It looks like S.S. Rajamouli, with his magnum opus of Indian cinema, i.e. Bahubali franchise, has set some serious goals for the maverick artists of Bollywood. Those, who really are content and performance oriented, and aren’t suppressed by the imperialism of Karan Johar led secular brigade of Bollywood are really making it sure that the sane voice in Bollywood gets heard. Into this league has stepped in the iconoclast actress Kangana Ranaut, who has given some serious goals for the maverick ‘saffron’ brigade of Bollywood to follow.
Only a couple of days ago, Kangana Ranaut launched a poster of her new film. While this could’ve been just another promotional stunt, the topic of the film and the location of the launch told a different story altogether. While talks were ongoing of making a biopic on the legendary queen of Jhansi, Rani Manikarnika ‘Lakshmi Bai’ Rao, including a one by Ketan Mehta, it was the director of ‘Gabbar is Back’, Krishna Jagarlamudi, who decided to bear the risk of bringing back the glory of the Queen of Jhansi, and her valor, which once made the British imperialists run for cover. Besides, the screenplay of the movie is being written by the same man who was behind the classics of ‘Bahubali’ and Bajrangi Bhaijaan, i.e. K. Vijayendra Prasad.
The launch of the movie poster was conducted, along with the holy Ganga Aarti at Dashashwamedh Ghat, one of the holiest ghats of Varanasi, and where the real Queen of Jhansi, Manikarnika, spent a portion of her childhood.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xhnz7SLMPS8
The poster was launched amidst the call of the holy conches, followed by a Ganga aarti, with which Kangana Ranaut took the holy dip five times, and each time, the surroundings resonated with the holy call ‘Har Har Mahadev!’
If you think this is normal for a movie launch of a Bollywood movie, this isn’t, friend. When have we last seen a Bollywood movie launch followed by a Ganga Aarti, and a loud resonance of ‘Har Har Mahadev’ in body and soul? Call it what you want, but people like Karan Johar, who currently rule over a large section of Bollywood as their personal fiefdom, would’ve puked at the sight of it. But it seems that S.S. Rajamouli has given some serious goals for the right side of Bollywood to salvage their image, and Kangana Ranaut is doing a very good job at it.
Interestingly, Krish, the director of the movie, is the same man who directed the beautiful historic drama, Gautamiputra Satakarni, and it looks that some of the makers in Bollywood are convinced that technicians and filmmakers down South are adept at making historical movies better.
However, the question remains, can Kangana Ranaut give justice to the role of Rani Lakshmi Bai ?
Tell you what, YES SHE CAN! This role is tailor made for an actress like her, who knows how to call a spade a spade. The maverick iconoclast that she is, Kangana Ranaut will probably immortalize the role of Rani Lakshmi Bai, if she does her part well.
But how is Kangana’s personality synonymous to that of the legendary queen, who single handedly liberated a major portion of Uttar Pradesh, as well as Madhya Pradesh, during the fabulous Revolt of 1857?
Rani Lakshmi Bai was a typical veerangana [the warrior woman worshiped for her personality in traditional Sanatan or Bharatiya culture], who refused to bow down to the whims and fancies of the British East India Company. She knew that the Company, under the scheming and scrupulous Governor General Lord Dalhousie, would never recognize her adopted son, Damodar Rao as the heir to the throne of the Jhansi province. Yet, she boldly declared to the imperialists her intentions, ‘Main apni Jhansi nahin doongi!’ [I won’t give my Jhansi to anyone]
Cut to Kangana Ranaut. The firebrand actress, who turned over a new leaf with her power packed performances in ‘Queen’ ‘Tanu Weds Manu’ franchise, was one of the bold actresses, to have directly targeted one of the overlords of the overtly secular; highly nepotism oriented, and anti-content oriented Bollywood camp, Mr. Karan Johar. Not only she roasted him apart on his alleged mocking of hers years ago, over her English accent, but she also exposed his role as an intellectual terrorist, who was slowly converting Bollywood into a breeding ground for the propaganda of intellectual terrorism, as is notorious in our Indian intelligentsia.
If after this, anyone has a doubt on Kangana Ranaut delivering justice to the role of Rani Lakshmi Bai, I can’t help them at all. Only time would tell whether Kangana Ranaut can immortalize the role to the perfection that once Rani Lakshmi Bai sported on her personality, but we know one thing for sure. If someone can make sure we never forget Rani Lakshmi Bai on screen, it can be only Kangana Ranaut as of now.