Movie review: Raanjhanaa, Dhanush makes a worthy debut

Ratings- ***Ever seen a crazy youth who, till the end of the world, will wait for his beloved's love? Surely, in legends and folklore, there are 'n' numbers of Romeos and Juliets to narrate their tales. Here is one more addition to the archives which has Kundan as an innocent lover who woos his lady love with an extreme level of patience.We just wish that director Anand L Rai would have that much of patience to come out with finesse in the romantic-turned-political saga. You will never forget the richness of Varanasi's streets which look always tempting in the flick. But the frames unnecessarily get overshadowed by numerous locations from Delhi and Punjab.Unfortunately with numerous locations, the flick possesses numerous sub plots which takes you to nowhere, leaving numerous threads hanging.Raanjhanaa starts off with Kundan (brilliantly played by Dhanush) in the streets of Varanasi who had a crush on Zoya (Sonam Kapoor) like ‘love at first sight'. He tries to woo her, follows her, cuts his wrist and also gets 16 times slapped but finally wins her over. But this schooltime crush doesn't blossom after eight years when Zoya returns after studying from Delhi's JNU, where she has found her true love in the form of Akram (Abhay Deol), who is an aspiring politician. So, now will this crazy lover Kundan accept this defeat? That is how the story deals further.The director definitely deals with a middle class love affair with elegance. He brings out the charm from the character of Kundan with suck perfection that you would yourself fall in love withthe character, but the inclusion of dirty politics, which may be the need of the hour, isn't carried forward properly. Love, hate, betrayal are components of true affection and you can't complain Anand for not portraying these elements with Dhanush's innocence. Kundan is crazy and crazier than any other admirer. This typical Banarasi guy can go to any limitation to persuade his love and he influences us too to fall in love in his fashion.The problem here lies when the gears are shifted in the second half which carries uprising of an aiming political youth party campaigning in JNU. The Bhatta Parsaul case which created furore in UP is badly utilized. Change of plots in flashes just disturbs the screenplay.In the middle of all this, you begin to think where the director is trying to lead you. Is it the mere test of true love, particularly Kundan's patience, or something else? For instance, you get a feeling that at least it is not one of those melodramatic figures which has the usual emotional family drama. An urban political clash is surely an innovative premise until it keeps the soul of love alive which somewhere is given needless rest.Sadly, the third lead Abhay Deol, who we thought plays a major role in the flick, is also given a break after a short appearance. Thanks to the supporting cast of Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub (friend of Kundan) and Swara Bhaskar (loses her heart to Kundan), who with their superb acting ,give you plenty of hilarious moments to enjoy.So are the simplistic lines and dialogues which, at times, make you laugh while at other points touch you. Out of those, the Banarasi dialects by these two are impressive.For Dhanush, nothing could be a better role to mark his Bollywood debut. The South actor is already a star in the regional cinema and its time for him to conquer Bollywood. In Raanjhanaa, its Dhanush's show all over. He carries the emotion, the innocence, the dedication in attempt to impress his love with perfection. The actor doesn't leave any expression go wrong and gives you goose bump with his brilliance.Sonam Kapoor gets the most of the meat in the second half. She accelerates and improvises in her character which needs courage and energy to meet the political seat. At times you would love to hate her too, but that's the victory for an actress.Abhay Deol has a minor role in the flick but he capitalizes with enough zeal. Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub is brilliant as a Dhanush's pal. He supports in his witty acts and carries out some most brilliant punches through his dialogues.Swara Bhaskar is equally adorable as a Banarasi girl who is crazy for Kundan. Her act with witty one liner is outstanding.A.R. Rahman's music is evenly good in the album as in the background of the flick. Mostly, all the songs are brilliant but Raanjhanaa's title track, Tu Man Shuddi and Tum Tak are the picks from the album.Cinamtography is good. The locales of Varanasi are beautifully portrayed, Delhi's settings particularly JNU campus are nicely presented while Punjab's few backdrops are also shown nicely.I'll go with three stars for Anand L. Rai's Raanjhanaa. It has its moments of laughter and crazy romance, but numerous plots weaken the screenplay in the long run.