Raanjhana- Like a trip to Dhanushkodi

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 File:Raanjhanaafilmposter.jpg

"It is said that Pilgrimage to Kashi will be completed only after the worship at Rameswaram besides a holy bath in Dhanushkodi at the Confluence of Bay of Bengal and Indian Ocean"

In the same spirit, Raanjhana is incomplete without Dhaanush, paradoxical as the setting of the movie too is Kashi. He is just effortless and expressive. Frame after frame he captures every moment leaving very little for Sonam (who anyway is a drab) and the often mercurial and hyped Abhay Deol. They both are downsized, ironical again considering that both Abhay and Sonam are taller than him.

The movie starts on a note which quickly lays the edifice to the movie. The energy of the protagonist, the never ending zeal and quest of the character Kundan (Dhaanush) to get his girl Zoya (Sonam). Religion, caste or creed is completely inconsequential for him. To add to this frenzy are Dhanush's childhood friends, superbly played by Zeeshan and Swara Bhaskar. These three in the first 15 minutes of the movie have already lit up the frame and seem to hold it completely. The first half is breezy and effortless and Rahman's earthy score only matches the mood. Varanasi in the backdrop to this frenzy is the perfect setting. The ghats, galis and the people, they all seem mooted and resplendent in their presence. Yet they seem very consequential to the proceedings. Kundan's father (Vipin Sharma) for instance has dialogues almost in the later part of the second half, yet he stands out throughout as the staunch tamil Brahmin priest, who stands for values and virtues (looks like). There are several such moments and characters throughout the film, who have such a understated presence, yet forming an incremental part to the movie.

There are several moments in the film which stands out, particularly the conversations of Zeeshan, Dhaanush and Swara. They are moments captured in the right form and hue. The scooter scene, where Dhaanush drives it straight into the river and the holi scene. They are unabashed and has the raw energy.

However, the second half of the film suddenly seems to have gone in a sleep mode. With all the spent fervor and energy, the Director seems to have lost steam and waited for things to happen on it's own. Abhay's role is weak and so also is his sister's (Shilpi Marwaha), which had a lot of opportunity. Sonam's transformation from her Banaras days to AMU and then JNU is weak and never stands out. She still looks every inch the Loreal and the Colgate character and a role with a lot of promise fails miserably. Wish they could have interchanged Swara Bhaskar's role with her's. Then producers perhaps would have interchanged and the film would not have seen the light of the day!

The end though a tad tame, yet looks compact and in all as you come out of the theatre, you remember Dhanush, Zeeshan and Swara, for a great chemistry and spontaneity. And remember once you have seen the movie, a trip and dip to Rameshwaram (Dhanushkodi) is a must, otherwise your Kashi Yatra remains incomplete...   

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