Manikarnika Review: A well made film with many whistle worthy moments.

“Manikarnika” is a Kangana Ranaut film from the word go. It’s “women power” exemplified and the energy that she brings to the film catapults it to another level. Historical films have a beauty of its own. The atmosphere, the re-creation of a period, the clothing, and of course the feeling of nostalgia, not from a literal sense, but from what we know through the books and paintings we may have seen. It’s always exciting to see how a piece of history is recreated on celluloid. For those who don’t know, she was one of the leading figures of the Indian Rebellion of 1857 and became a symbol of resistance to the British Raj for Indian nationalists. This film is on her.

So lets begin. The film starts rolling rights away, and the beginning portions move fairly quickly, and we are introduced to the world of the queen. We understanding her attitude and way of thinking from her first scene. From then on, it’s a journey where we follow her, but it doesn’t take long for a few hiccups to arrive. There is a bit of emotional manipulation in the film that goes into the unreal category. When someone is about to be killed, a child from behind will suddenly yell, “Mere papa ko mat maaro”. There is a moment when the evil British sit down to have a nice piece of steak, just incase you didn’t already know how evil they were. There is also mockery of the English language, which evidently has no depth. Some moments seemed over exaggerated. At times, even the way Manikarnika behaves, along with her dialogues, seemed staged rather than natural. There are portions of repetition in the screenplay as well. The moments of sword fighting as a practice happen a few times in the film. The love between Manikarnika and her husband, Gangadhar Rao, didn’t feel properly developed.

The above flaws, however, don’t hinder the overall graph and flow of the film. There is a constant build-up. The penultimate moments of the film take you to an all time high, and it feels great to see Rani Laxmibai in full action! This is when the “whistle worthy moments” start appearing. From a technical standpoint, the film stands out. The cinematography is breath taking, the editing is smooth, the background score goes with the feel of the film, the production design and the recreation of the period is impressive, and the overall direction is competent. Everyones performance is notable. Other than Kangana Ranaut, who is in full form, Atul Kulkarni, Danny Denzongpa, Ankita Lokhande, and Jisshu Sengupta lend ample support. The only flaw, in the acting front, is that the British seem caricaturist. The exaggerated accent can be distracting, and they seem more like villains from an 80’s Hindi film rather than villains from reality and history.

Overall, Manikarnika is worth a watch for those who enjoy period dramas, or those who enjoy dramas in general. A film for those who love women power and want to see a story about one of the greatest female warriors in Indian history!

Rating: 3 stars