We haven’t seen a strong love tale emerge from Bollywood in a while. Atrangi Re makes you believe that Hollywood still has it and is capable of delivering, but hope is all that is offered because this is not it. The movie is undoubtedly amusing for the average spectator, and many scenes will leave you grinning with the occasional chuckle, so credit must be given for that. But you will be irritated if your soul harbours even a teeny bit of cynicism.
Let’s start by being clear about one thing. The word “Atrangi Re” means “colourful” in English. It is used in a few circumstances for non-Hindi speakers, depending on which it may also indicate uncommon and entertaining. However, the film’s director, Anand L. Rai, chose to stick with the connotation of Funnily Weird, which is exactly how he wants the tone of the movie to be.
Plot Summary
The plot of the movie revolves around a love triangle involving Rinku, Vishu, and Sajjad. Sara Ali Khan portrays the fiery Rinku, a 24-year-old woman from rural Bihar who has lived with her extended family ever since her parents passed away and has repeatedly run away from home with her partner since she was 14 years old. When her family eventually decides to arrange her marriage, they are fed up with her alleged shenanigans and can’t figure out who this person is. The dude must only be from outside of Bihar, that is their only criteria. They come across Dhanush’s character Vishu, a medical student visiting the area on a school excursion. They abduct him, force him to inhale laughing gas, and marry an unconscious Rinku. Why not sedate him as well, I wonder as someone who is not an expert in chemistry? Other than its humorous impact, what other function did the laughing gas serve?
After the ceremony, while they are leaving the location, Rinku informs him about Sajjad, her rumoured boyfriend, who will be arriving and taking her away in a few days. This leads to them conversing about each other. After reaching an understanding, Rinku and Vishu decide to separate after Sajjad returns. On the advice of his friend who professes to understand women, Vishu decides not to tell his fiancé about his forced marriage even though he is about to get engaged in two days.
Naturally, things don’t go as planned, and in the course of 20 minutes, secrets are divulged, sentiments are confessed, ex-lovers rekindle their relationships, and discoveries are made. We won’t moan about it; it’s okay.
What Went Wrong With Atrangi Re ?
When all we saw Vishu do was stare at Rinku in apparent agony for two days, we can’t help but wonder how he managed to fall in love with her in that time. Is uncomfortably romantic the new love? In any case, this only applies to the first act of the film.
The second part of the film serves as evidence of the need for Bollywood to avoid discussing mental health issues. Here we have Rinku, a young woman with clearly ingrained childhood trauma that has profoundly impacted her adult life and is a defining factor in her current situation. And what does Vishu, our main character and a medical student, do about that? He makes the decision to begin treating her, which entails giving her medication against her will in the hopes that she may recover. A fellow medical student who is studying psychiatry and believes he knows women, his friend, assists him.
Let’s be clear: This issue does not include any licenced therapists or psychiatrists. Each of them is still a medical student. Additionally, receiving medical attention without consent is not only against the law but also deeply immoral. Given the soft power Bollywood has in this country, as well as the prevailing attitude and lack of understanding people have towards the subject of mental health, the movie’s authors and director portrayed her trauma as they would treat a regular cold. The entire team ought to have performed better.
Atrangi Re Ending Review
Once we get over the film’s egregiously flawed component, we discover the cause for Bollywood’s scarcity of high-quality rom-coms. The reason is straightforward—the characters are very one-dimensional, and we are unable to discern any other reason why they have fallen in love beyond the expectation that they would. Vishu is your standard Bollywood man in love who would do everything for his lady love, and Rinku is your everyday manic pixie dream girl. Although we don’t believe in the love tale, we have to admit that Dhanush, who plays Vishu, is so extremely endearing that you feel your heart hurting for him. He had the potential to be more than just a man in love, and we genuinely wish that was the case. He is without a doubt the main attraction.
Sara Ali Khan is excellent as Rinku, carrying out her duties, but her character deserved stronger writing. In his role as Sajjad, Akshay Kumar continues to do what he has done in every film: he portrays the popular, larger-than-life desi guy. This film’s primary flaw is that it omits to depict Rinku’s blossoming love for Vishu. She was entangled in a love triangle all the time, but when did she ever experience love? The confession she makes at the conclusion seems to have been made just for dramatic purposes.
The last sequence, in which Rinku learns the truth about Sajjad and overcomes her trauma, ought to have taken place in a therapist’s office rather than a crowded train station. After that, the heroine needs to take control of her life rather than just rushing into the hero’s arms.
Should You Watch Atrangi Re ?
We are genuinely undecided about this suggestion. On the one hand, it was unquestionably enjoyable. Although it is not a timeless love story, it is also not a waste of time. And when Vishu mockingly sings and dances to the popular song Chaka Chak to Rinku, everyone who has been keeping up with the movie’s or any of the performers’ promotional campaigns will get a moment of little gratification. However, there is also the inaccurate portrayal of mental health on the opposite hand.
So, our suggestion would be to see it through a filter. After that, you might want to start binge-watching Dhanush’s other films because you will be listening to the aforementioned song nonstop. However, the fact that a movie with such a great director, incredible music, and an unquestionably skilled star cast didn’t make the cut as a must-see due to its insensitivity to mental health will always annoy us. It is a good 2 hours and 20 minutes of your time spent smiling throughout, if you can intellectually overlook that portion of it. If you can’t ignore it, just listen to the movie’s soundtrack on YouTube. In any case, that is the best part.
Aanand L. Rai is the director of the 2021 Indian romantic drama film Atrangi Reis. You may watch it on Disney+ Hotstar.
