#365DaysOfWriting — Day 293
Rangoon
Bloody hell!
When has a Vishal Bhardwaj film NOT had a crackerjack female lead?
Be it Tabu in Maqbool and Haider, Priyanka Chopra in Kaminey, even a surprisingly demure, mature turn by Kareena Kapoor in Omkara, Bhardwaj has always ensured (even in the films he didn’t direct — Ishqiya and Dedh Ishqiya, featuring Vidya Balan in the former, and Madhuri Dixit and Huma Qureshi in the latter) that the heroine is in the centre of the action. It’s no different in Rangoon, Bhardwaj’s boldest, loudest film till date — which has been complemented by a sufficiently over-the-top, crackerjack performance from Kangana Ranaut urf MISS JULIA. She is a fearless stuntwoman and actress of the 40s, and the heartthrob of men all over a country still struggling for independence and in the midst of a Second World War. If you thought Kangana Ranaut was great in Queen and the Tanu Weds Manu movies — this is Kangana Ranaut absolutely unleashed.
Has Vishal Bhardwaj unleashed his inner Tarantino?
I think that’s a little unfair to Bhardwaj — he has a unique identity. I’d like to think that Tarantino is his American counterpart, and Rangoon is like an homage to that counterpart. Right from the setting (World War II) to his elaborate set pieces, guns blazing, swords clashing, and the terrific support cast — almost every supporting character in Rangoon can have their own spin-off. This has been a recurring theme even in his earlier movies — be it Om Puri and Naseeruddin Shah in Maqbool, the crazy Bengali brothers in Kaminey, Rajju in Omkara, Irrfan Khan in Haider or even the goddamn pink bull in Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola — Vishal Bhardwaj has always had a most eclectic supporting cast that serves to elevate the performances of the leads and give the film that X-factor. There’s even a whole section of the film dedicated to Kangana, Shahid and a Japanese soldier — during this, there’s a conversation between Kangana and the soldier, where they’re speaking in entirely different languages but laughing at each other’s jokes. That is one of the high points of the film.
And Tarantino introduced Christoph Waltz to Hollywood.
Bhardwaj may have found his own Christoph Waltz in Richard McCabe — who plays the English Major General Harding. This happens to be my second favourite performance in the film after Kangana. Major General Harding attempts shayari and even Indian classical songs in his comically thick British accent — but he’s sharp, and shows no mercy to traitors. Even though he claims he’s ‘dil se Hindustani’, make no mistake — he’s as British as Winston Churchill. How he moves from a comical scene to one of chilling coldness and efficiency is a treat to watch. A little research on Richard McCabe showed me that he’s an Associate Artist of the Royal Shakespeare Company — no surprises there. A scene where he interrogates a traitorous soldier is almost akin to Christoph Waltz’s chilling opening interrogation scene in Inglourious Basterds. I’d love to see McCabe in more roles (Bollywood, Hollywood or otherwise) in the future.
The two male leads are more than up to the task.
Both Shahid Kapoor and Saif Ali Khan play the foil to Kangana’s fiery Miss Julia, in different ways. Miss Julia becomes meek when she’s with Saif’s Rustom ‘Rusi’ Billimoria — a wealthy film magnate of the 40s who introduces Miss Julia to the world. He has a lot of influence in the British government, as his friendship with Major General Harding shows. This is a restrained performance from Saif, where he takes the backseat and mostly emotes through his eyes and that wicked half smile of his, especially when he calls his darling Julia, ‘Kiddo’ (I’m starting to think these many Tarantino references can’t be a coincidence…). Shahid Kapoor’s Jamadar Nawab Malik is an equally restrained performance — he’s clearly hiding something beneath that stoic soldier exterior of his. But it’s with him that Miss Julia feels at her most free. Two actors who owe their finest performances to Vishal Bhardwaj have played their part well. The whole of Rangoon revolves around this love triangle — between Rusi, Julia and Nawab Malik (Sahib, Biwi aur Ghulam, anyone?).
While this is unarguably a treat to watch…
Rangoon falters quite a bit. This is the FIRST Vishal Bhardwaj film where the music isn’t memorable at all — save for the ‘Bloody Hell’ track — and most songs serve as minor annoyances to the screenplay (will he ever be able to give us another ‘Bismil’?). And while the film is solid almost all the way through — the last 30 minutes take a tragically insipid turn, and undoes what Bhardwaj stays true to for at least 75% of the movie. Thankfully, however, it doesn’t effect the overall quality of the movie. Some of the CGI smoke used in the train rides and battle scenes also seem very tacky — a crime in today’s day of advanced CGI tech. However, Rangoon is one movie that will stay with you long after the credits roll.
My takeaway from the movie… Kangana ‘Kiddo’ Ranaut
It’s like Bill says at the end of Kill Bill 2 — Clark Kent is the alter-ego to Superman — it’s his critique on the entire human race. Kiddo is Kangana Ranaut’s alter-ego — a critique on how women have been portrayed in films and a critique on how women have been treated in a male-dominated society. Make no mistake, this is one Kiddo that doesn’t need a suit or a Hattori Hanzo to be a superhero — her razor sharp attitude will do the trick just fine.
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