion — violence, sexuality, hatred and intense romance. RL does so many things right, but it does just as many wrong.
Set in a fictional village named Ranjaar supposedly in Gujarat, RL’s plot cooks up a 500-year-old enmity between the Rajadi and Sanera clans. As expected, Ram (Ranveer Singh) and Leela (Deepika Padukone) belong to different clans and the rest of the movie is interwoven between the never-ending irrational hatred between the clans and the passionate lovers’ struggle to be together. For much of the first half, RL feels like a play, with scattered scenes stitched together. Even a lot of the dialogues consist of rhyme, sometimes amateurish, taking away their intensity. You jump from one entertaining moment to another, enjoying the proceedings, yet feeling disconnected within. What holds your attention are the brilliant performances and the fact that barring pieces in the second half, there is always a lot happening in front of you.
A true ‘Goliyon Ki Rasleela’, ‘Ram Leela’ has an overdose of bullet shots and leaves you craving for silence at the end. Also, much like ‘Devdas’ and for that matter many other classics, a lot about RL’s second half leaves you feeling frustratingly helpless and in disbelief at why the two protagonists cant just be together but the plot keeps finding one excuse after another to keep them apart! Also, some parts such as the initiation of the love affair between Ram & Leela and the killing of Ram’s brother as an outcome of a ridiculously stupid game seem lame. Revealing any more about the plot would act as a spoiler but anyone who has the faintest idea about Romeo and Juliet or several Indian TV soaps for that matter, can guess the many sinister sub-plots that occur between the master plot of historic enmity.
Whether it be ‘Guzaarish’ or ‘Devdas’ or even the infamous ‘Saawariya’, Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s frames arguably have the best visual appeal in all of Bollywood. Notice the shadows scattered amongst the light, the camera angles, the sets, the costumes, the jewellery, the vividness of colours in one frame and minimalism in the next, the choreography, visually ‘Ram Leela’ is poetry in motion. And whether you liked this one or were left dissatisfied, it would certainly have felt like a gorgeous journey.
Director Sanjay Leela Bhansali had said in an interview that ‘Ram Leela’ is the most violent film he has ever made. One cant help but wonder that although SLB was truly comfortable while creating his brand of beautiful, larger than life cinema, he seems uncomfortable attempting exaggerated violence or sexuality. By no means a film deserving its U/A rating, led by Priyanka Chopra’s ‘Ram chahe Leela’, there is often gratuitous skin show at play in ‘Ram Leela’. I was reminded of a friend of mine from Germany who had visited India and once told me: “Indian films do not have nudity unlike European films, but they still feel so much more sexual and focused on women’s bodies”.
One cant help but feel wowed at the superlative performances of the two leads. Deepika Padukone continues to cement her position as a fantastic talent. Her eyes, her expressions, her dance, her combination of vulnerability and raw passion make her truly alluring. Never has she felt out of place while acting and she just gets better with time.
Ranveer Singh finally steps out of his stereotypical image after ‘Band Baaja Baaraat’ and ‘Ladies vs Ricky Bahl’ and does so with much aplomb. His face is more emotive than ever before and he seamlessly keeps switching between his vibrant, masculine persona and a sensitive, romantic side. The raw, burning chemistry between the two is actually the Star, perhaps more so than each individually.
Supriya Pathak, Richa Chadda, Barkha Bisht Sengupta, Abhimanyu Singh and Gulshan Devaiah are adequate. The music and the choreography are excellent and the multi-faceted Sanjay Leela Bhansali grows each day as a Music Director. Barring ‘Ishqiaun Dishqiaun’, all tracks leave an impression and are superbly blended with the visuals on screen. The sets and frames are gorgeous and the Art Direction, photography, costumes, make up and visual effects teams deserve special mention. The film could have been tighter by at least 15–20 minutes, thereby making the second half feel less stretched and disengaging. Also, the many Gujarati dialogues will pull Gujarati audiences although many dialogues have been deliberately made grammatically incorrect and Hindi-ized, for more global appeal.
Whether you like this one or hate it, it had absolutely nothing that could “offend” any community and the spate of lawsuits and so-called protests that emerged just around the release date were uncalled for and mischievous as usual. ‘Ram Leela’ is unapologetically commercial but while Salman Khan’s no-brainers rely on purely his biceps to earn money, ‘Ram Leela’ relies on a lot more, thereby making it a lot more bearable and even likeable in parts.
In the end, RL is a collection of many intense, beautiful and raw scenes and actors but it doesn’t feel too connected and as satisfying as it could’ve been. See it if you enjoy beautiful visuals, crackling chemistry and irrationally exaggerated cinema.
3/5