Queen — Unmissable portrayal of the triumph of a woman’s spirit
Notice the small nuances of ‘Queen’:
- A major part of Rani’s transformation is attained through sexual liberation over her experiences in Europe. Going to bars, pubs, seeing strippers, moaning and panting, marriage and babies without sex, kissing an Italian, short teeny-weeny clothes and so on. Still: 1) She never feels sexually threatened or at risk anywhere in Europe, even when staying with boys, 2) The film still has a U/A certification that speaks volumes about Director Vikas Bahl’s brilliant portrayal of sexuality.
- Vijay (Rajkummar Rao) does not miss a chance to “protect” Rani or flaunt his authority over her, even after ditching her. However, even in the midst of a fight, Rani’s Russian friend Olexander (Boko Mish) chooses to ask her if “she needs help” instead of jumping in to “protect her”
- Rani (Kangana Ranaut) is clad in middle-class Delhiite clothes all through and resents any attempt at making her look more attractive, however she grooms herself and wears the clothes of her choice in the penultimate two scenes. Also, she rushes into a bar out of her choice only at the end, after several visits that seemed forced or inhibiting first.
- Rukhsar is portrayed as a Muslim girl (possibly from Pakistan) who now works as a prostitute/stripper in Amsterdam. She is perfectly religious and has yet come to peace with how her work is acceptable to her since she didn’t have a choice and it pays the bills back home.
- Verma aunty’s family has long moved to Paris and even good old Beeji wears paunch-tight tracksuits, yet their language and their demeanour is just as typically Indian as any resident Indian’s
- Rani returns from an extensive solo trip to Europe and yet her mom questions how she will return home from Vijay’s house in the same city
- Rani’s parents seemingly love her completely and don’t even stop her from going alone on her honeymoon to Europe. Yet, when she is offered a job after scoring good marks in her 12th, she is told to ask her fiancee Vijay whether she should take it or not.
- Taaka lost his family, home and job in the Tsunami in Japan, yet he’s perennially happy and is the life of the friends group. Rani feels small and her pain belittled in the face of how Taaka continues to live on after his loss.
- Even at the end of the transformation, Rani remains polite and dutiful, the only difference being that this time she is firm and independent. She is liberated! She is free! A hero-centric film would usually have ended with violence or gore and a body count of over 100.
If you wish to witness one of the finest, most disarming performances you would ever have seen, if you enjoy witnessing transformative journeys and if you loved ‘English Vinglish’ in a way different than any other, do not miss ‘Queen’.
Also note how you will have a continuous smile on your face for most of the film and mark how a woman-centric film can also run housefull in most shows even after its 1st weekend!
