This reviewer sees Hindi his­torical dramas like Bajirao Mastani (2015), Padmaavat (2018), and now Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi, as little windows into the rich history of the Indi­an subcontinent. You don’t watch these mainstream Bollywood mov­ies as perfect reflections of the times and the characters they sup­posedly represent. They rather gloss over nuances and twist histo­ry to glorify the protagonists, often larger-than-life personas who can seemingly do no wrong. Frankly, if they tried to capture history as it is, these movies would be niche art-house productions that would be watched by few. And Bollywood is all about minting money by playing on people’s emotions. Manikarnika (with its titular role played by Kangana Ranaut) is the same. A Brahmin girl with “qualities of a Kshatriya” is born in Varanasi (currently in Uttar Pradesh). She is the daughter of Moropant Tambe, a courtier to the Pesha (modern-day prime min­ister) of nearby Bithoor district. By and by, she is married into the royal family of Jhansi, an indepen­dent princely state. Renamed ‘Rani Lakshmibai’ after her marriage, she gives birth to a son, who unfor­tunately dies only four months later, robbing Jhansi’s throne of a natural successor.

 

 Who should watch it?

The fans of Kangana Ranaut and of her signature successes like ‘Queen’ and ‘Revolver Rani’ will love it. So will anyone interested in the legendary Jhansi ki Rani—if they are willing to forego some historical nuances.

 

After the death of their son, the royal couple adopt a son, Anand, who is later renamed Damodar Rao after their dead son. Soon after, Lakshmibai’s husband and the reigning Maharaja of Jhansi, Gan­gadhar, too dies after a prolonged illness. The British, the de jure rulers of Jhansi, refuse to accept Damodar’s claim to the throne, and decide to annex the princely state. The film is a tale of how Lakshmib­ai, even with a small force at her disposal, tried to valiantly defend her besieged state against the scheming British.

As a cinematic spectacle, there is little not to like about Manikarnika: a well-crafted conspiracy-leaden plot; thousands of colorful troops, men and women, engaged in pitched battles, with swords and guns and canons; well-choreo­graphed songs; a sense of being transported back into the mid-19th century India at the height of the British Raj. Everything is well done.

 

But, again, it would not be a Bol­lywood blockbuster if it didn’t take some liberty with history. In one scene, Rani Lakshmibai is seen jumping, a child strapped to her back, off the roof of a fort hundreds of feet high—straight on the back of her faithful steed, Badal. In anoth­er, a mature-looking Manikarnika marries Jhansi’s Maharaj, while the historical figure actually got mar­ried when she was just 14. The mov­ie also controversially expunges the rani of any involvement in the 1857 massacre of unarmed English women and children in Gwalior. Let us just say ‘Manikarnika’ is not afraid to take convenient shortcuts to spice up the plot.

At 2 hours 28 minutes, the film is a little long, but considering the immensity of the subject it is based on, just about bearable. Ranaut, who is also the director of the film, delivers another masterful perfor­mance in the lead role (if you are prepared overlook her unnatural ability to leap and bound, as well as some stilted dialogues coming out of her busy mouth). Danny Denzongpa as the queen’s trusted head of army is also convincing. There are no major acting snafus as such. But Ranaut is the front and center of the film and she carries it with some aplomb.

 

Movie: MANIKARNIKA: The Queen of Jhansi

Genre: Action

CAST: Kangana Ranaut, Danny Denzongpa, Atul Kulkarni, Ankita Lokhande

DIRECTION: Radha Krishna Jagarlamudi, Kangana Ranaut