4 Stars (out of 4)
Buy the DVD at Amazon
Buy the soundtrack at Amazon
Queen is the epitome of a feelgood movie, yet it’s substantive and truthful, thanks to the remarkably well-crafted character at its core. Writer-director Vikas Bahl and actress Kangana Ranaut give life to Rani Mehra, a woman whose journey affirms the virtues of courage and an open mind.
On the day before her wedding, Rani’s fiance, Vijay (Rajkummar Rao), calls off the marriage. Rani (whose name means “queen”) locks herself in her room, reliving memories of Vijay’s initial courtship.
Flashbacks to early romance are commonplace in Hindi films, though they generally don’t advance the story so much as provide a convenient place for a dance number. In the case of Queen, the flashbacks inform the audience as to why Vijay’s abrupt change of heart comes as such a shock to Rani and her family.
This period of mourning also establishes what a loving family Rani has. Her mother, father, and younger brother are worried and protective, but they don’t blame her for the breakup or pressure her to reconcile.
Rani is finally motivated to act by the words of her very cool grandmother, who encourages her granddaughter to go experience the world, since one never knows what the future holds. Rani decides to go on her dream honeymoon to Paris and Amsterdam, even if she has to go by herself.
Rani’s arrival in Paris begins her fish-out-of-water adventure. She experiences all the typical frustrations of traveling in a country where one doesn’t speak the language, including a funny and disastrous attempt at ordering a meal off a French menu. A clever riff on a chase scene involves Rani running in desperation to find someplace in the city without a view of the gargantuan Eiffel Tower, a symbol of her failed relationship.
The heroine’s fortunes change when she’s taken under the wing of Vijayalakshmi (Lisa Haydon), an endearingly slutty, half-Indian hotel employee. Vijayalakshmi gives Rani the tools and courage to navigate her new world and introduces her to experiences she would’ve avoided in the past. Ranuat’s performance when Rani finally lets loose at a disco is fierce, funny, and bewitching.
Vijayalakshmi embodies one of the movie’s main themes: that there are good people all over the world, from various cultures and living a variety of lifestyles. From Vijayalakshmi, Rani learns that being exposed to new ideas and experimenting with new activities doesn’t compromise one’s identity or morality.
One of the delights of Queen is the goodness of all the characters in the film, besides the villainous Vijay. Rani leaves Vijayalakshmi and meets a trio of new friends in Amsterdam — Taka from Japan (played by Jeffrey Chee Eng Ho), Tim from France (Guithob Joseph), and Oleksander from Russia (Mish Boyko) — as well as an emotional Italian chef (Marco Canadea), who pushes Rani to prove something to herself and to the world.
The kindness of the supporting characters is important because the primary conflict in Queen is internal. Brief flashbacks throughout the film establish that Rani has been too passive in the past, lacking the determination to do what she wants. Only Vijay takes advantage of this tendency, but the point of Rani’s journey is for her to realize that she’s an individual who deserves to find and follow her own dreams.
The international supporting cast is uniformly likable and talented. Haydon stands out, playing the id to Rani’s superego. The costume department deserves kudos for supplying Vijayalakshmi with a flashy, slightly scandalous wardrobe that delights Rani’s father and brother when they catch a glimpse of the new friend via Skype.
Kangana Ranuat is at the core of Queen‘s success. She makes Rani into a character that the audience feels like we really know, and someone we would want to know in real life. Her journey ends on such an optimistic note that part of me hopes that Bahl writes a sequel. I want to know what happens to Rani next.
Links
- Queen Official Website
- Queen at Wikipedia
- Queen at IMDb
Great review. Makes me want to check out the film.
looking forward to watch dis movie, cant wait :/
Great review,Kathy.The film totally deserves 4/4 and more,if you ask me.
One of the best movies I have ever seen and certainly the best movie this year(Bollywood or Hollywood)!!I am in love.
I rooted for Rani like she was my best friend and was protective about her.How often does that happen?I cried,laughed heartily,applauded(with the audience) and had a wide wide grin on my face.
The film is a simple tale of a simple girl but yet there were plenty of goose-pimple inducing sequences.Like that scene where she lets her hair loose in the club.Wow!
Kangana was outstanding,like you mention ‘Bewitching!!!And a special mention to the magnificent music by Amit trivedi.Kudos to the director and the team.A classic already!
Very strongly recommended!!
I agree with everything you wrote, Anushka. Thanks for pointing out Amit Tridevi’s music, too. The whole score is terrific and perfectly suited to the film.
Inspiring film! I loved it.
Pingback: Box Office: March 7-9 | Access Bollywood
Pingback: Opening March 14: Bewakoofiyaan | Access Bollywood
Hey kathy,
Great review, I agree with every points you mentioned. I was late to watch the movie but now I have already booked tickets for Sunday for second watch. This movie is terrific. One thing I loved about movie is that it doesn’t give us stereotypical characters that bollywood has introduced to us in all these decades. Family doesn’t go blaming her instead they support her decision to explore the world. When she got drunk she doesn’t go crazy and many more. Loved it.
Great points, Parth. The detail that I really love in scene where Rani gets drunk is how she takes off her sweater, swings it around her head, and instead of tossing it into the crowd, she shoves it into her purse! Why throw away a perfectly good sweater? 🙂
Oh my god. That scene is so hilarious. Why to waste a good sweater. 😀 and that when sshe calls her mom to ask about some spice’s name in English and the whole chain of calls starts. 😀 so much attention has given.
I’m not exaggerating when I say that every single time I’ve seen someone in a movie toss an article of clothing into a crowd, I’ve thought, “You paid good money for that! Why would you do that?!” I love Queen for flipping that trope on its head. 🙂
Pingback: Box Office: March 14-16 | Access Bollywood
Pingback: New Trailers: March 20, 2014 | Access Bollywood
Pingback: Opening March 21: Ragini MMS 2 and Gang of Ghosts | Access Bollywood
Loved “Queen”. One of the best acted and directed movies of Bollywood.
Pingback: Bollywood Box Office: March 21-23 | Access Bollywood
Pingback: In Theaters: March 28, 2014 | Access Bollywood
I just found Access Bollywood. I am sure to read all your reviews from now on…
Thanks, rayamr!
Pingback: Bollywood Box Office: March 28-30 | Access Bollywood
Pingback: Opening April 4: Main Tera Hero | Access Bollywood
Pingback: Bollywood Box Office: April 4-6 | Access Bollywood
Pingback: Opening April 11: Bhoothnath Returns | Access Bollywood
Pingback: Bollywood Box Office: April 11-13 | Access Bollywood
Pingback: Opening April 18: 2 States | Access Bollywood
Pingback: Bollywood Box Office: April 18-20 | Access Bollywood
Pingback: Opening April 25: Kaanchi | Access Bollywood
Pingback: Bollywood Box Office: April 25-27 | Access Bollywood
Pingback: Bollywood Box Office: May 2-4 | Access Bollywood
Pingback: Bollywood Box Office: May 16-18 | Access Bollywood
Pingback: Bollywood Box Office: July 18-20 | Access Bollywood
Pingback: Bollywood Box Office: July 25-27 | Access Bollywood
Pingback: Bollywood Box Office: September 26-28 | Access Bollywood
Wel,queen is one of the movie to have great screenplay…
The way,the story moves is gripping nd does not bore u…..
Nyc review anyway…
“Liar’s Dice” is India’s official entry for Oscar this year.Did u get chance to watch it in any film festival?
“Margarita,with a straw”,Indian movie featuring Kalki Koechlin has been making great rounds at festivals nowadays.It won Best Asian Film at Cannes and standing ovation at Busan Film Festival too.Waiting for both movies to release soon….
Liar’s Dice was the opening night film at the Chicago South Asian Film Festival, but I didn’t get to see it. I did get to shake Nawazuddin Siddiqui’s hand at the festival press conference. I was terrified! 🙂
Pingback: Movie Review: The Shaukeens (2014) | Access Bollywood
Pingback: Best Bollywood Movies of 2014 | Access Bollywood
Pingback: Bollywood Box Office: March 13-15 | Access Bollywood
Pingback: Streaming Video News: April 1, 2015 | Access Bollywood
Pingback: This Week at the Movies, Part 1 (Mar. 14-16, 2014) | Online Film Critics Society
Pingback: Movie Review: Shaandaar (2015) | Access Bollywood
Pingback: Opening February 19: Neerja and Loveshhuda | Access Bollywood
Pingback: Bollywood Box Office: February 19-21 | Access Bollywood
Pingback: Streaming Video News: April 1, 2016 | Access Bollywood
Pingback: Bollywood Box Office: September 23-25, 2016 | Access Bollywood
Pingback: Recap: First Ten Reviews of 2017 | Access Bollywood
Pingback: Streaming Video News: May 1, 2017 | Access Bollywood
Pingback: Movie Review: Simran (2017) | Access Bollywood
Pingback: Bollywood Box Office: October 12-14, 2018 | Access Bollywood
Pingback: Bollywood Box Office: October 19-21, 2018 | Access Bollywood
Pingback: Streaming Video News: April 23, 2020 | Access Bollywood
Pingback: Streaming Video News: July 6, 2020 | Access Bollywood