Veteran Actor Mithilesh Chaturvedi Dies in Mumbai
August 4, 2022
Laal Singh Chaddha
August 17, 2022
Raksha Bandhan Movie Review
After the success of ‘Tanu Weds Manu-1/2’ and ‘Raanjhna’, Shahrukh Khan starrer ‘Zero’ was a big zero for director Anand L Rai, and last year’s ‘Atrangi Re’ on OTT was a total disappointment. Even for actor Akshay Kumar, who desperately needed a hit in the list after the successive failures of Bell Bottom, Bachchan Pandey and Samrat Prithviraj, director Anand L Rai and Akshay Kumar’s Raksha Bandhan released. It also coincided with Raksha Bandhan festival. Now-a-days, the number of films that provide clean family entertainment in Bollywood is almost negligible. I don’t even remember an example of a Hindi movie based on a brother-sister relationship in the last few years. So today’s audience, who are used to seeing offbeat topics always filled with some dark/violence and sex, may also like a clean plot with no innovation, based on old stereotypes and with very simple handling. Raksha Bandhan is a film that creates such a possibility.
About the plot of Raksha Bandhan. Lala Kedarnath (Akshay Kumar), who runs a booming ancestral chaat business in Delhi’s busy Chandni Chowk area, has the responsibility of 4 sisters. Lala had promised his mother at the time of her death that only after the marriage of these four, he would get married. Because of his promise, Lala’s lover Sapna (Bhumi Pednekar)’s father (Neeraj Sood) is constantly on Lala’s trail saying “when will you marry my daughter?”. Apart from Lala’s one sister Gayatri (Sadia Khatib) who is very cultured and beautiful, among the other three sisters, one is obese, one is black in appearance, and one is very boyish in appearance, but all four sisters have common problems in getting married. The problem is the dowry demanded From the groom’s family. Lala is trying to manage the finances, but he is not succeeding. Gayatri gets married through a marriage agency. But Lala has to sell his kidney to pay for the marriage of the other three. Unfortunately, at the same time, another unfortunate incident strikes Lala. What was that event and how did all these sisters get married? How many years do Lala and Sapna wait for each other? This is the whole story.
The plot of Raksha Bandhan is a commentary on the dowry system and the destruction of girls’ lives by it. The writer-director pair has also attempted to give a social message that comments on this bad practice through the film. The story of Raksha Bandhan, written by Himanshu Sharma and Kanika Dhillon, may seem somewhat outdated to today’s generation. Although the dowry demand in marriage has decreased in the present day, this practice has never ended. Although the rate is lower in urban areas like Delhi shown in the film, the practice is still rampant in most of the rural areas of the country. In Delhi too this practice has ended many lives in lower middle-class families living in slums like Chandni Chowk. The audience of Raksha Bandhan is limited because today’s young audience does not have the habit or interest to watch such content.
Both the writer and the director have succeeded in moving the script along at a fast pace and keeping the audience entertained. The plot has an equal mix of comedy and emotional scenes. The plot makes you laugh till the interval as much as it makes you cry at the midpoint and after that. There are many moments while watching a movie that brings a smile to your face and tears to your eyes at the same time. There are many events in the story of Raksha Bandhan that are especially close to women.
But the pre-climax and climax mean the ending and the part before the ending is so chaotic and abrupt for no reason that it is strange and jarring. So the overall good impact of the film is reduced for no reason. Usually, the extended length of a film is a matter of concern, but here the short length of 1 hour and 50 minutes seems to be a problem. Another shocking aspect is that the roles of Akshay’s 4 sisters are not given any importance in the plot. There are few scenes in the screenplay that show the strong brother-sister bond between Akshay and them. Although the plot of the film seems outdated or old, it is quite successful in entertaining.
Himesh Reshammiya’s music is also not a super hit but falls into the listenable category. The lyrics written by Irshad Kamil are very nice. Especially, the lyrics, music, and visuals of the song ‘Tere Saath Hoon Main’ are all well put together. Special appreciation must be given to the witty, humorous and sometimes emotional dialogues that add color to almost every scene in the plot.
Talking about acting, Akshay Kumar is seen in full form in this film. Akshay has poured his life into the role of Lala Kedarnath. Although this role seems very simple and shallow on the surface, Akshay has played it with such ease and at times with such depth! Akshay’s Lala is the lifeblood of Raksha Bandhan. After Akshay, the most memorable role is Neeraj Sood as Bhumi Pednekar’s father. This actor has had a blast. Bhumi Pednekar has also taken care to make an impact despite having a relatively short role. Roles of four sisters Among them, Sadia Khatib’s Gayatri is memorable while Deepika Khanna, Smriti Srikanth, and Seghmeen Kaur’s roles are just fine as they are not given much importance in the plot. The cinematography, background music, composition and other technical aspects of the film are average.
Lala from ‘Raksha Bandhan’ is always a better option than Laal from Laal Singh Chaddha if you plan to watch the movie this weekend. Good average.
