Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani Review

Ashwin Ram

Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani is a dramatic family entertainer directed by Karan Johar. The film stars Ranveer Singh and Alia Bhatt in the roles.

Premise:

Ranveer Singh and Alia Bhatt fall in love. Their families are pole opposites in social status, mindset, etc and so they don’t accept their relationship. The leads decide to stay in each other’s house for a short period of time to convince the family members.

Writing/ Direction:

Karan Johar has understood the pulse of the audience of all age groups and made the story accordingly, a minimum guarantee family flick by all means. It has that vintage vibes old-school love track targeted for the elders, it has a modern day romance track for the youngsters, the later half stresses on emotions between the family members, speaks about gender equality, progressive social mindset and what not. The filmmaker who has already proved enough of his mettle with the genre gets it right and served as a pleasing platter which would suit the current sensibilities of the cinema goers. Definitely isn’t a perfect film, it has flaws. Goes a little overboard on how Ranveer Singh’s attitude is portrayed in the first hour, the final act turns quite melodramatic and some sequences land in a half-baked manner that we don’t get to know the true nature of certain characters and their thoughts. The film is 165 minutes long, big as a number which could have been brought down, but thankfully the screenplay is engaging. Every scene either manages to entertain with a smiling moment or moves us with touching emotions. The film has its heart at the right place. Many memorable scenes to recall even after coming out of the cinema hall and that’s a big win. Special mention to the subtitle artist, commendable job inside and outside.

Performances:

Crazy act by Ranveer Singh in a tailor-made desi boy role, the second half gives him ample scope to perform and he uses it to the fullest. Alia Bhatt can never disappoint, she delivers a solid performance. Superb roles for the supporting cast and they have all given their best. Dharmendra and Shabana Azmi steal the show when they are put in the limelight on screen. Jaya Bachchan plays a key role with a gray shade. All the characters are penned beautifully, in such a way their graph in which they evolve becomes relatable to the audience. It was great seeing them progress with clarity and strength.

Technicalities:

Except Jhumka, the other tracks could have been better, the decent range wasn’t good enough. Great use of some lovely old songs, incorporated as they were required to blossom the script. Top quality background score as the elevations during the crucial sentiment portions are neatly done. First class camera work, the grandeur is covered beautifully as every frame is visually delightful. The choice of colours, lighting, blend with the costumes, everything was on point. Neat editing on the whole, however the film could have been trimmed around 10 minutes, by cutting out a song and shortening the drama.

Bottomline

There are a few errors in the form of some character exaggerations and excessive drama, but Karan Johar gets it right this time by packaging a fun love story slowly turning into an emotional family drama that speaks a lot of life values too.

Rocky Aur Rani - Engaging and an Emotional Family Flick!

Rating - 3/ 5