Atrangi Re
Director – Aanand L Rai
Cast – Dhanush, Akshay Kumar, Sara Ali Khan, Seema Biswas, Ashish Verma, Dimple Hayathi.
Genre – Romance, Drama & Comedy
Runtime – 2hr 18min
Synopsis:
Rinku, a runaway, is forced to marry Vishu, who is already committed. Both of them decide they don’t want this marriage and agree to split up. When Rinku’s lover Sajjad appears and Vishu develops affections for her, the equation becomes even more bizarre.
Review:
In the Bihar city of Siwan, Vishu (Dhanush), a Tamilian and a doctor, is kidnapped and forced to marry Rinku Sooryavanshi (Sara Ali Khan), the daughter of a troubled woman (Seema Biswas). Rinku informs Vishu about her long-term love, Sajjad Ali Khan (Akshay Kumar), after she breaks out of her abusive family’s grip. With both of his parent’s approval, and with the help of his friends, he tells her about his impending engagement to his longtime love in Chennai in just a few short days. Groom kidnapping and pakdau/jabariya shaadi are well-known in the Bihar community. Jabariya Jodi, a 2019 Hindi film, focuses on these ancient traditions. While they serve as a starting point, they are not the main focus of the story. When it comes to their filmographies, Mr Rai and Mr Sharma have shown a strong commitment to the notion of love at first sight – not just infatuation or attraction, but a deep and lasting love that blossoms even before getting to know the other person. That Vishu is fascinated with Rinku despite the fact that he is engaged to be married to her is no surprise. Despite the datedness or immaturity of this idea, Atrangi Re isn’t the worst portion of the novel. The entire story is a bizarre mash-up of lasting love, the psychological effects of trauma, and societal opposition to cross-community relationships.
The two terms “complexity” and “bogus or unnatural” should not be used simultaneously. To maintain its odd premise, Atrangi Remixes the two and adds twist after twist to its tale. Considering Sara Ali Khan and Akshay Kumar’s involvement in this movie, there has been significant debate over Bollywood’s continued use of women as love partners for males their own age. Rinku and Sajjad are more complex characters than the teaser and synopsis would lead one to believe. However, the age gap of 28 years between the two performers is evident on film and contributes to the uncomfortable and disgusting character of their scripted connection. Atrangi Re’s equation has an element of incest, regardless of how they spin it. That’s all I’m going to say about that without giving anything away. Among other reasons, the second half of this movie, which seems to be supposed to be deep and affecting, is none of those things at all.
As a supporting character, Sajjad is Akshay’s Sajjad, who comes on board later on. Rather than focusing on his performance here, it’s better to ask: What was he thinking when he agreed to take this role? It’s puzzling that Sajjad would interrupt this bizarre scheme to take a shot at the Mughal monarch Shah Jahan. When you start with the unfathomable screenplay and a twisted view of psychiatry, it’s impossible to evaluate the performers or A.R. Rahman’s catchy soundtrack in Atrangi Re.
What she and Dhanush saw in Atrangi Re will remain a mystery to us. The film’s primary flaw is when Dhanush and his buddy discuss who Akshay Kumar’s character is. They should have disclosed his true identity at the end, which would have improved the conclusion. Dhanush and Akshay are veterans who can bounce back quickly. Sara has a lot more to lose than they do by making terrible decisions. Since her debut in Kedarnath, the young actress has struggled. It’s only fair that fans of her in that film hope she quickly finds better advisors. Finally, although it’s fair that the issue of mental health was treated lightly, the filmmakers should have taken it more seriously. To better comprehend how a surprising traumatic event may affect a person’s life, or in this instance, a little girl’s life.
Atrangi Re/Galatta Kalyanam is available now on Disney+Hotstar
Rating: 3/5
Review by: Vigneshwar V G