Sometimes, even if an already seen story is told in a distinctive style, you would tend to say that the new one is a coincidence rather than a copy. Queen also has resemblance to two good films of 2012, but is unique is its own way.
Rani (Kangana Ranaut) is a simple homely girl in Delhi pursuing Home Science. Vijay (Raj Kummar Rao) is head over heels in love with her and she eventually falls to him. Vijay moves to London, but returns as a changed man who feels that the Salwar Kameez clad Rani doesn’t match to his status anymore. When the pre-wedding celebrations are in full swing, Vijay breaks the marriage. Rani is broken and she decides to go to Paris to get some respite from the heart-break. Her experiences in the new found world and how she deals with the broken marriage forms the rest of the story.
The scenes in the first half of remind of Cocktail and you cannot stop relating the equation of Kangana-Lisa Haydon to Diana Penty – Deepika. The plot is also similar. However, Vikas Bahl has written the role of Rani in a very raw and natural way which connects much better. The second half reminds us of another movie of 2012 again, and that’s English Vinglish. We have the sweet international friends the protagonist finds in the new country. Here also, we have one gora hitting on her. However, again the writing of the role comes to the rescue making it different by the things taking a natural flow.
The first and foremost thing one would talk about once you exit the hall is Kangana’s performance. She is phenomenal as Rani. The transformation from the naivety to wisdom is so gradual and subtle, and that requires great skill. Rani’s resilience is inspiring for many women, to say the least. Lisa Haydon gets a substantial role unlike Rascals which even had Kangana doing noting but wearing sleazy outfits. All these talented actors need is good roles, which they got through Queen. Raj Kummar Rao plays the self-flattering and the hypocrite so well that you even start hating him.
Some scenes are extremely well-written conveying a lot symbolically. For example, at a coffee shop when Vijay tells Rani that he is going to break the marriage, she gets panicky and rubs her hands against the cell-phone. When she exits, he brushes the mehendi particles off from the table. A handful of some more such impressive scenes made it more intriguing.
However, apart from the frequent resemblances to Cocktail and English Vinglish, the other drawback is the pace. The movie crawls at a pace of a tortoise, with hardly the story moving forward. Amit Trivedi’s music and Bobby’s camera work are adequate.
Queen is a definitely a one-time watch for Kangana’s performance and a must watch for women to get inspired from Rani’s resilience.
