Ram Leela, the very varied reviews about the movie actually kept me off the theatres. There were friends who just about managed to sit through till the interval and left and then there was the media with TOI giving Ram Leela a thumbs up and a five star rating. Mixed reactions, couldn't be more? So decided to give it a miss. However, with one free day in hand and no deadlines to be met and a cool chill out day, decided to just go and see the movie. Yes, all alone. A chicken sandwich, a packet of the good old Camy Wafers (reminds me of the wafers we used to get as kids before Lays and other brands made an appearance on the scene) and a Pepsi, I decided to not be judgemental and see a movie for the effort put in by the cast and crew and not go in with any kind of bias.
Sanjay Leela Bhansali(SLB) known for his larger than life sets and elaborate costumes sure did justice to each scene where every costume was perfectly choreographed and every little detail in place. The movie sure is an aspiring designer's dream come true with elaborate thread and mirror work and shawls and ghagras all put together with so much attention to detail and aesthetic sense. However, the story seemed to be a little hard to digest(even with Hajmola) and the screenplay without doubt could have been better.
Deepika Padukone and Ranvir Singh the lead pair looked stunning with loads of their perfectly chiselled body being on display. Ram and Leela belonging to two warring clans, the Saneda and the Rajadi, see(yes see) and fall in love. Have heard of love at first sight but this definitely took the cake. Love and so comfortable with each others body in no time, the movie definitely didn't have time to weave in the emotions and the romance (but for the songs which cropped up one after the other trying to add in some chemistry). What one saw in the trailer was simply lacking in the movie. The trailers sure built up a lot of expectations which the movie failed to deliver.
War between the clans where a steady supply of flying bullets, knifes and beer bottles kept happening from one side to the other. In between all this, you could see a Ram dancing away in his Hanuman Gali with Gujju girls clad in ghagra cholis seemed to be completely overwhelmed by his physique and kept clicking away on their mobile phones(now this definitely is not what we see in rural India). With the tensions mounting, Ram and Leela still seem to be the peacemakers totally oblivious of what their families thought of each other, a la Romeo and Juliet.
With a quick running away from home only to be brought back by conspiring friends and family members, Ranvir was soon made the "Don" of Rajadi as he likes to put it and Deepika being forced into marrying the NRI archaeologist. With love hate emotions displayed(with a supposedly deep love for each other within which they cannot display due to the chains of family, hatred and society holding them back) and the couple being pitted against each other there is a some drama added here which makes us actually think if this is really what happens in rural India where no law and order system seemed to make any difference and power and money were the sole rulers. Supriya Pathak as Ba played a really impressive role and so did Richa Chadda proving her acting skills yet again.
The "Dhol" song sure reminded of Devdas and the high profile Dola Re. There were definitely a few twists and the end kept the audience on tender hooks to see what the final verdict would be. The transition from the care free boy and girl have been played well by the actors, especially Ranvir Singh. With Deepika we did see the bubbly girl from her previous roles peeping in from in between. All in all the movie is really nothing much to write home about and after Yeh Jawani Hai Deewani and the other hits, this definitely could have been a big mistake for Deepika but for the SLB name that the movie is riding high on.
Sanjay Leela Bhansali(SLB) known for his larger than life sets and elaborate costumes sure did justice to each scene where every costume was perfectly choreographed and every little detail in place. The movie sure is an aspiring designer's dream come true with elaborate thread and mirror work and shawls and ghagras all put together with so much attention to detail and aesthetic sense. However, the story seemed to be a little hard to digest(even with Hajmola) and the screenplay without doubt could have been better.
Deepika Padukone and Ranvir Singh the lead pair looked stunning with loads of their perfectly chiselled body being on display. Ram and Leela belonging to two warring clans, the Saneda and the Rajadi, see(yes see) and fall in love. Have heard of love at first sight but this definitely took the cake. Love and so comfortable with each others body in no time, the movie definitely didn't have time to weave in the emotions and the romance (but for the songs which cropped up one after the other trying to add in some chemistry). What one saw in the trailer was simply lacking in the movie. The trailers sure built up a lot of expectations which the movie failed to deliver.
War between the clans where a steady supply of flying bullets, knifes and beer bottles kept happening from one side to the other. In between all this, you could see a Ram dancing away in his Hanuman Gali with Gujju girls clad in ghagra cholis seemed to be completely overwhelmed by his physique and kept clicking away on their mobile phones(now this definitely is not what we see in rural India). With the tensions mounting, Ram and Leela still seem to be the peacemakers totally oblivious of what their families thought of each other, a la Romeo and Juliet.
With a quick running away from home only to be brought back by conspiring friends and family members, Ranvir was soon made the "Don" of Rajadi as he likes to put it and Deepika being forced into marrying the NRI archaeologist. With love hate emotions displayed(with a supposedly deep love for each other within which they cannot display due to the chains of family, hatred and society holding them back) and the couple being pitted against each other there is a some drama added here which makes us actually think if this is really what happens in rural India where no law and order system seemed to make any difference and power and money were the sole rulers. Supriya Pathak as Ba played a really impressive role and so did Richa Chadda proving her acting skills yet again.
The "Dhol" song sure reminded of Devdas and the high profile Dola Re. There were definitely a few twists and the end kept the audience on tender hooks to see what the final verdict would be. The transition from the care free boy and girl have been played well by the actors, especially Ranvir Singh. With Deepika we did see the bubbly girl from her previous roles peeping in from in between. All in all the movie is really nothing much to write home about and after Yeh Jawani Hai Deewani and the other hits, this definitely could have been a big mistake for Deepika but for the SLB name that the movie is riding high on.
