Revolver Rani
Year: 2014
Director: Sai Kabir
Cast: Kangna Ranaut, Vir Das, Piyush Mishra, Zakir Hussain

Coming in the wake of the likeable Queen, it was but natural that the film Revolver Rani would raise expectations of another memorable Kangna Ranaut performance. Then the film’s producer Tigmanshu Dhulia proudly claimed that it was pure B-grade entertainment which will be liked by everyone! That statement sowed the seeds of confusion. So what exactly is Revolver Rani like?

What’s the plot?

It is Chambal valley in Madhya Pradesh. ‘Revolver Rani’, a young gun-toting gangster-cum-ex-MLA (Kangna Ranaut) is the darling of the crowds for her daredevil acts and fiery speeches. Her maternal uncle (Piyush Pandey) is her political party’s wily mentor-strategist. Her rival politician (Zakir Hussain) and his gang are constantly engaged in the game of one-upmanship with her. The only chink they can exploit is her toyboy lover (Vir Das), a wannabe Bollywood actor! How will this no-holds barred power-game playing on human mind’s most powerful emotion pan out?

What’s hot?

·        Writer-director Sai Kabir makes an interesting fusion of political satire, black comedy and gangster drama.

·        Kangna Ranaut goes all out to portray the garishly clothed gangster-politician who shoots off her mouth and bullets like crazy. The part that doesn’t work well is the attempt to show her vulnerable self, pining for love and acceptance. It is a good competent performance but not in the league of Queen.

·        Vir Das a scumbag wannabe actor using his powerful lady-love; Zakir Hussain as none-too-bright rival gangster-politician and Piyush Pande as the perpetual schemer ‘Mama’ play their parts well. The tacky one-liner-spouting TV anchor (Mishkka Singh) and the desi Michael Jackson (Zeishan Quadri) also leave a mark. . But the best portrayals come from the actors playing the rival political goon’s two nitwit hotheaded brothers.They run riot!

·        Sanjeev Srivastava’s music is catchy.

What’s not?

·        While the black comedic tone of the film brings plenty of smiles on the way, it also robs the film of a convincing emotional core. The attempt to portray ‘Revolver Rani’ as a victim of circumstances and betrayals feels hollow.

·        The crude language, sex and violence will not be everyone’s cup of tea!

·        The film starts off well but keeps losing pace in between and finally ends without much impact.

Verdict

The hinterland dramas referencing from real-life stories meshing up gangsters, politicians and media have started to feel repetitive and are losing their edge. The desi Tarantionos and Scorseses have practically told everything that is to be told and they have not been able to bring anything new to the table.

Revolver Rani is indeed a watchable B-grade entertainer with good performances and quirky humor but contrary to Dhulia’s assumption, it is unlikely to appeal to everyone!

Rating

3 out of 5 stars