Simran

SIMRAN is an average film, made watchable by a brilliant performance!

Well mounted, with high production values and an authentic setting, Hansal Mehta’s portrayal of a dysfunctional young girl works for the most part. However, lazy writing, especially in the second half, makes this otherwise engaging film fall apart. But “engaging” I say here, is mainly because of its superlative lead act from Kangana Ranaut, for whom alone, I recommend this as a one-time watch!

The film narrates the story of Praful Patel (Kangana Ranaut), a young Gujarati girl, who works as a housekeeper in a 5-Star-Hotel in the US, and turns into a kleptomaniac after she becomes addicted to gambling.

There’s plenty of reasons that pull you towards the film. First being Hansal Mehta’s string of highly rated films in the recent years, which have garnered praise across the world for their sensitive storytelling and top-notch performances. He follows that impressive line up with another nicely constructed drama, which again showcases unbelievably real performances. The narrative is immediately palpable and you find yourself rooting for the protagonist all the time, no matter how morally unjustified her actions are. Then, the look, feel and setting of the film is appropriate. The film flows like a breeze in the first half and you hardly realize how time passes till then. But it’s the second half that’s the undoing of it all. To be precise, the last half an hour is where all the glaring flaws reside. The script loses all logic and by the time it reaches the climax, it all seems just so senseless. The writing, disputably credited to both Apurva Asrani and Kangana Ranaut, is just too sloppy to hold the film together in the second half.

Despite all the problems stated above, I’m not writing this film off, just because of Ranaut’s bravura performance. She improves upon her already proven brilliance and makes this film riveting, solely on her own. Indubitably the finest female actor we have in Indian cinema today. The other actors do a great job of supporting her throughout.

To sum up, warts and all, SIMRAN is a decent pastime and a film you should watch for witnessing the excellence in Kangana’s craft. Keep your expectations low and you will not be disappointed!