Finally! A film deemed worth calling an Akshay Kumar starrer. If you recall, the actor recently hit upon a slump in his career, and frankly, who doesn’t face that? But, he has ultimately lifted the hex over his career with this film.
Well, let's just say this film was unexpectedly good, but not the ‘best’.
Directed by Anand L. Rai, Raksha Bandhan speaks about a plethora of subjects, while many believed that it is just about the love between siblings, then you might want to make a few additions to that list. Yes, the film does talk about siblings and their relationship, but apart from that it also speaks volumes about women's empowerment, making a stand against dowry and well there’s got to be a love story. (Trust me, I do not have any qualms with it.)
Set in the backdrop of a regressive north-Indian society, Kedarnath (Akshay Kumar), a brother of three sisters, has lived half his life trying to get his siblings hitched. However, this has ultimately impacted his personal life with Sapna (Bhumi Pednekar) as well. The story further talks about how Indian society traditionally accepts dowry making the male’s family (ladke wale) the most important characteristic in marriage; while the female’s family (ladki wale) tend to be inferior and is forced to bow down to everyone’s needs.
The film starts off with Akshay Kumar’s character trying to juggle between his profession and attending to his sister’s needs. Himanshu Sharma and Kanika Dhillon's simple and effective writing has successfully avoided great complications in the story. But, despite their simplistic writing, they have charmingly added panache to the story and despite the problems with the film’s narration on the big screen, it looks quite intriguing.
Initially, the entire screen looks chaotic guiding you directly into Kedarnath’s life of struggle. Well, thanks to Anand L. Rai’s vision, the film does its job of engaging the audience.
Unfortunately, several parts instantly turn wearisome no sooner than the songs from the film are played and this tragedy just continues to go on for 2 hours. But, there’s pleasure in watching Akshay Kumar struggle to keep up with his young sisters who have managed to keep their brother on his toes.
Interestingly, the film talks a lot about the genders in the Indian ecosystem. The central characters in this Anand L. Rai directorial are quite detailed, for instance - Kedarnath’s eldest sister who is referred nearly perfect or flawless but still is wronged by the society/ladke wale.
The film easily keeps you hooked giving you interesting plot twists in the storyline.
Interestingly, Akshay Kumar seems to have accepted his age while picking up the film and he has done a commendable job. The Khiladi Kumar and Bhumi Pednekar’s pairing appears quite amusing through this spectrum.
However, Sadia Khateeb, Sahejmeen Kaur and Deepika Khanna as Akshay Kumar’s sisters have worked really well maintaining that chemistry with an actor from the big leagues.
Frankly, the film does its magic after the interval, so it is highly recommended that you sit beyond that no matter how chaotic and off-setting it might be. You eventually learn to catch up to the film’s pace and right from the climax to the resolution this Akshay Kumar starrer keeps you on the edge of your seats. Well, the developments in the plot turn splendid and thanks to Anand L. Rai he has given a fairly good job while summing up the entire film with its ending.
To sum it up, Raksha Bandhan not only excels on the emotional front but also wins you over with its sweet and fun moments. The punchlines, the sarcasm - in fact, every single moment of the film is enjoyable and this seems to be a good choice to enjoy with siblings on the festive occasion.
Ratings: 3.5/5
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