Guddu Rangeela Movie Review - If only it were better

Ameet Bhuvan

Guddu Rangeela, from Director Subhash Kapoor of Jolly LLB fame, is a rehash of Ishaqzaade, NH10 and Dedh Ishqiya in many ways. A femme Fatale playing men around her, a honor killing obsessed villian, a bumbling over sexed good for nothing duo for heroes the film checks all the boxes in the list to make a new age westerner set in the badlands of northern India. What doesnt work this time though is the lazy writing that wilters away every opportunity to make this a great piece of work.

Arshad and Amit are two good for nothings, fake singers who turn informers ready to sell infromation to both the cops and the goons alike. They set out to kidnap Aditi, the sister in law of local strong man Ronit Roy. Ronit is synonymous with the system , his word being the last one deciding everyone else’s fate. He also has a fetish for honor killings. How these lives intertwine is the story of this thriller.

Arshad and Amit are competent actors who bring alive their characters however badly written. As the bumbling duo they, especially Arshad, is reminiscent of Naseer- Arshad and Munna circuit. Sadly the common factor in all three is Arshad, who once again is relegated as the second lead though he is the only one who carries the film through. He and Ronit Roy. Ronit reprises his act from Udaan and the other films he has done since, giving retribution and revenge a new face. Yet, he comes so few and far in between as a whole that he is not enough to lift the film up.

Aditi Rao on the other hand is delt a raw deal. She is a manipulative character in the film, yet all her scheming and manipulations amount to knot. She metls like a lump of clay in her interactions with Amit’s character and this primarily is due to the sloppy manner her role is written.

Guddu Rangeela has flashes of brilliance- the action pieces, the dialogues, the performances all shine, yet there is something missing to tie this whole film up into a cohesive singular piece. Sad, cause it could have been a lovely entertainer.

Rating: 2/5