For the last 10 years, Bhansali was lost in the colours of black, blue and grey (Black, Sawariya and Guzarish). The Box-office didn’t like those colors. Then, Bhansali opens his old cupboard, takes out the palette; re- opens the lids of 256 colors, and paints a beautiful canvas – Ram Leela. Yes, Ram Leela is a painting that comes alive on the screen.
‘Ram Leela’ is loosely based on Romeo-Juliet. Ram and Leela belong to rival clans- Rajadi and Sanada. Ram and Leela fall in love at first sight. In a war of words, Ram’s brother is killed by Leela’s brother, and Ram takes an immediate vengeance. This creates havoc, and the pair elopes to stay away from the ruckus. However, as a result of a treacherous plot by Ram’s friends, the love-story takes a U-turn and they are separated and brought back to their homes. The rest of the story is about how Ram and Leela face the unending turbulences caused by the clan rivalry.
The skeleton the story is not so new, but the presentation Bhansali made is beyond words. The sets are mind-blowing and the production designer Wasiq Khan deserves a round of applause, and so does the costume department. Cinematography is first-rate, with good sound design. Songs however are not in par with the kind of music we heard in the Bhansali-Ismail Durbar combo. Bhansali wisely packaged this love-story in such a way that, it will appeal even to the front-benchers, thanks to the ‘chichorapan’ of Ram and some really interesting one-liners. You will also get to see lot of ‘goli’s and ‘kisses’, which were never a part of his products. (These masala parts might not go well with the traditional Bhansali fans though). A drawback of the movie is its length. A couple of songs could have been easily avoided.
Ram Leela’s casting is top-notch. Ranveer takes a big leap with this movie. Fantastic! Deepika seems to be raising her acting prowess exponentially. Supriya Pathak, is another show-stealer. Gulshan Devaiah and Richa Chadda do their job gracefully.
Ram –Leela is a beautiful painting. You just cannot afford to miss it.
Reviewed by Rag Mayur
