From the trailers and the songs and perhaps from the moment
I read about Ram-Leela a year ago, along with of course the SLB tag, it was up
there on the list. Ram Leela was a movie to be looked forward to. Something
that would almost save this year, which has been at least relatively less
bombarded with good movies as compared to last year. We’ve had few gems, Yes. And
we were hoping to wrap the year up with some cinematic brilliance in Ram Leela.
Error on our part to expect, you say? Perhaps.
But we came in to be awed. For your movies, an audience like
us comes in ready to absorb anything, even over-the-top sequences which we will
disregard as unacceptable otherwise. We know we will see rich red and brown silks,
incessant warm candle-lit hues and the two
hours will be a sure-shot visual treat. We came in wanting to be overwhelmed, but
left being grossly underwhelmed.
From the moment the sand artist made the elegant necked swan
to create the SLB logo, I settled in hoping for similar elegance in the movie.
In the first fifteen minutes, after about a 100 gun shots, a scene with a kid un-imaginatively
named Goli in this gun-extravangaza, pissing off a roof, Ranveer Singh appearing
out of nowhere and breaking into a male item song in absolute garish clothes
which he peeled off systematically to all the female hysteria, I started losing
hope. It further didn’t help that there was a plethora of filthy ‘Dhoti-geeli
kar li’ and likening the heroine’s bust size to 136 (Yes, 136 – this is not
a typo) strewn generously throughout the movie. At a point I wondered, if I was
watching a Grand Masti sequel by mistake. SLB, you are hallmark to beautiful
cinema, please leave the rolling-in-the-mud kind of sleaze-fest to the insignificant
others.
Indeed, you made it clear it would be Goliyon ki Ras-leela,
but I wish there was more of Ram-Leela. The pair is together for bits and
pieces in the first half and out of each others’ sight in the second half. You
talk about love despite distances maybe? But, nowhere in the first half, for me
at least, were you able to establish this love. The two couldn’t keep their
hands off each other for a scene, did they even find the time to fall in love?
To think about each others’ souls and hearts and not vital stats and ‘size’? *facepalm*
Something I was craving to see till the very end was this love
story. Romeo and Juliet fell in love at first sight, yes. But, wasn’t that
followed up by pure romance? Physical intimacy was a small part of their love,
not the only thing they seemed to do when alone! For a man who made Khamoshi, Hum
Dil De Chuke Sanam and Devdas which were dripping romance and love, it is
unbelievable why you would want to overlook something you are naturally and
obviously good at – Capturing emotions of love and making people dream about this
kind of consummate love for days afterward.
Normal lovers exchange everything, I agree. Dirty messages,
make sleazy advances at each other behind closed doors. But they also do so
much more. They talk about their lives together; they look into each others’
eyes lovingly, without their hands simultaneously having to undress the other
all the time. I’ll agree I love how Ram Leela are so real, but I feel there could
have been so much more to them than we saw! I wish there was.
Let us look at some high points of the movie. The music of
Ram Leela is so haunting, it stays with you for days afterward. Mor Bani
Thanghat sets the tone for the musical extravaganza from the opening credits and
every few minutes, a new ride comes up and is an absolute pleasure to the ears.
Laal Ishq reminds you of a peaceful yet inexistent state of love. Lahu Munh Lag
gaya has the naughty, fun touch of love at first sight.
It is not as if there were no moments of brilliance in the
movie. The scene where Dhankorba cuts Leela’s finger and Ram comes to her
window at night and leaves that bloody mark from a broken finger on her door.
It still gives me goosebumps. Couple of dialogues here and there – Beauty! “Ye
toh aisa ho gaya na Ba, ki jaan nikaal bhi di aur zindaa chhod bhi diya”. Beautiful
music, combined with absolutely beautifully shot sequences –A fantastic chasing
sequences toward the end with the metal pot falling and rolling aimlessly,
while Kesar Bhabhi runs for her honor and life alike; Deepika’s introduction
scene, where she shoots in the sky, while there is an explosion of color and
life with everyone playing Holi around. These little gems are there,
individually shining, albeit shadowed and hidden away in the badly meshed chaos
of the plot.
I went away, deeply wanting more from the movie. I went away
feeling sad, because I felt this could have been so much better. It was in my
head at least before I saw it. To-die-for outfits, extremely gorgeous looking
actors and fabulous music definitely can enhance a plot. But here, there was such
minimal flesh to actually dress-up, it almost seems like a hollowed mannequin
beautifully dolled up in a window. It may have been liberating for you to make
something so easy-going and loose flowing, but I wish it had something to keep
me more engrossed and tied down. I wish I felt Ram and Leela’s pain and less my
own at having witnessed this utter mess.
