Rajjo

By: kitcha on 9:54 PM

Rajjo follows the journey of a prostitute in the most unusual situations. When Chandu (Paras Arora) helps his team win a cricket match, the team decides to celebrate the victory by visiting the kothas of Nagpada in Mumbai. There, Chandu meets Rajjo (Kangna Ranaut) and instantly falls in love with her. Rajjo is a trained classical dancer who was sold at a very young age to thekothas’ owner Begum (Mahesh Manjrekar).

Rajjo marries Chandu and sets out to live a simple life. Simultaneously, Nagpada is in the clutches of re-development and the dancers and singers are under the shadow of this potential danger. Rajjo and Chandu have to deal with Hande Bhau (Prakash Raj), a corporate biggie with powerful political connections who has his eye on Rajjo. With everything working against them, how Rajjo and Chandu manage to live a well-balanced life forms the crux of the story.

This is an honest attempt from first-time director Vishwas Patil but had he concentrated more on writing, the film would have turned out quite different. Also, despite being a first-time director, Patil has managed to extract some good performances. The script is weak, lacks conviction and falls flat.

A film like Rajjo calls for powerful dialogue, which is patchy and breaks the flow of the film. Take, for instance, the scene where Rajjo and Chandu meet for the first time. Love blossoms but the sentiments fail to connect. The characters too have not been fleshed out adequately and fail to draw you in. For instance, when Rajjo is persuaded by Chandu to marry him and they plan to run away, Begum’s reaction is devoid of any restraint which is unlikely for her character.

Background score is average. Editing by Rakesh Rao could have been sharper. Many scenes start and end without any relevance to the screenplay. Cinematography by Binod Pradhan is okay. Locations and costumes are apt. The major drawback of this film is that its first half is much too slow and it is only post-interval that the story picks up. However, it loses its swiftness after a few scenes. Every scene before the interval is a drag and there is ample scope for crisp editing. Music is good but the lyrics are a letdown.

The drama isn’t convincing and is over-the-top, and the emotions portrayed fail to engage the audience. Sure, there are a few moments worth watching but they are too few.

Performance-wise, Kangna Ranaut gets into the skin of her character and is the only draw in this film. Paras Arora is average and needs to brush up on his emoting skills. Mahesh Manjrekar’s body language and dialogue delivery as a eunuch is just about okay. Prakash Raj plays his part with flamboyance. Even though Dalip Tahil’s character lacks explanation, he does justice to his part. Jaya Prada in a special appearance is noteworthy. The rest of the cast supports well.